AUTHOR'S NOTES: hi guys! thanks again for reading and I am SO SORRY I haven't updated! DX anyhow, just wanted to let you know that I am SO thankful for all of you reading this ^^ also, I would like to inform you that in some chapters (namely this one) I may follow the Manga version of the story, though I still stick to game premises as much as possible (hence the mention of the poe sisters) so yeah, just a warning on that :) thanks again for putting up with my lack of updates and terrible writing XD
CHAPTER 2: THE GANON PHANTOM
Link and Mido ventured bravely into the Forest Temple and all around they could hear the skittering of spiders and monsters in the shadows cast by the great walls. The Temple was filled with booby-traps and monsters and barring the way to the inner temple was the dreadful poe sisters. Mido had watched in awe as his Hylian companion had dispatched the four ghosts despite their cunning tactics -hiding in paintings and making fakes of themselves- and as the four coloured flames returned to the pedestals a panel in the floor rose up, revealing some sort of elevator.
Mido followed behind Link as the Hylian stepped onto the lift, the wooden frame creaking as it lowered into the room below. After climbing some stairs they found themselves in a small round round, with 6 identical paintings on the walls. As they walked into the center of the room, where a large triforce symbol was emblazoned on the floor beneath their feet, Mido sighed, complaining that there was nothing there and went to leave, standing on the stairs to wait for his companion to follow. However, as Link turned to follow him, bars shot up from the floor, trapping him in the room.
"Mister!" Mido cried, pointing to one of the paintings as Ganondorf suddenly appeared within, a mask of bone appearing on his face. Link went to slash at the phantom with the Master sword, but it retreated into the painting, rendering his strike useless.
"tch!" he hissed, narrowly rolling aside of a magical attack from behind him, as the Phantom leapt over him and back into the painting on the other side.
"Mister! Use this!" Mido called, pulling a bow and quiver of arrows from where they hung on brackets on the wall, throwing them through the bars to Link. How they had gotten their puzzled him, he was sure they hadn't been there when they walked in...
Link made a dive for the weapon, grabbing an arrow and pulling it back on the bowstring. As the phantom leapt from the painting, the Hylian loosed the arrow, the shot piercing the phantom's armour and embedding into it. The phantom growled in pain and anger and leapt back into the painting again, before appearing in the one behind Link, surprising the swordsman and landing a blow on his shoulder, blood spattering the floor from the wound. Link recovered quickly and turned to fire another arrow at the phantom, striking it just before it reached the painting.
Mido was alarmed by the blood and called to the Hylian. "Hey, are you alright?"
The beast had disappeared into the painting again but after a moment it began charging from within the painting again. Strangely, though, it turned at the last second and fled into the painting again, but behind Link, the REAL phantom leapt from the painting directly opposite shocking the Hylian with an electrical attack. Link at first seemed beaten, dropping to his knees with a pained grunt, shuddering from the electric shock, but he quickly got back up –albeit shakily- pulling another arrow on the bow, determined to finish off the beast. "Mister! Look out behind you!" Link turned again and fired, trusting Mido's warning and hoping he was right, proving his faith was worth it when his arrow struck dead in the forehead of the phantom's horse, which then faded into smoke. The phantom growled angrily as it jumped down to hover just above the floor, spear in hand, ready to battle.
Link put the bow away and readied his sword, his grip on the handle seeming a bit shaky from his wounded shoulder, shield held in front of him to protect him. The phantom Ganon threw a magic bolt towards Link, which was easily dodged, and immediately the Hylian counter-attacked. However, to his shock and dismay, the sword made no effect and even if he were to try his arrows, he knew the beast would dodge them all. He snarled in frustration, but as he heard the familiar "Hey! Listen!" from Navi, he briefly turned his attention to the fairy, long enough to hear what she had to say.
"The Master sword can absorb and return evil magic!" She said, flittering out of the way as Link nodded and lifted his sword to be ready. His foe sought to attack again, however this time Link was ready and stood firm as the bolt of magic neared him. At the last second he swung his sword, the magic being drawn around the balde and into the triforce symbol emblazoned on it's surface, he then swung again, the bolt firing back the way it came from the blade's tip. The Phantom quickly hit the blast back again, but once more Link returned the bolt and this time it had been accelerated enough that now the beast could not dodge or return it. As the attack shocked it, the phantom collapsed from the air, briefly paralyzed by his own magic.
Link seized the opportunity and attacked, knocking off the phantom Ganon's helmet and leaving behind a long slash from the Master sword's blade. The creature then broke free of its paralysis and jumped back into the air, attempting to attack Link again, but still the determined swordsman rolled away from the attack. The duel raged on, rounding the bolts of magic between them twice more, before the creature noticeably began to weaken. "one more strike and it's done! you can do it!" Navi called, hovering above the beast's head. But Link also appeared to be running out of stamina, his movements slowing and his reaction time seeming sluggish. His wound was beginning to get the better of him, it seemed.
"c'mon Mister! You can do this! We're counting on you, Saria's counting on you!" Mido called, seeing his companion's strength beginning to wane. When Link heard Saria's name called to him, he remembered what he had come here to do...what he needed to do to protect the people and the kingdom he loved. He was weakened, yes, but he didn't dare to give in just yet. Just as the beast fired it's final attack, a powerful bolt it was sure would finish off the Hylian, the Master sword's chosen wielder rose to his feet with a fierce battle cry and gave the blue-hilted sword a mighty swing, the shot flying straight back at the phantom and blowing a hole clean through its chest. With a wail of rage and agony, the beast dissipated into black mist and faded away.
"YEAH! Alright, you did it, Mister!" Mido cried, jumping up and down excitedly behind the bars. Then, at that moment, the painting at the head of the room began glowing...