Sean and Link approached the town and immediately could see the damage that the unexplained earthquake had caused. Several of the poorly built buildings lay collapsed on the ground. Signs broke free from their places and merchant carts fell over on their sides.
The two stopped briefly at the top of a hill, Link still holding his side.
"I guess it didn't just happen to us," Sean said.
Link grimaced. "Apparently not. Let's get down there and see how your friends are doing."
They started down the hill, back into the damaged town. As they made their way down the main street, they passed by numerous groups of people, some being tended to for injuries, others trying to search for any more victims. Down the street, they could see that the inn was spared any significant damage. They continued on, Sean helping Link along. When they were only a couple of buildings away from the inn, the violent shaking returned.
Sean and Link quickly hit the ground and covered their heads as the rest of the citizens did the same. Women and children were screaming and crying as they fled from buildings into the middle of the streets. To Sean, the occurrence seemed more violent this time around, as if they were leading up to something massive. Link looked up ahead of him and saw a woman run out of one of the nearby buildings. She ran into the middle of the street where some unseen force stopped her abruptly. Link looked on as a small dot of white light emanated from her stomach. The light began to infest the rest of her body as her screams grew louder. Unable to speak, Link simply grabbed Sean's head and pulled it up, facing him in the direction of the woman.
Sean immediately gasped at the sight as the light intensified. He continued looking on in disbelief as the woman begged for help. Suddenly, the light broke through her skin and her body seemed to melt away into nothingness. As soon as she completely disappeared, the shaking stopped once again.
"What the hell was that?" Sean yelled as he pulled himself up off the ground.
"Don't look at me. You're the one that's traveled through time to get here." Sean reached down and helped Link up once again.
"She's gone! My wife's gone!" a voice yelled from behind them. They both turned around to see a middle-aged man pawing at the ground.
Sean and Link looked at each other. "Another one?" Sean asked.
"It would seem so. Two women," Link said. "I wonder if there were any more?"
"Sir Link!" Brian yelled as he ran out of the inn. "Sir Link! The bartender has disappeared!"
"What the hell is going on here?" Sean asked to no one in particular.
"Beats me," Brian continued. "But during the first shaking, Jake disappeared in exactly the same way! And after that, Dave and Joseph went with Mr. Ian to a disturbance that Jake had told them about!"
"Whoa, whoa. Slow down, Brian," Link said as he placed his hands on each of Brian's shoulders. "Where did they go?"
Brian took a deep breath to calm himself. "A disturbance," he pointed west. "About ten minutes west of here."
"What about Evan? Is he still alive?" Sean asked.
"Yes. Did you get the Ivy Plant?" Sean held up the small bag. "Good! I will fetch the doctor!" Without hesitation, Brian grabbed the bag from Sean and ran in the direction of the doctor's office.
"I suppose we should go up and visit Evan," Link said, turning to Sean.
"Right."
They entered the inn and were hit hard by the aromas of all the broken bottles of liquor. The meshed scent wasn't pleasing to the nose, so they each pinched their nose shut and moved quickly to the stairs. The door to Evan's room had been completely knocked off its hinges. They entered the room.
"He's still resting," Link said.
"No, I'm not," Evan replied. "What took you guys so long?" he asked as his face contorted from pain.
Sean and Link smiled. "So I hear that you're my ancestor," Link said, trying to take Evan's mind off the pain.
"So Sean told you, huh?"
"I made him tell me. Otherwise, I wouldn't help him find the main ingredient for the antidote."
"And I couldn't let that happen, now could I?" Sean said sarcastically.
"Where's Ian?"
"He went off with Dave and Joseph to check out some disturbance just west of here," Sean informed him.
"Disturbance?" Evan cringed in pain once again. "Does this have anything to do with these violent quakes?"
"I think so," Sean answered. "But I want your opinion on my theory. I haven't even told Link yet."
"Shoot."
Sean cleared his throat. "Well… remember the theory that Ian came up with? You know, the one with the piece of paper and the fire?"
"Yeah," Evan said. "Time ripples."
