Chapter 14 - Temple of Water II
While waiting for Link to return with news—or preferably her amulet—Zelda had attempted to scale the wall of the antechamber to reach the door above and break the seal, but it was futile.
Not that she had anything better to do.
Still, she'd eventually given up if only to reserve her strength, and once again considered contacting Myriad for no other reason than to shoot the breeze. Besides, the Sage would likely appreciate a progress report, and what else was there to do?
With an idle shrug at the thought, Zelda tugged the stone from her pouch and pressed her hand across it to contact Myriad—but nothing happened.
Confused, she stared down at the stone in curiosity. It was still glowing, suggesting it was in working condition, so why was there no response?
Recalling the fact that she herself could communicate through the stones using telepathy, Zelda focused her senses to contact the Sage non-verbally. It seemed easy enough, and she soon sensed Myriad's presence in her mind. That presence was vague at first, but became more clear, along with something else or … someone else.
It seemed there was another in communications with the Sage of Light, and as Zelda focused, their message began to come through—and it wasn't simply a series of words. Instead, she could see glimpses of images, vague at first, but swiftly growing stronger until a gasp escaped her lips.
It was chaos.
Despair and death, fire and destruction, settlements were under attack, their people savaged by a group of humanoid soldiers with the heads of black jackals. With eyes glowing red, they killed everyone in their path, setting their homes ablaze, destroying their crops, even slaughtering their horses. Those who survived didn't fare any better, put to harsh labor under brutal conditions that would only lead them to die of illness and malnutrition.
Ensuing the images was maniacal laughter accompanied by a phrase proving beyond all doubt what was being seen.
This is but a small taste of what's soon to come to Hyrule alone … .
At the merciless words, Zelda lost her grasp on the stone, the white orb falling through the water below with a loud tap against the floor. As a result, the visions broke and her eyes opened, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Taking several deep breaths in an effort to calm down, she whispered, "This can't be … ," and then squeezed her eyes shut, knowing fully well it could. She'd just glimpsed Ganondorf's plans, shown to Myriad to no doubt torment the Sage, and the only comforting thought was the knowledge that what she'd seen hadn't yet happened.
But how long would he wait? Was there still time to stop these events from happening? She hadn't heard everything after essentially stepping into the middle of a conversation, and needed to know more, to contact Myriad when Ganondorf was no longer interfering and make certain the Sage was alright.
Staring down at the dull light emanating from nearly fifteen feet below, she took in several deep breaths and held the last before diving under to retrieve the stone. Working her way down through the dull, murky water, she wished for her amulet's return if only for the increased visual acuity it provided, but managed to reach the floor in due time and clutched the glowing stone in her fingers once again.
Fwoosh!
The abrupt sound hit her ears, coming from one of the corridors behind her. Instantly turning around with the Myriad Stone clutched in her hand, Zelda spotted … something swimming toward her at top speed. The water was much too cloudy to make it out, but identification didn't really matter.
What did was the fact that it was already on top of her.
Unable to do anything but throw up an arm, she jerked in surprise when a second shadow moved in suddenly, and though everything happened in the span of a heartbeat, she could make out the distinct shape of a sword plunging into her attacker's side, knocking the foe away before it could harm her.
Link, she thought, exhaling in relief before the barrage of air bubbles lifting from her mouth reminded her that she was still underwater. So instead of sticking around to await an outcome she couldn't clearly see, Zelda immediately swam for the surface.
He didn't need her help just then anyway, and as she surfaced and took a deep breath, she scolded herself inwardly. What was I thinking? Link could've retrieved the stone, but she was so rattled by the hideous visions she hadn't thought her actions through and could've easily been killed.
The notion of it combined with the disturbing images she'd seen before had tears welling in her eyes just as the water nearby splashed upwards with Link surfacing in front of her.
Swiping his blond hair out of his face, he sheathed the Master Sword while asking, "Zelda? What were you doing?"
His disapproving tone of voice didn't help matters, and the tears started rolling down her cheeks in earnest.
