A/N: I do not own The Legend of Zelda or Nintendo. Also, thank you to the guest who recently reviewed this. I'll try to do that for you...because I think that'll be great. XD

Ocarina of Time Link's Perspective.

Chapter Nine

Evil Spirit from Beyond

Link wasn't sure what to expect from the room. He was prepared for monsters: he was fully equipped, and he had a companion who was also fully equipped. He was ready for a boss to challenge him. He was even expecting some sort of extreme challenge, like boulders to rain from the sky.

He was not expecting stairs. He was greeted by a wall, with a fence of bars to his left. On his right, the path rose up and curled around the raised section of the floor before him. Deciding that right was their only way to go, both Links ascended the stairs. They found another fence of bars preventing them from falling off the raised floor, with the only opening in the bars existing behind them.

A fading Triforce design was painted on the center of the floor, a compass-like pattern of white surrounding it, with more gold triangles forming the compass points. Surrounding them was a circle of Hylian, reading a message Link wasn't too focused on.

He walked into the center of the room, accompanied by the Hero of Twilight. He looked around, studying the several paintings that hung from the walls, each displaying the same image: a grey path leading to a castle, with several barren grey trees bordering the path.

"I think the artist wasn't having any creative bursts," the Hero of Twilight muttered, walking over to the bars and leaning over them to see the painting more closely.

Link turned in a circle. This was all wrong. Saria was supposed to be here, somewhere in this temple, and he had searched the entire building…except for some sections scoured by his Hylian companion. At the very least, there should have been a monster of sorts guarding Saria here, yet there was nothing but empty paintings.

"Saria!" Link called, causing the Hero of Twilight to turn and look at him. "Saria!" Link walked around the room, then stood in the center of the floor again. He gazed at the paintings. Was she inside one of them?

"Maybe this room is a distraction?" Navi suggested.

"Bosses don't force Heroes to find the Big Key, only to lead them to the wrong room with it; they're not smart enough," the Hero of Twilight muttered.

"Alright then, Mr. Important Hero," Navi began, "why don't you wait here for the boss to show up. Link and I are going to continue exploring where you've searched so we can find Saria."

"You think I'm hiding her?" the Hero of Twilight asked. "Very well then, go ahead. Be careful: the severed ground hand is very vicious."

"We aren't afraid," Navi said. She returned to Link's shoulder. "Come on, Link. Let's go find Saria!"

Link didn't want to believe that the Hero of Twilight was lying to him, but either he was, or Sheik was. So far, Sheik had been right; he'd taught Link a song, told him where to find the Hookshot, and even informed him of his destiny. What had this other Hero done?

Then again, if there was even a small chance Saria was here, and the Hero of Twilight had bypassed her, then Link couldn't afford to stand around and argue with Navi; he needed to find his friend. He relented.

"Link, you stay here and wait for the boss if you want to. I'm going with Navi," Link declared.

The Hero of Twilight nodded his understanding. "Do as you believe is best."

Navi triumphantly fluttered over to the exit and bounced up and down excitedly.

Link would have followed her outside if metal bars hadn't slid up from the ground before him and fenced him in. He stopped.

The Hero of Twilight prepared to join him, but he never got the chance. Manic laughter rose to their ears, and both Heroes drew their blades.

In the center of the room, standing on the compass, a horse and its rider waited, as if they had been there all along. The horse was solid black, covered in armor. It pawed the ground and whinnied, then reared up. Its rider was a redhead with cruel golden eyes. He too, was covered in armor, and he held a weapon that was a cross between a spear and a staff. Link instantly recognized them as Ganondorf and his faithful nightmare stallion.

Link glared at him, not sure why he was there. He noticed the Hero of Twilight looking bewildered, but also angry, but Link quickly returned his gaze to the Gerudo King of Thieves.

Ganondorf grinned, then grabbed hold of his face. To both Heroes' horror, he pulled it off as if it were a mask. Horns appeared on his head as blue flames blazed. Only a skull remained of his face, the eye sockets hollow. Gold light suddenly appeared in them, creating his eyes. Both Links tensed as his horse reared up and began to float into the air.

"Who exactly is that?" the Hero of Twilight demanded as the strange person pointed at one of the paintings and created a swirling portal, before disappearing into it. He could still be seen as he and his steed dashed up the path, then disappeared into the castle.

"I thought it was Ganondorf, but…apparently not," Link replied.

"It's a phantom," Navi explained. "Ganon must have created it to cause even more chaos to befall Hyrule!"

The Hero of Twilight had no response to that. His eyes were fixed on every painting, trying to decide where the phantom would reappear. Link also began to search. He noted the horse and rider in the painting on his left, so he sheathed his sword and pulled out his bow, waiting for him to try and escape the picture.