"Time ripples?" Link asked, completely confused.
"Basically, the effect of Evan's death is causing the current time line to change gradually," Sean explained. "Anyway, I think that these violent quakes are being caused by those time ripples."
"You can't just associate one with the other," Evan objected. "No one has ever experienced such a thing. How could we possibly know what will happen when these time ripples hit?"
"Hold on, there's more. During these violent quakes, several people have vanished into a giant white light that began as a spot in their midsection."
"So you think they were being erased from existence?" Evan concluded.
"Exactly. I mean, what if some event in the past was already affected, and these people never came to be born?"
"You could have something there," Evan agreed. "But what about this disturbance that Ian went to see?"
"It's our portal," Ian called from the door. The three relatives turned to face him.
"Really? You found it already?" Sean asked.
"Yes," Ian answered. "And I heard your theory, Sean, and I believe that what you say is true. There can be no other explanation."
"Ian?" Link jumped in. "Where are Dave and Joseph?"
"They stayed back to make sure that no one went through the portal." Ian walked over to Evan's side and placed his hand on his head. "How are you feeling?"
Evan coughed. "Like crap."
Ian laughed a little and looked at Link and Sean. "Were you two successful in getting the Ivy Plant?"
"Yes. Brian brought the plant to the doctor. They should be back any minute now," Link told him.
Sean stood up and walked over to the window. Outside, people were still lining the streets, preparing for another violent shake. Down the street a little, Sean could see two men running through the crowd of people.
"I think they're here," Sean told everyone.
Link and Ian joined Sean by the window and looked down the street.
"That's them," Link stated. The two men went out of view as they entered the inn. Their footsteps could be heard as they run up the stairs as fast as they possibly could. The doctor made his way directly to Evan.
Sean watched on as the doctor mixed some water with a powdery substance that he had brought with him. "Hey, Doc. How long will it be before this stuff takes effect?"
"Well," he began as he placed the glass onto Evan's lips. "This antidote is pretty much a hit or miss. If it works, we will be able to see results very quickly. And since he's an extremely strong person, he should fully recover in a few hours."
Evan drank down the antidote as fast as he could. He thought he could feel the liquid moving throughout his entire body, bringing relief wherever it went. Soon, the numbness that the rest of his body felt began to reach his head. Slowly, his vision faded out as he went unconscious.
"Oh, just great!" Sean exclaimed. "He's unconscious again!"
"That's just the antidote working. When he wakes up, he should be fine," the doctor continued. "We must let him rest some more."
"Let's go downstairs," Link suggested. "When he's recovered, I'm sure he will come join us."
The room cleared out with the exception of Ian. Link stopped at the door and turned around.
"Ian, are you coming?"
Ian turned to face Link. "No. I'm going to stay with him until he's recovered. This is partially my fault."
Link simply nodded and gave him a little smile. Patting his hand on the wall, he left the room and walked down the stairs.
Ian grabbed a chair and pulled it up beside the resting Hero of Time. Leaning forward with his hands clasped together in his lap, he sighed.
"Well, kid," he said out loud. "We've really gotten ourselves into quite a mess. Don't worry, though. We're almost through."
Another violent quake struck just then and Ian quickly sprawled his body on top of Evan's, protecting him at all costs. From outside, Ian could hear hundreds of people screaming. In the midst of all the screams, he could hear one exceptionally loud, ear-piercing scream as the street filled up with a white light once again.
"May the Goddesses have mercy on their souls," Ian prayed to the newest victims. The shaking stopped and Ian got up off of Evan. Sitting back down on his chair he said, "I hope you get better before it's too late."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Zelda awoke and found herself strapped to the wall by cold, hard chains. From what she remembered, she figured that she was on the top floor of Ganon's Tower. Across from here, chained to the opposite wall was Evan. He had been beaten and bruises and cuts lined his body. She screamed.
"Evan!"
"Ah, you're awake," Ganondorf said. He moved directly in front of her, face to face with his prey.
"You bastard! Leave him alone! He has nothing to do with this!"
Ganondorf laughed. "You amuse me, Princess. You should know your pleas are no good here!"