Seeing her distress, Link's expression softened. He'd returned to the antechamber just in time to see a rather large piranha swimming toward her, and had no idea why she'd risked diving from the start. But now he could see there was something wrong that had nothing to do with being attacked, and he asked her name more gently.
"Zelda?"
Instead of answering, she turned away from him in shame, and Link shook his head, latching an arm around her waist to tug her over with the words, "Don't cry. I was upset, but only because you could've been hurt."
Shaking her head, she tried to push his arm away, but he wouldn't let go as she related, "No, you're right, and what I just did was stupid. I could've been killed if you hadn't returned at that precise moment, but … ," trailing, she hiccuped and whispered, "I just had to know … I had to get the stone back."
Hearing this, Link realized she'd spoken with Myriad and learned something distressing, or it was a combination of what she'd learned and her hasty dive to get the stone resulting in the attack. Whatever the case, he turned her around to face him and asked in concern, "What happened? Did Myriad have bad news?"
"No, but I saw the most terrible things," she supplied, her voice still a whisper as she finally locked gazes with him and related, "It was Ganondorf. He was showing images to Myriad of his plans for Hyrule, and they were so horrible I dropped the stone."
Simultaneously, concern and anger surged through Link as he asked, "What are his plans? What did you see?"
Rubbing her temple as if she'd rather forget what Ganondorf had shown Myriad, she rasped, "He's planning to attack Hyrule itself with … soldiers that look like black jackals. I could see it as clearly as I see you now. All the towns, the people, even children, it didn't matter. They showed mercy to no one."
With each word she spoke, Link's expression grew more grim—and confused. Myriad said Ganondorf would lash out now that they'd stolen a piece of his power, but what was the point of attacking Hyrule itself? Why destroy the very land he wished to rule?
The mere notion of it raised so many questions it was easy to understand Zelda's need to dive into danger and try to learn more, and she looked so distraught he couldn't resist pulling her in for a hug.
As she clutched him in return, he asked, "Do you know if he's started these attacks yet?"
"No, he said they're soon to come."
Exhaling in relief, Link lifted his head back and gazed down at her with the most reassuring look he could muster, cupping her cheek with the words, "Then we won't worry about it right now. Instead, let's unleash the power of this temple to weaken him, and then we'll focus on finding a way to stop him."
Holding his gaze, she let a soft sigh and related, "That's a good idea, but it's just … it's difficult to get over what I saw. The blood, the screams, terrified faces … ."
Her voice hitched as fresh tears started to surface, and Link did the only thing he could think of to stem the tide and distract her from such horrible images—kiss her.
"I just need a minute to—mmf!"
Her words were muffled by his lips pressing over her mouth in an affectionate slant, and she instinctively responded in kind, digging her fingers into the front of his wet jerkin as all thoughts faded away save one. Aren't we supposed to be keeping this platonic for now?
Not that she was complaining, finding the comforting distraction welcome as his kiss left her breathlessly dazed. Of course, she hadn't forgotten the distressing images from before, but they were certainly at the back of her mind now.
As he gave her a handsome smile and removed his hand from her cheek to start rummaging through one of his pouches underwater, she got the distinct feeling it was the very reason he'd kissed her—and she loved him even more for it.
She also loved the way he playfully related, "I have a surprise for you."
"The Zora amulet?"
Smirking, he lifted it from the water and qualified, "I found it in a room with a caged chest I need you to teleport into and open. It's not too far away, so if you're ready, I'll lead you there."
"Alright," she agreed, allowing him to put the necklace around her throat.
That's when she noticed some of the wet blond hair sticking to his cheek had turned pink, and she reached up to gently brush it away, finding a rather nasty slice across his skin which was still trickling blood.
Letting a gasp of concern, she inspected the injury more closely while asking, "Are you okay? What happened?"
"I'm fine," he confirmed, explaining, "Just ran into a suit of armor with an axe that mistook my head for a log."
He shrugged with smirk, obviously no worse off for the wear, but Zelda couldn't help feeling a little cheated. Losing her amulet had prevented her from helping him, though … in a way, it almost seemed to be fated.