The horse and rider turned around and began running back up the path. Link lowered his nocked arrow, unsure of what had happened. He heard a cry of pain on his left, then saw the Hero of Twilight nock another arrow, sending a horse and rider, both glowing white, back into the portal that had appeared.

"An illusion?" Link asked.

"I suppose we need to be careful," the Hero of Twilight replied. "You take aim for one, I'll target the other."

"Agreed," Link said.

It took two more arrows for something exciting to happen. As Link's arrow pierced the phantom's chest, the boss cried out and sent his horse back into the portal, where it disappeared. He began floating all by himself, waiting, laughing.

Both Heroes nocked their arrows and fired them, but Phantom Ganon merely dodged them and laughed harder. He sent a ball of electricity after the Hero of Twilight, who raised his shield and thrust it forward. The ball exploded upon contact with his shield, causing him to stare at it confused.

"That normally works," he said.

"Not today," Navi said.

Link glared at the phantom. "Well, if shields disperse the attack, and arrows are ineffective, how do we kill this guy? Link, what do you suggest?"

The Hero of Twilight was rifling through his back pouch, digging around for any sort of weapons. He pulled out an empty bottle, studied it, then put it back, shaking his head in disdain. He pulled out a rod with several pieces of metal branching off from it like claws. A green orb glowed atop it. The Hero of Twilight studied the phantom, contemplating.

"What is that?!" Link demanded, temporarily losing his focus on the phantom.

"It's a—" the Hero of Twilight was cut short as he looked up at Phantom Ganon above Link. "GET OUT OF THE WAY!"

Link looked up in time to see Phantom Ganon twirl his spear and point at him. A ball of electricity sparked on his spear and flew at him. He took a step back and turned to run, only to see the fence behind him, blocking him in.

He was knocked aside, as if slammed into by a horse. Link hit the ground and lay there, momentarily dazed.

"Nnghnn…" the Hero of Twilight choked as he sunk to his knees. His body sparked, lightning arcing its way down him, centering on his chest. Several of his Heart Containers cracked and turned black.

"Link!" Navi cried. Apparently, it was possible for the fairy to care about the Hero of Twilight.

Link dragged himself to his feet, watching the Hero of Twilight struggle to do the same. Phantom Ganon laughed at both of them, causing Link to angrily spin around and glare at him. The phantom twirled his spear.

"Not this time," Link snarled as the electric orb approached him. He tried to slice it in half, only to be surprised as it flew back at the phantom. The phantom swiped at it and sent it back to Link.

Ah, so that's how this works… Link thought. He attacked the orb, sending it flying back at the phantom. The orb slammed into him and he cried out, then sunk to the ground, kneeling and panting.

Link seized his opportunity and dashed over to Phantom Ganon, rapidly attacking it and trying to kill it. It returned to the air, still sparking, but at least Link had dealt some damage. He glanced to the side and noticed the Hero of Twilight now on his feet, no longer generating electricity. His hair was slightly sticking up more than usual, and his clothes were steaming, but he looked more angry than hurt. His glare at the phantom was murderous, and he waited for it to strike.

Both Heroes tag-teamed Phantom Ganon. If one of them missed the electric ball, the other would charge over to it and swipe it with their sword, sending it after the phantom.

The real fun began when the Hero of Twilight pulled out his bottle and tried to catch the sparks in it so he could run over to the phantom and just throw it at him. As he swiped at the air to catch the orb, it slammed into the glass and ricocheted off, launching back at the phantom.

The Heroes of Time and Twilight then decided that they were going to play dirty. Using their empty bottles, they ended up launching the attack back at the phantom, then charging over to him every time he fell.

The battle ended when Link charged over first and leapt into the air, bringing his sword down on Phantom Ganon's head. The phantom cried out once more and was lifted back into the air like a rag doll. He twitched sporadically, his body blazing with the blue flames both Heroes were now accustomed to seeing when monsters died.

The phantom hovered in the air, being drawn towards the center of the floor where the Triforce rested. A portal appeared, but the phantom did not yet enter.

"What is this?" a voice, obviously Ganondorf's, called. "I suppose the Temple of Time replicated you when you were locked up?"

Link kept his sword ready, and the Hero of Twilight walked over to him to ensure that they could protect each other if need be.

"I suppose it matters not. You both did quite well. It appears you may be gaining some slight skills, kid…"

Link knew Ganon was addressing him. The Gerudo King of Thieves hadn't met the Hero of Twilight, and Link was the only person he referred to as "kid".

"But you have defeated only my phantom…" Ganon continued. "When you fight the real me, it won't be so easy!"

Both Links stepped back in horror as the phantom glowed even brighter from the flames. It grabbed its head and cried out as Ganon said, "What a worthless creation that ghost was! I will banish it to the gap between dimensions!" The phantom's flame began to shrink as it was sucked into the portal on the ground, and both disappeared immediately.