"But he has nothing to do with this!" she cried again.
"He has everything to do with this!" he shouted back angrily. "For years, I have suffered in that rotten place, the Dark Realm. I have longed to break free and take what is rightfully mine! Now, with that goal in my grasp, I will make you suffer the way you made me suffer! Guards!"
Two Stalfos entered the room upon command from the Evil King. They stood at attention at the doorway.
Ganondorf turned to Zelda once again. "Now you will feel true pain," he said calmly. Without taking his gaze off the princess, he pointed to her son. "Do as you wish," he told the Stalfos.
"No!" Zelda cried out. Tears began to run down her face as she realized that she was powerless to do anything to stop them. Her magic was of no use in a place of pure evil. Besides, he had two pieces of the Triforce.
The Stalfos moved in on Evan, the boy too weak to even scream out in fear. The first Stalfos pulled out his sword and placed it on Evan's throat. The boy's head bobbed up and down and side to side. Finally, he could no longer hold his head up and it fell forward. The second Stalfos walked up to him and grabbed him by the hair. He pulled Evan's head up so that the first Stalfos had a clear shot at the boy's neck. The Stalfos pulled the sword back slowly.
"Stop!" Zelda screamed and sobbed at the same time. Tears covered her red face as she cried heavily. "Stop! I'll do anything!"
The Stalfos brought the sword toward Evan's neck.
"Stop there!" Ganondorf yelled. Instantly, the Stalfos stopped his swing and rested its sword on its side. Ganondorf walked back over to Zelda. "What could you possibly offer me to convince me to spare your son's life?"
"The Triforce," she started between sobs. "I'll give you… the Triforce of Wisdom…"
Ganondorf laughed hysterically. "Offering me that won't do you any good, Princess! No matter what happens here, I'm going to get the Triforce. I don't need you to give it to me!"
"Then," she sobbed again. "Then I'll offer you my body…"
Ganondorf fell silent. "Your body, huh?" He eyed her up and down, a smirk across his face.
"As long as you leave him alone for as long as he lives," Zelda continued.
Ganondorf rubbed the bottom half of his face. "Interesting proposition, Princess. Hmm." The Evil King contemplated the idea. "No deal!"
Zelda slumped as best she could in her chains and cried out even more.
"This is much more fun!" Ganondorf exclaimed. "Continue!" he yelled to the Stalfos. He picked up Zelda's head and forced her eyes open. "No, you don't, Princess. I want you to watch this."
The Stalfos placed his sword once again on Evan's neck. With one swift, clean cut, the Stalfos cut the boy's throat. Blood flowed from the open wound as Evan struggled to breathe. Zelda couldn't handle what she saw in front of her and she tried to look away, but Ganondorf held her fast. Evan began to choke on his own blood and his eyes began to flutter between open and closed.
"Yes. Take a good look, Princess," Ganondorf whispered to her. "A good long look. There is nothing more for you. Your child, your friends, your kingdom… and your precious hero lover are all gone. You are all that's left. But, of course, that won't be true for long."
Zelda remained silent as she watched her son's life drain from his body. His legs and arms began to spasm as they were deprived of oxygen. His struggled became less, until finally, his body lay limp from the chains.
Ganondorf finally released his grip on Zelda's head. Her head dropped limply, her eyes completely filled with tears, her heart filled with pain, sorrow, and hatred. Depression set in as she thought about all that had died for her, for nothing. For the first time in her life, she felt like dying.
"And now," Ganondorf said, "I shall take the final piece of the Triforce from you and rule over the world!" He reached for his dagger and placed the tip of it over her left breast. "Goodbye, Princess."
She let out no sound as he punctured her chest, piercing her heart with his dagger. He twisted the dagger around to cause more pain, but she didn't feel a thing. The only thing that she was aware of was a bright blue light that emanated from her body. The light intensified as the Triforce of Wisdom was pulled from her body. It floated into the air, hovering just in front of Ganondorf. The last image that she saw was that of the Evil King grasping the Triforce.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Evan gasped for air as he awoke suddenly. His breathing was erratic and his body was covered in a cold sweat. Ian looked at him, concerned that the antidote didn't work.