Had she gone with Link, she never would've used the Myriad Stone and glimpsed Ganondorf's plans, allowing them the chance to prepare and hopefully stop him.
The realization made her feel much better about getting stuck in the antechamber. So she refrained from commenting, and instead, followed Link back to the room where the vent was located so they could find Dragmire's orb and destroy it sooner rather than later.
Thankfully, it didn't take long to reach it, though the swim up through the shaft was a long one. Still, their amulets made it easier, and once they reached the room at the top, Link climbed out of the water first and turned around to offer her a hand.
Once she was settled on the floor at the edge of the square shaft, he motioned at the caged chest and asked, "Do you have enough power to teleport in and back out again?"
"Oh yes," she confirmed easily. "With the increased abilities the Fairy Maiden provided, I have more than enough, particularly after being stuck in the antechamber all this time conserving my energy."
He nodded, glad to hear she could do so much more now than when they'd started their journey—which almost seemed like ages ago. But instead of commenting on it, he watched as Zelda stood and teleported into the cage without hesitation, then leaned forward to open the chest.
Unable to see the contents from his vantage point, Link's curiosity redoubled when she announced, "Oh, if we use the hooks in the antechamber, this will help us get to the sealed door."
"What is it?"
Pulling the device out, she teleported from the cage and turned around to show him a hookshot capable of pulling them out of the water high enough to allow Zelda to break the seal.
Taking the device in hand, he inspected it with a quizzical expression and observed, "It looks pretty useful for a lot of other things, too. Almost makes the frustration of this temple and all its annoying puzzles seem worth it."
Canting her head, Zelda inquired, "Were things that bad?"
With pursed lips, he exhaled low and remarked, "Let's just say that if Ganondorf ever does attack Hyrule, he can start by destroying this Temple."
Shaking her head with a small smile, Zelda turned to the edge of the shaft and asked teasingly, "Is that why it took you so long?"
Link's brows flattened at her insinuation that he'd been slow to solve the puzzles, and Zelda couldn't help a few snickers as she prepared to sit on the floor and slide into the water again.
Yet she gasped when he abruptly tugged her over and remarked, "Yep," just before lifting her up and jumping into the shaft.
Unprepared, Zelda let a squeal that was muffled once they were submerged. Now drifting beneath the surface, she narrowed her gaze at Link as he placed the hookshot on his belt before gifting her with a mischievous grin.
Rolling her eyes, she turned to swim away if only to hide her amusement.
His grin growing bigger, he followed her, swimming back to the antechamber in little time. There, they took a position at the center of the room where Link pulled out the hookshot and aimed it up at one of the hooks lining the wall.
Placing an arm around Zelda's back as she slung hers over his shoulders, he made sure his target was in his sights and pulled the trigger. With a small jolt, the grappling chain shot from the device at a swift pace and found its way to the hook above on the first try.
But nothing else happened.
Quirking a brow, Link turned the device in his hand to figure out the next step, then realized he needed to release the trigger. So he did, grunting when the chain instantly drew taut and tugged them both upward at a swift pace.
Water splashed around them as they breached the surface, and Link lifted his boots toward the wall, landing against it while clutching Zelda tight.
With the hookshot holding steady, Link looked down at the water, and then at the sealed door which was now within Zelda's reach and announced, "Okay, this is my new favorite toy."
Unable to help smiling over his fondness of the device, Zelda wasted no time retrieving her family's amulet and reached out to place it against the slot in the door to break the seal. The angle felt awkward, but as she held it in place, the magic soon began to dissolve just as it had in the Temple of Fire.
Focusing her power as her necklace shimmered brightly, a loud whir of energy grew stronger until the glowing seal faded away.
"Got it," she announced, grabbing the latch to open the door.
With the panel swinging to hang down, she gazed into the chamber above and remarked, "There's a wall up there with another hook on it. So we can use the hookshot from the water below to pull ourselves up."
"Okay," Link acknowledged, and at her urging, he released Zelda to dive back into the water before regarding the hookshot.