A blue portal of light appeared on the floor, glowing in the center of the Triforce. The Hero of Twilight exchanged a look with Link.

"Is this where we need to go?" he asked.

"Yes," Link agreed, beginning to walk forward.

"Hey!" Navi called, causing both Links to stop and turn. She hovered before the Hero of Twilight. "I owe you an apology, Link…"

The Hero of Twilight waited.

"Thank you for saving my Link. I was wrong to misjudge you," Navi said.

"It's nothing to be concerned about," the Hero of Twilight told her. "You weren't wrong to distrust me; you don't know anything about me besides what I tell you. As long as your suspicions don't hinder our quest, they are nothing to regret."

Navi said nothing, but instead landed on the Hero of Twilight's shoulder, showing him that she now trusted him. Since he had proven himself an ally of Link, she would consider him an asset and would allow him to follow along, it seemed.

Link chuckled and extended his hand, calling Navi back. He seized the Heart Container from the ground, then walked into the portal. It glowed brightly. The Hero of Twilight, who was waiting for Link to enter first, stepped back in surprise as Link was encased in a blue rupee-shaped glass-like object, which spun him around. The entire world turned dark, before lightening to a grey color, and Link vanished.

He reappeared in the Sacred Realm, unaware that the portal had vanished behind him, and that the Hero of Twilight had to ask Midna to warp him out. Link was still floating in the blue rupee-like object, unsure of what to do. His hands were raised above him as the crystal lowered to the ground. It faded around him, causing him to drop to the ground. He looked around, noting that nothing was different in the Sacred Realm, besides the obvious lack of Rauru the Sage.

Before him, the green medallion-shaped pedestal began to glow with blue light, which was something Link couldn't quite figure out. He hesitated, watching it closely.

I wonder who it is, Link thought, knowing it was a portal before him.

A young girl appeared on the green pedestal. She wore green boots that rose to her shins, as well as a green tunic that became shorts instead of being skirt-like. She also wore a dark green long-sleeved turtle neck with even darker green pinstripes. A belt girded her waist, the same color as her shirt. A headband held her green hair back. Her hair would have touched her shoulders except that it curled slightly forward. Her blue eyes gazed intently at Link, and she smiled.

"Thank you," Saria said. "Because of you, I could awaken as a Sage…"

Link couldn't believe his eyes. He was speechless, unable to interrupt Saria despite all the feelings swelling within him. Seven years had passed…and she still looked exactly the same. And here he was, an adult.

"I am Saria," she told him. "The Sage of the Forest Temple…"

Oh no… Link thought. Oh please…please remember me… Please don't have forgotten who am too…

He wanted to step forward, talk to her as if they were still both kids. Had drawing the Master Sword caused him to age like this? Is that why only he had grown up? Is that why none of his friends knew who he was?

"I always believed that you would come," Saria said, cutting off Link's dreadful thoughts. "Because I know you…"

Oh thank goodness…Link thought.

"Saria, I—" he began.

"No…" she interrupted. "You don't have to explain it to me."

Link slowly and reluctantly closed his mouth and waited.

"Because it is destiny that you and I can't live in the same world… I will stay here as the Forest Sage and help you… Now, please take this Medallion…" She held up her hands.

Link looked up and spotted the green light shining far above him. A green medallion with a wind pattern on it glimmered, then quickly began to fall towards him. It spun around, glowing in the light. Link held out his hands and accepted it.

I've received the Forest Medallion! Link thought, smiling. Saria awakens as a Sage and adds her power to mine!

All around Link, the world began to turn white. He blinked and looked around, perceiving nothing but the blinding nothingness that surrounded him. He tried to find Saria, to see her one more time. He couldn't.

"Saria will always be…your friend…" Link heard, but he could not identify the voice. He looked around once more, trying to find anyone, but he was alone.

The whiteness faded away, and Link found himself standing on the air, encased in the glowing blue light. He began to fall, but not too quickly that he would have to roll forward and absorb the damage. He found himself standing before the deceased Great Deku Tree. Before him, examining the tree, stood the Hero of Twilight.

As Link's feet touched the ground, the Hero of Twilight turned around and grinned.

"I thought I was warped to the wrong place," he said.

Link nodded, but said nothing. His heart was heavy. He had just seen Saria for two minutes tops, after waiting seven years and tolerating no one knowing who he was.

If the Kokiri are all still kids… Link began to think, then perhaps I'm not like them… Maybe I really am different from Saria and her friends, as she told me when I first left the forest.

"Are you alright?" the Hero of Twilight asked. "You seem distressed."

"I'm fine," Link replied. He had the Medallion. He had cleared the Temple of monsters. He finally saw Saria again, and he had even awakened her from her non-Sage slumber. He was actually pretty okay. He simply wasn't pleased that he could no longer live amongst the Kokiri.