"Evan, what's wrong?"
Evan's face was pale. "They… they're…," he said between breaths, "they're all dead…"
"Who? Who are all dead?"
"Zelda, Evan… my friends… all gone… because of me…"
Ian sighed. "None of that is your fault and you know it."
"But if I had defeated Ganondorf in the first place, then they would still be alive."
"That may be so, but you're getting a second chance. You can still save all those that you care about," Ian said, trying to comfort him.
Evan's breathing returned to normal as the words sunk in. "You're right, Ian," his voice was much calmer now. "I will defeat him."
"Good. Now, how are you feeling?" Ian asked as he placed his hand on Evan's forehead.
"I feel great. The antidote is amazing."
"Well, the fever is gone. Perhaps we are out of the clear," Ian said as he stood up out of his chair. "Can you stand?"
Evan nodded and swung his legs to the side of the bed. Without any trouble, he stood up.
"Amazing," Ian remarked. "Come on, Evan. Let's go downstairs."
The two friends walked out of the room and headed down the stairs. On the bottom floor, Sean, Link, and Brian were waiting.
"Evan! Glad you could join us!" Sean exclaimed from his seat.
Evan smiled. "Well, if it wasn't for all of you, I wouldn't be standing here. Thank you all."
"No problem at all," Brian returned.
Link stood up from his seat. "Now that you're better, we can decide what our next move is."
"Absolutely," Ian agreed. "We must act soon, or else we may be destroyed by the time ripples."
"How far apart are the quakes now?" Evan asked.
"About ten minutes now," Sean answered. "I say that we just go to the portal now."
Ian nodded. "That's a very simple decision, and it's the right one. We should go there now and go through before it's too late."
"If we move quickly, we could make it there in less than ten minutes," Brian informed them all.
"Right," Link said. "Then let's get a move on!"
"Link, you do realize that we will need you to come with us," Sean said.
Link stopped. "I figured as much. Although I hate to leave all of my friends here in danger, I can sense that this is something far more important."
Evan put his hand on his descendant's shoulder. "Thank you. We can't do this without you." Link nodded.
"Well, everyone," Ian said. "It's time to go."
The five companions left the inn and headed for the portal. Walking through the town of Saria, they saw buildings completely destroyed and some lots even vacant from buildings that vanished. There were less and less people on the streets, some taking to the hills, others being swallowed up by time. To the west, the dark and cloudy sky was lit up by a strange glow that faded in and out, much like a bolt of lightning. It was there that they were headed.
They moved quickly, afraid that another quake would come and claim something important. About halfway out, Link stopped abruptly.
"Another quake should be coming soon!" he yelled to everyone over the high winds.
Sure enough, just as he completed his sentence, the earth began to shake violently. All five of them hit the deck, covering their heads at the same time. Several trees around them split and fell to the ground.
"Oh no."
Sean heard that voice and looked up from the ground. Next to him, Brian had an expression of fear and sadness. Sean looked down to about where Brian's waist was. Underneath him, and partially smothered by the ground, a white sparkle of light was visible. Sean's heart sank as Brian jumped up from the ground.
"You want me? Come and get me, Death! I want to see your face before I die!"
The other four remained perfectly silent. Tears began to form in Link's eyes as he witnessed the death of one of his long time friends. Brian punched at the air, and then held his arms up in a V-shape.
"You're going to have to work to take me!" As the light consumed him, his cockiness turned into pain and loneliness. "It hurts. But I'm not afraid. Just remember that Link. I died honorably. Goodbye."
With one final yell, Brian disappeared into a bright light. Soon after, the shaking stopped.
"We've no time to waste!" Ian yelled. "Let's go!"
Evan, Sean, and Ian took off running toward the portal as Link stayed back for just a moment longer, gazing at the spot where his good friend just was.
"You shall not have died in vain, old friend. I will avenge you." He then ran to catch up to the others.