On the back was a switch that likely served as a release for the grapple. Flipping it, the switch automatically popped back into its original position and the grapple released the hook on the wall, allowing him to dive down with her.
After surfacing, he located the hook Zelda mentioned before, and used the hookshot one more time to pull them both up into the room above. Landing against the wall much the same way as before, a loud thud sounded from below, prompting them to look down.
The door had just shut of its own accord.
Exchanging a silent look with Zelda, Link supposed they weren't getting out until they'd destroyed Dragmire's orb. At the thought, he took a look around, realizing they were now within a small alcove that connected to a larger chamber.
Despite the years that had passed without any regular visitors to the temple, it looked as if the chamber had been cleaned on a daily basis. The smooth marble walls and floors didn't have a single mar, illuminated by blue flames burning upon several torches. But most notably, arranged in an ovular shape upon the floor were six pools of water.
Neither Link or Zelda could name a purpose for the pools as they lowered themselves to the floor, then cautiously stepped just a little further into the chamber before spotting the reason they'd come.
In an alcove raised high above the floor, the large, black orb that had consumed the temple's power rested upon a pedestal between two lit candelabras.
Zelda was certainly ready to destroy it, but two things stopped her from immediately moving toward it. First, she easily recalled how the Cygon had attacked the moment they attempted to draw in closer to Dragmire's orb in the Temple of Fire, and the chances were good that another monster would appear and bar their path here as well.
Second, there was no visible means of reaching the orb, even using the hookshot.
"I don't see anyway up," she started, adding, "but I've got a blue rupee saying the moment we even approach it, something will jump out at us."
"Not taking that bet," Link returned with a smirk. "Still, maybe the hookshot can grapple the ledge?"
Shrugging, Zelda waved a hand at the alcove and remarked, "There's nothing to lose in trying."
"Not really," Link concurred, then slowly aimed the device at the ledge of the alcove.
Like clockwork, the moment he got what he hoped was a good spot to latch onto in his sights, the water in the six pools around them began bubbling as if something was coming.
Releasing a sigh, Link lowered his arm as Zelda shook her head, taking a position next to him with a muttered, "See? Just like we thought."
Link nodded while replacing the hookshot on his belt. But despite their casual attitudes, Zelda silently promised not to make another mistake like the one she made after dropping the Myriad Stone. Her friend had already fought his way through most of this temple alone, and she wouldn't add to his burden again.
No, this time, she'd be prepared for anything and use her better judgment.
As she had the thought, the water held within the six pools seemed to come to life, rising up into the air until six liquid globes were floating around them.
As those globes began to move, Link grasped the hilt of the Master Sword in preparation, watching closely with Zelda as they picked up speed. Circling the Hylians, some seemed to move faster than the others, trailing until a few stopped with no warning.
Doing so, the others rammed into them in a liquid explosion that formed a distinct shape—six tentacles sprouting from the body of a large, blue squid.
With a thick, spiked shell protecting its head, the monster stood at nearly ten feet in height, leering at them with blood red eyes. Making matters worse, each tentacle was at least fifteen feet long with spikes jutting from the tips.
As the creature finished forming before them, Link let a low sigh and muttered, "They just keep getting uglier."
"You took the words out of my mouth," Zelda concurred just as they steadied themselves when the creature started to move, sending a low rumble through the floor.
Yet, instead of instantly issuing an attack, it headed toward the nearest wall, climbing up it and onto the ceiling. For its size, the Squid moved somewhat swiftly, though it certainly couldn't be called fast. Still, the armor protecting its head and the long reach of its tentacles certainly made up for its lack of mobility, giving Link the feeling that the only way to deal this monster any real damage was by exposing its underside—somehow.
He only hoped the answer presented itself soon as the Squid took a position directly above them and raised its tentacles with the tips pointing to the ceiling. In turn, six blue lights formed that the Squid reached its numerous arms into, causing another rumble to shake the floor as the arms sprang up from the pools located around Link and Zelda.
Instantly, the tentacles moved to attack, forcing Link to evade a swung limb by jumping out of the way, then rolling left when a second limb came down in an attempt to crush him.