The Hero of Twilight was obviously not satisfied with Link's answer, but he chose to drop the conversation so he wouldn't hurt the Hero of Time even further. "So…question. What's the little tree for?"

Link instinctively looked at his feet, wondering what the Hylian Hero was talking about. He noticed the small tree immediately. It only rose to his knees, so he wouldn't have noticed it with his preoccupied thoughts.

The Hero of Twilight curiously walked over to examine the tree with Link, both of them wondering why it was there and what its purpose was. Link squatted down and leaned in close, studying the ground and the two leaves sprouting from the tree. The Hero of Twilight cocked his head to the side and raised an eyebrow.

To both Heroes' surprise, the tree instantly burst from the ground. The Hero of Twilight leapt back, slamming into the Great Deku Tree. He grunted, coughed, and slid to the ground, a stunned look on his face.

Poor Link, on the other hand, screamed in surprise as he was launched backwards, and landed on his back. He found that he was still yelling, even as he lay on the ground. He stared at the sky above, watching the clouds drift by on the breeze. He noticed the dark leaves that still had not fallen from the dead Great Deku Tree. Little fireflies danced all around his eyes.

Link stopped his yelling, then sat up, shook his head, and stared at the fat little tree that now stood before him. It was significantly larger than before: as tall as Link was, with two arm-like branches and about twelve leaves total on its body.

"Hi there!" it called cheerily, beaming at him.

The Hero of Twilight slid even further down to the ground, his expression showing relief that the tree couldn't see him.

"I'm the Deku Tree sprout!" the tree said. "Because you and Saria broke the curse on the Forest Temple, I can grow and flourish!"

The Hero of Twilight seemed confused at that statement, due to the fact that he too, had assisted in the purging of monsters from the temple, but he said nothing.

"Thanks a lot!" the tree exclaimed.

Link stood up and walked over, deciding that it would be better if he could converse with this tree.

"Hey, have you seen your old friends?" the sprout asked.

"Yes," Link replied.

"None of them recognized you with your grown-up body, did they?"

Link remained silent. The Deku Tree sprout was about to tell him the reason for such an oddity; he was sure of it.

"That's because the Kokiri never grow up! Even after seven years, they're all still kids!"

Link gave the tree a bewildered stare.

That's why they're all still kids?! he wondered. He could barely see the Hero of Twilight sitting on the ground, confused. He seemed to be counting. His shadow was twitching slightly, and his words were very quiet and distorted.

Link had to quickly disregard his companion as the tree exclaimed, "You must be wondering why only you have grown up!"

Link waited. In his heart, he was beginning to believe he knew the answer. It hadn't been the drawing of the Master Sword that had caused him to age. After all, if such were the case, only he would have grown up, and the multitudes of other people he had encountered would still remain the same age as when he first met them. No, there was another reason, and he knew why. He just needed confirmation.

"Well, as you might have already guessed, you are not a Kokiri!" the Deku Tree sprout declared. "You are actually a Hylian!"

The Hero of Twilight cocked his head to the side. "Wait…so…but I thought you already were a Hylian, or that the Kokiri were just another kind of Hylian…similar to the residents of Kakariko…but just named after the forest."

The Deku Tree sprout ignored Link's companion and continued with, "I am happy to finally reveal this secret to you! Some time ago, before the King of Hyrule unified this country, there was a fierce war in our world. One day, to escape from the fires of the war, a Hylian mother and her baby boy entered this forbidden forest. The mother was gravely injured… Her only choice was to entrust the child to the Great Deku Tree, the guardian spirit of the forest."

Link waited. So…I had parents.

"The Deku Tree could sense that this was a child of destiny, whose fate would affect the entire world, so he took him into the forest. After the mother passed away, the boy was raised as a Kokiri. And now, finally, the day of destiny has come! You are a Hylian, and were always bound to leave this forest. And now… You have learned your own destiny… So you know what you must do…"

"I am the Hero of Time," Link said. "I must save the world."

"That's right… You must save the land of Hyrule! Now, Link, break the curses on all the Temples and return peace to Hyrule!"

The Hero of Twilight shifted on the ground, then stood up and walked over to Link.

The Deku Tree sprout finally acknowledged him. "And you must know of your ancestor's curse. What will you do, since you do not belong of this world?"

The Hero of Twilight whirled around, his eyes wide. He couldn't say anything, not to that. He turned to Link, noted the Hero of Time confusion, then looked back at the sprout.

"How do you know who I am?" he asked.

"And you bear the fate of Hyrule as well. As a Hero who wields that sacred blade, you are not entitled to leave Hyrule's destiny only to Link."

"How do you know who I am?" the Hero of Twilight repeated.

But the Deku Tree sprout was done talking. He waited, watching the confused Hero of Twilight spin around and walk past Link, unable to explain who he was to the Hero of Time.

. . . . .