Up ahead, they could see Dave and Joseph standing guard at the portal. The portal itself gave off light in sporadic intervals. Evan looked to his left and noticed another figure running toward the portal and he swore that he had seen that person somewhere before.
Then it hit him.
"Sheila!" he yelled to the others as he pointed in her direction.
"What the hell is she doing here?" Sean asked back, his voice rose so it could be heard over the wind.
"I don't know," Link called back. "But I'm sure it isn't for a good reason!"
They tried to run faster, but there was no way that they could beat her to the portal. In desperation, Link tried to let Dave and Joseph know what was happening. The others joined in.
Next to the portal, the noise was much greater than out in the destroyed fields. All they knew was that Link and the others were yelling something at them, but what they were yelling was a mystery.
Evan looked on as Sheila snuck up on the unsuspecting guards. She pulled a dagger from her belt and stabbed Joseph directly in the heart, killing him instantly. In the distance, they could all see his body fall limply to the ground. Dave quickly unsheathed his sword, but the wily woman was too much for him. She quickly dodged one of his attacks. With amazing speed, she ran around him and stabbed him in the back of the neck.
They were now only about twenty yards from the portal, with Sheila facing the portal, mere inches from it.
"Stop there, Sheila!" Link yelled.
She turned around and smiled at them. "I don't think so. I'm going to use this time portal of yours to live forever!"
"No!" Ian yelled. "You mustn't go through there! Who knows what will happen if you do!"
"Too late, old man!" she yelled back. She turned and faced the portal again, and after a second's pause, she jumped in.
As soon as she did, another quake started. This one was much more violent than any of the others had been, knocking every single one of them over. They found it difficult to get back up as entire pieces of land disappeared into nothingness around them. Evan was finally able to get up, and as he did, he looked back toward the town, except for the fact that the town was no longer there.
"She did something!" he yelled to the others. "Everything is going to hell! We have to get out of here now!"
The world around them was falling apart rapidly. Where there was once land, there was now nothing but emptiness; an emptiness that would swallow them whole if they didn't move quickly. Evan helped Ian to his feet as Sean and Link finally stood up. They all hesitated for a moment as they looked around them. The emptiness was closing in on them.
"It looks like it's saving us for last!" Link yelled.
Ian, now looking at the portal, said, "Or maybe the portal is the reason this spot is still here!"
"Who the hell cares!" Sean shouted. "Let's just go!"
He took off running toward the portal, and the others followed suit. The emptiness closed in on them faster and faster, moving closer and closer. Sean jumped into the portal, followed by Ian, Link, and finally Evan. As the last of them made it through, the emptiness destroyed the last of the original future.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
They appeared on the other side of the portal. Evan and Ian knew exactly where they were; they had been there before. Sean and Link gazed around in wonder at the golden skies and the perfect landscape.
"Where are we?" Link finally asked.
"In Purgatory," Evan answered matter-of-factly. "This is where my whole adventure started."
"This isn't the Heavens?" Sean asked dejectedly.
"No," Ian informed him, "This is Purgatory. It is very much like the Heavens, but it also inhabits dangerous creatures that devour the souls of those trapped here. There are only two ways out; you either successfully repent and are admitted to the Heavens, or you are damned to Hell."
The sudden realization of all that surrounded them made both Sean and Link silent.
"So what is it like here?" Link questioned.
"Never mind that now!" Evan shouted. "We have to find Sheila before she does any damage!"
Ian nodded. "Right. Well, how should we find her?"
"Well," Sean started, "she couldn't have gotten too far yet, so it shouldn't be too tough to find her."
Evan looked all around him. "Perhaps we should split up?"
Ian sighed. "I supposed that's the best way. Although I don't like the idea of any of us encountering her by themselves."
"Relax, Ian," Sean said. "We're all legendary heroes. We'll be fine."
Ian let out a small chuckle. "I was worried about me."
"Oh," Sean said, realizing his mistake. "Right…"
Link surveyed the horizon and thought that he could see something just east of where they were standing. He didn't say anything to the others because he didn't want to look paranoid. Instead, as the others figured out what to do, he kept his concentration to the east.