Coming to a crouch, he drew his sword and shield, then took a moment to look right, seeing that Zelda had also been forced to evade an attack—and there was nothing he could do but attempt to stop the tentacles trying to harm her while also avoiding those out to hurt him.
Hopefully, she could keep herself safe in the meantime, and he didn't waste a moment getting started.
Pushing himself up, Link moved to one of the tentacles focused on Zelda and tore the Master Sword through the base of it. Thankfully, the arms were fairly easy to damage, a fact proven when the monster above them emitted a loud squeal before tugging the injured limb back into the water again.
With one less tentacle to worry about, Link moved on to the next while dodging another swipe.
Hearing the Squid's agonized sound, Zelda looked back to see what had happened, learning Link had landed a successful blow on one of its arms—just as another wrapped around her waist. Gasping, she clutched the limb as it lifted her into the air and pulled back, tossing her toward a wall with a great deal of force.
But Zelda never hit it. Instead, she teleported from midair and down to the base of the limb that had just thrown her. There, she made good on her promise not to add to Link's burden by drawing up her now glowing hands and sent a shock of fire into the tentacle.
Clutching the appendage, a burst of heat singed the monster's flesh. It was the same spell she'd used against Dark Link, but this time, she didn't stop, holding on until the Squid let another squeal and jerked its arm back into the pool.
Doing so, Zelda realized the fire spell didn't drain her energy as much as it should've—and she didn't have to ask questions to know why. The Essence of Fire. Now that they'd broken the dark orb in the Fire Temple, she could draw on that power as a Sage, making it easier to cast fire based spells.
That would certainly come in handy—not that she had time to consider it. Instead, another tentacle lashed out at her, forcing her to teleport once more. Thanks to the recently unleashed Sage essence, she had that option without too much worry, and unleashed another burst of fire into the base of the tentacle that had just attacked her.
With that limb disappearing back into the pool, she realized only three remained, and they were all on the opposing side of the chamber. So she quickly scanned the area to find Link raising his shield to block one of the tentacles before using his blade to slash another. Impaling it, he tore the Master Sword through the spiked tip, causing the appendage to snap back as he then used his momentum to turn his weapon on the one still pushing against his shield.
Wasting no time, he stabbed the Master Sword deep with a gush of inky blood spraying out. In turn, the creature above them squealed again, pulling both arms back into the pool.
Yet Link paid little mind, turning to face the last remaining tentacle just as it swung low to the floor.
The movement was much swifter than before, suggesting the Squid was growing impatient. It also prevented Link from taking the limb out in what he knew would be the simplest way possible—by loosing a few arrows. Instead, he jumped to avoid impact, and instantly, the tentacle raised up to come down on top of him.
Preparing to dodge again, Link stopped himself at the sight of a red orb flying over his head in the tentacle's direction. Slamming into it, the orb exploded in a blaze of fire, and a glance back revealed Zelda lowering her glowing hands.
Giving her an appreciative smile, he made a note to tell her how impressed he'd been by her show of skill against this monster later. For now, he was too busy looking up as the last tentacle shrank back into the pool.
And the Squid grew silent.
Proving they'd done enough damage to shock the creature, it shuddered almost violently before going limp, its body slumping to hang away from the ceiling. As a result, the soft underside was exposed, providing the perfect opportunity for an attack—and Link quickly took notice of a way he might reach the monster.
Along the ceiling were several ornately carved notches resembling hooks that could be grappled by the hookshot, and he wasted no time grabbing the device to take aim.
Pulling the trigger, the chain flew upward and latched onto one of the makeshift hooks close to the Squid's mouth, tugging him toward it at a swift pace. Because he moved at an angle, he drew his blade around in passing, slicing it through the Squid's mouth once before swinging back and slashing his enemy again and again.
After several blows, the Squid jolted with a loud, indignant squeal—a sign that it was beginning to wake up.
Or fall to the floor.
Surely enough, the creature lost its grip on the ceiling and plummeted downward, landing with a heavy thud that sent a tremor through the chamber. In turn, Link used the hookshot to lower himself, then released the grapple midway and safely dropped to the floor nearby.
As the chain retracted into the device, Link stood and carefully regarded their enemy as the Squid worked its way back up. In the process, he realized the landing had cracked the protective shell covering its head, which could prove advantageous. If Link could get close enough, a few well-placed attacks would break the shell open—and it seemed the Squid was hankering to continue their fight anyway as it turned a pair of menacing red eyes in his direction.
Storing the hookshot on his belt again as the Squid began to close the distance between them, Link flipped the Master Sword around in one hand and told Zelda, "Just stay back for now. Maybe you can do a little crowd control and keep those tentacles behaved."
"Alright," she agreed, thinking that was definitely the best idea if this monster wanted a physical fight.
Backing away, she watched as the Squid swiped a few of its arms at Link, her friend darting out of the way before blocking a blow with his shield. The entire while, he seemed to be attempting to reach the head, and just as a third tentacle nearly came down on him, he used the hookshot to pull himself upward, but let go in midair to come down on the Squid's armored shell.
Landing on it, he stumbled when the Squid moved, using one of the spikes sticking out of its armor to keep his footing. Then, the moment he was stable, he used the Master Sword to strike several blows against a crack in the creature's shell.
Zelda did what she could to keep the tentacles off of Link in the meanwhile, and managed to buy him enough time to lengthen the cracks to the point of breaking a jagged hole open, exposing the soft flesh beneath. Yet he was forced to leap back down to the floor when one of the tentacles moved to reach him before Zelda could respond.
Still, something had drawn her attention, being the sound of bubbling coming from the pools surrounding them. Glancing over, she watched as several globes of water rose out of them to float in the air, spinning around Link and the Squid with increasing speed as if preparing to shoot off in random directions at any moment.
And there was only one way she knew to stop them.
Folding her hand against her chest, her entire form began to glow blue. The spell she was casting would consume the remainder of her energy, and in fact, she didn't have enough energy left to make the spell as powerful as it could be. But the results would certainly be worth it, and as the globes shot off around the chamber only to change direction after hitting a wall, the area surrounding them grew darker with a low rumble of thunder sounding despite their location indoors.
In turn, several powerful bursts of electricity forked out of the walls, slamming into the speeding globes and causing them to burst.
As water droplets spattered everywhere, jolts of electricity also slammed into the Squid and its tentacles. As a result, the creature tensed, chunks of its protective shell blown away, giving Link the chance to end it for good.
Yet one of the water globes had managed to evade Zelda's lightning, and went flying across the room—right into Link's back.
Upon hitting him, the globe consumed his body, lifting him from the floor as it traveled toward the wall and slammed into the barrier with a great deal of force. Spattering on impact, Link continued to fly forward, stopping only when he met the wall as well, busting his bottom lip and scratching his temple in the process.
But most notably, a sharp pain shot through his mid-chest that told him he'd just broken a rib or two.
Slipping down the wall to land on his back with a cringe, he found Zelda rushing to his side to help him up. But she stopped when he flinched, and nearly asked what was wrong only to find him sitting forward without any help.
With blood dripping down the side of his face, he turned a heated glare on the Squid to find the monster still convulsing from Zelda's shocks of magical lightning. Evidently, the creature was unable to take much more as it trembled with what little life it had left. There were also several gaping holes in its armor now, and still in full battle mode, Link ignored the pain of his injuries and pushed himself up, taking off toward the beast with sword in hand.
Pulling the hookshot from his belt, he aimed at the ceiling and used it to pull himself off of the floor. Once high enough, he released the grapple and brought the Master Sword down with a determined yell, mercilessly stabbing it into one of the holes.
Shoving the blade in as deep as he could, he jerked it back out and stabbed the Squid again for good measure, finding the creature quick to jolt with a loud, defeated squeal. The convulsions of its body to follow threw Link away, but he allowed it, drawing his arms up and around his sides to protect his injured ribs as he landed on the floor and briefly slid to a stop.