"…and I'll go south," Evan said. "Link, you're going west. Link!"
"Sh!" he whispered to them, his finger over his mouth.
Unsure what he was doing, they all just watched him. He slowly moved to his right, away from the rest of the group. Just as slowly, he reached back for his sword and unsheathed it. Holding it in front of him with two hands, he prepared himself as he once again saw movement on top of the adjacent hill.
"Link? What's wrong?" Ian whispered over to him.
Link only responded by putting his finger over his mouth again. Gripping the Magical Sword in his left hand, he waited.
Suddenly and quickly, he moved. Bringing his sword back, he lunged forward with it, accompanied by a mighty yell. Ian could hear a whooshing sound, but it disappeared as Link brought his sword down.
Onto the ground, a few feet in front of them now lay an arrow, broken in two.
"What the…?" Sean said as another arrow came their way.
Once again, Link knocked the arrow out of the air, just before it got to the rest of them. Ian spotted the location where the arrow had come from and had quickly slotted an arrow on his bow. He pointed in the general direction of the firing point and waiting for signs of movement.
Then, next to one of the trees that lined the top of the hill, Ian spotted a person notching another arrow on their bow. He adjusted his shot and fired, quickly notching another arrow. The enemy had also gotten a shot off and Link failed to knock this one out of the air. It hit Ian squarely in the leg and he fell to his knees in pain. Biting back the pain, he forced himself to stand and readied his second shot. From the trees emerged Sheila, an arrow planted firmly in her chest. She stumbled forward, trying to notch yet another arrow. Unable to do so, she stopped where she was and tumbled down the hill.
"Nice shot, Ian!" Evan exclaimed as he and Link ran over to the body.
Sean came up behind him and patted him on the shoulder. "And you were worried about yourself."
They both laughed and began walking toward the bottom of the hill. Evan and Link were already there, kneeling beside Sheila's body.
"She's dead," Link said. "Shot right through the heart. Couldn't have been placed any better. That was really a hell of a shot."
Sean and Ian came up to Sheila's dead body and looked down at it. Ian sighed.
"What?" Sean asked.
"She really was a beautiful woman," he said, sighing again. "It's too bad she was so evil."
"Put it behind you, Ian. You did what you had to do," Sean comforted him.
"Yeah, I suppose. I just hate hurting people. Although I hurt so many at one time," Ian said through clenched teeth as he ripped the arrow out of his leg.
Evan stood up, walked over to him, and began to dress the wound. "But that's why we're here. To set right the things that you did wrong."
"Speaking of which, what do we do now?" Link asked.
Suddenly, clouds began to form in the sky and everything grew dark. A lone bolt of lightning struck the ground about a hundred yards from their current spot. An object began to form at that point in the ground, starting out as a small bluish circle and expanding.
"I take it that's our answer," Link said, answering his own question.
"But where will it take us?" Sean asked. "Actually, when will it take us?"
"It will bring us back to the point in time when Evan was struck down by the Evil King. It will bring us to the exact room, except we should appear throughout the room," Ian informed them as Evan finished with his wound.
"How can you be so sure?" Evan asked.
Ian looked at him calmly. "The Goddesses told me."
Evan smiled. "Good enough for me!" And he ran straight at the portal as the rest stood still. When he reached it, he jumped head first into it, disappearing in an instant.
"He's pretty eager," Link joked.
"He just wants some revenge," Sean answered, slightly smiling.
Ian ran delicately toward the portal. "And he'll need help!" he yelled back to them. He followed Evan into the portal, headfirst.
"This must mean a lot to both of them," Link pointed out.
"Yeah," Sean sighed. "They've been on this adventure for a very long time. Much longer than you and I."
They both sighed. "Shall we?" Link asked, his hand out in front of him.
Sean smiled and shook his descendant's hand. "Let's do it!"
They both began to run toward the portal, toward the battle that would finally decide the fate of the world. Oddly enough, they were both wearing big smiles as they jumped into the portal and into the toughest battle of their lives.
The portal closed behind them.