Grunting against the pain, he slowly pressed his hand into the floor and pushed himself up with a few deep breaths just as Zelda's hand landed on his shoulder. But for the moment, they ignored each other to watch the Squid's body convulsing with a shiver as it turned back into the water which had originally formed it.
Finally, the body fell apart with a large splash, water washing across the marble tiles and around the Hylians who'd slain the creature, causing them to exhale a sigh of relief before regarding one another again.
Despite their victory, Zelda couldn't help worrying over Link's condition, even as he smiled at her in obvious relief to have won their fight—and he'd certainly shown their enemy no sympathy.
Reaching up to wipe some of the blood from his cheek, she remarked, "You were fairly merciless, you know?"
Still winded from the battle, he drew out, "Yeah, but they deserve it. Besides, you did a number on this one, too. That lightning was like something out of legend."
"Maybe," she conceded with a small smile while taking his shield to set onto his back with the words, "but I can't heal you right now because my magic is nearly diminished. Do you have any potion?"
"No," he started, slowly pushing himself up. "But it's just a few broken ribs, so I only have to remember not to laugh, or … ," he paused, taking a slow breath before muttering, "breathe."
The irony of his statement caused him to snort in amusement, immediately followed by cringing in pain. Seeing it, Zelda bit her lip to prevent her own snickering, afraid it would only feed his mirth and cause him more discomfort. So instead of responding, she distracted them both by helping him sheath his sword to ensure the motion of his arm didn't aggravate his injury.
Once done, she assisted him with standing, though their attention was soon drawn by the sound of a low whir followed by a brief flash of light. Looking toward the spot where the Squid's body had been, they noticed several glowing particles gathering together to form a small orb—just as they'd found in the Temple of Fire after defeating the Cygon.
Curiously approaching the light with Zelda right behind him, Link could only wonder what gift this temple might bestow, and reached out to touch it.
On contact, the orb split in two with tiny sparkles of energy trailing behind as they took off to circle around the Hylians. Rising higher and higher, the orbs soon made impact at the top of their heads, and as Link regarded Zelda, he noticed her eyes lighting up.
Apparently, his were doing the same because she pointed out, "Your eyes are glowing."
"So are yours," he returned. "I know it's a spell, but … I'm not sure what it does."
With a thoughtful look on her face that soon turned to one of enlightenment, Zelda qualified, "It's a rare type of counter spell to shadow magic that provides the ability to see the truth behind secrets."
Canting his head, Link inquired, "Truth? So … we can see things like magically hidden objects?"
"Yes, for example, look at the wall above the platform where Dragmire's orb is sitting."
Turning his head, Link did as she asked and noticed something that hadn't been visible before—a transparent hook.
"So that's how you reach it," he remarked, finding himself ready to get up there and destroy the orb as soon as possible if only because the ache in his chest was growing worse with each breath he took.
Still, he had to ask Zelda, "So is the Triforce of Wisdom telling you this, or did you just see the hook and know?"
Smiling, Zelda admitted, "I saw the hook, though I think … well, I know the Triforce of Wisdom enhances my intuition, too."
With a smirk, he nodded and waved her over, latching an arm around her back once she was close enough before turning his attention to the last task they had to perform.
Pulling the hookshot from its place on his belt, he took aim at the hook and asked, "Then are you ready to break Dragmire's orb?"
Gently placing her arm around Link's shoulders, she confirmed, "I was ready to break it before we arrived."
"Same here," he returned, pulling the hookshot's trigger and allowing it to tug them up onto the platform where the orb rested just a moment later.
Once they landed, Zelda stood up straight without any trouble, but Link doubled over, planting a hand against the platform to steady himself.
Kneeling next to him, Zelda helped him to stand while urging, "Link, let me use the fairy to heal you."
Though he accepted her help with standing up, he denied her offer with a shake of his head. "No, we can save that for something more dire than this. Besides, you'll get your magical strength back soon, and then you can touch me all you want and—"
He stopped when she pressed her hand over his mouth, her cheeks turning pink, and the reaction had him grinning from ear to ear.
Seeing it, she shook her head. "You have no shame, do you?"
"I do," he returned, admitting playfully, "I just wanted to see if it'd make you blush."
Zelda pursed her lips, wondering how bad his injuries could actually be if he felt good enough to tease her in such a way. Still, it was always hard to tell with him considering his reluctance to ever complain about his pain.
So she looked him over, but it honestly didn't help. Blood stained the left side of his face, his bottom lip was starting to swell, and though his ribs were busted, he was still standing as if nothing were wrong.
The thought of it had her considering how much he'd been through in this temple alone. He was injured, bloody, probably more exhausted than she was considering she'd spent most of their trip wading in the antechamber, and yet he was actually smiling at her.
And she wanted to convey her immense gratitude so badly she didn't know where to begin.
" … Zelda?"
Link's question came as she began motionlessly staring at him, but she didn't respond right away. Instead, his voice spurred her into action, stepping forward and leaning up to kiss him meaningfully, but with as much gentleness as she could muster to keep from jarring his injuries.
The sudden show of affection had him clasping her upper arms in surprise, not that he turned her away, enjoying the gentle brush of her lips until she broke contact and whispered, "I just had to show you how grateful I am to you."
"For what?" he asked, confused.
Smiling, she stepped back and gazed up at him with a staggering amount of emotion in her violet blue eyes, but only took his hand and squeezed it with the words, "For everything."
Link looked from her face to their clasped hands just as she released his palm and turned toward the orb. Though he didn't think he'd done anything to warrant such a sweet show of gratitude, a smile curved his lips as he made a silent promise.
I'll show her my own gratitude later.
Unaware of his thoughts, Zelda took her blue amulet in hand while reaching for the dark orb with the other. Like the one in the Fire Temple, it glowed from the inside, yet the image was sparkling like a reflection of water. But it didn't matter, and she regarded the orb with narrowed brows while placing her hand on the surface with a deep breath.
Once again, she could feel the ravenous energy of the orb, exerting her own influence over it to crack the barrier as she recalled the vision Ganondorf sent to Myriad. The pained faces, the chaos and destruction he was planning to unleash upon Hyrule put a sneer on her lips as the orb cracked beneath her fingertips. Tremors shook the walls with light seeping from the fissures, flooding the chamber in white.
Zelda's last thought as the glare blotted everything out moments before Dragmire's orb exploded was He can't destroy Hyrule if I destroy his power first.
"Cody, did you feed the horses?"
"Yes, Grandma," Cody called back, placing a wooden board into a pile near the front porch of his home.
Nighttime had befallen the lake, and with no word from Link or Zelda, he was starting to think they truly wouldn't return to claim their horses. But it was their own fault for trying to cross the lake when they'd been warned not to—not that the thought of their possible misfortune didn't sadden him.
Still, if the worst had actually come to pass, then Epona and Frost should really be handed over to the revolt after all. At least there they'd have warm stables to stay in rather than being tethered to a post on a cold lakeside.
Shaking his head at the thought, he stood from the pile of boards he'd gathered for a new project just as a loud whir sounded off in the distance. With narrowed brows, he looked out across the lake, realizing the waters had become unsettled.
Having heard the strange sound, Lana stepped out onto the porch and asked, "Cody, what's going on?"
"I don't—"
Before he could finish his sentence, a huge beam of light shot up out of the water, towering into the sky. The sudden blast had Cody stumbling backwards and grabbing one of the stilts his home was sitting upon to keep from falling over as he stared in shocked amazement.
Lana gripped one of the columns holding the roof up over the porch, unable to see the light as clearly as her grandson while calling out, "Cody! What happened?"
"I don't know, Grandma," he replied, watching as the light began to fade away just before realizing a huge wave was building in the lake, heading straight for them.
With no time to respond, the large wall of water crashed down over the shore with enough force to beach some of the docked boats while rushing several feet beneath their home.
Hanging onto the stilt until the waters calmed and started receding back into the lake, Cody looked up again, completely bewildered while standing in the eerily calm wake of the strange event.
Unable to make sense of any of it, he shook his head and reiterated, "I really don't know."