The room behind the door was in ruins. Once, it might have been a straightforward path. But now, much of the walkway had crumbled and fallen, with rubble blocking where the pathway must have once led to. Link sighed. Of course it wouldn't be so easy.
After a path that spun around and wove through the water like a fish had carved it, Link found a large black chest. Inside was, as expected, a matching black key. There was only one locked door left. Which, of course, was back at the center of the temple. He sighed. This was going to be a long trek.
He was able to avoid the skeletal fish as he swam to the locked door at the center of the temple. With a silent thanks offered to Ordona as he climbed out of the water, he opened the door. Inside was a tiny, cramped room with a hole in the middle that took up most of the floor. He stepped close to the edge of the hole, to see how far down it might go. The hole was still dark, darker than a night sky without stars. Closer, closer, closer he shuffled, until-
With a yelp that turned into an echoing scream, Link fell down, down, down the hole.
A frigid wall of water greeted him with a harsh slap that knocked the air from his chest. His face stung from the impact. Tiny bubbles surrounded him as he kicked and flailed.
After what felt like days, his head broke through the surface. He drew in shuddering and panting breaths. His heart was racing. By the horns of Ordona, was he lucky to be alive.
"Hey. You alright?" In the darkness, he couldn't see Midna. But from the echo in the cramped hole, she was somewhere near him.
His breaths were shivers of their own. "Yeah." His words, from the echoes, were as well.
Next to him, he could hear Midna sigh. "It's so dark here... I can't see a thing." For a few moments, the only sounds were his teeth chattering and the water moving around him. "Looks like the only thing we can do is dive down and have a look around. And the sooner we do that, the sooner we get out of here."
Down, into the yawning abyss of icy water. He was already shivering. Whatever was down there, he hoped there would be at least a little warmth.
The cramped tunnel opened up into a vast room. It reminded him of the large room shown on the map, with the unknown symbol in the center. When he squinted, he could see a strange glowing pink thing that fluttered and spun in the water. But what could it be?
As he dove deeper and deeper, he noticed pulses of blue running along the pink thing. Like the jelly-like creatures in the tunnels of the temple.
When he neared the pink thing, a round thing - an eye - rolled to the tip of the pink thing and then rolled back down under the sand. Ordona's horns, Ordona's horns, he had to get away from that thing! He swam backwards, the iron boots appearing on his feet once he was a safe (or at least, safe enough) distance away. Then he drew his sword and brought the shield in front of his chest.
More and more pink things shot out of the sand, before something else appeared. It was like the strange plant-mouth monsters he'd seen in the Forest Temple. He should have the sword ready.
The monster opened its mouth in a soundless scream, the pink things thrashing through the water. As he backed away, Link realized that the pink things were attached to the mouth of the monster. Tentacles. From a distance that he prayed was safe, he watched the monster. The eye rolled up to the tip of one tentacle and back down into the body, then up again into another tentacle.
"Looks like that eyeball is pretty important to it... You could probably use that Clawshot to tear it out."
Link nodded. 'I just want to make sure I know what this thing can do.'
Midna scoffed. "What, is Mr. Important Hero afraid of a fish? Just attack it, and don't get caught in those tentacles." Link rolled his eyes and crept closer to the beast with the writhing tentacles.
When the eye rolled out next, he fired the Clawshot out. It dug past the thin flesh of the tentacle, yanking the eye towards Link. The tentacle it had been in flopped onto the sand, and the rest of the tentacles thrashed. Link focused on slicing his sword through the water, but he only got one slice in before the eye bounced too close to the creature for him to chase after it.
Then the creature opened its mouth, and several fish swam out. The shape of the fish reminded him of the water bombs. He frowned. So those were the fish Mojon had studied. He needed to keep his distance as best he could. The Clawshot worked underwater, so he could use it to push the bomb-fish away if they got too close.
They stayed close to the mouth of the creature. Good. Link had no intention of going anywhere near its mouth. Not when bomb-fish could spew out of it.
Then a tentacle flopped onto the ground next to Link. It curled closer, like it was going to grab him. His heart racing, he swung his sword in a panicked arc and struck the tentacle as it closed in. A large cut formed in the tentacle, and it flailed itself away from Link. Good. So if one got too close, there was something he could do besides swim away from it.
The eye appeared again, from another tentacle, and Link sent the Clawshot after it. But as soon as the eye was brought near, the bomb-fish swarmed around him. That wasn't part of the plan! He spun his sword in a circle, striking as many of the bomb fish as he could, before scrambling away once the iron boots disappeared from his feet. The force of the explosion sent waves through the water. Thank Ordona for the iron boots. The eye was carried along the wave next to Link, giving him an opportunity to sneak in a few more slashes before it bounced away and back to the monster's mouth.
The ground shook and rumbled beneath Link's feet. The monster was sinking, burrowing into the sand. How was he supposed to fight it, when it was under the sand?!
The ground was still for a few moments. Then it rumbled again, far more than it had before. In an instant, the creature burst out of the sand, swimming up to the top of the room.
It wasn't just a mouth with some tentacles. It was a massive fish. Larger than most of Ordon Village put together. Its swimming sent waves through the water. By the fangs of Ordona, how was he supposed to fight this thing? The giant fish swam around Link, who scrambled away to be out of its reach.
Midna appeared in front of him, holding out her arms. "Hey, wait! Look at its back! There's an eyeball on there too!" Link risked a glance back at the fish. It was true. There, just behind where the tentacles sprouted from, was an eyeball that looked just like the one that would appear from the tentacles.
Midna nodded at him. "Just like before. Use the Clawshot on the eye, then smack it with your sword."
Link's eyes widened. 'I can't pull the eye out of that thing!'
Midna shook her head. "No, you can't. But you can stand on its back and slash its eye."
Could he? He had to. The thing had the Fused Shadow. If he didn't fight it, Hyrule would fall to the twilight again. He nodded, and turned back to face the fish.
The giant fish circled him again, and this time Link waited until he could get a clear line with the Clawshot. As soon as an opportunity presented itself, Link fired off the Clawshot. It bounced off of the giant fish's scales with a faint tink, and he frowned.
The fish continued to circle, and Link tried again. This time, he couldn't miss. That time, he didn't miss. The Clawshot gripped the fish's eye, pulling Link towards it as the monster hissed in pain. He held onto the Clawshot's handle to brace himself while the fish thrashed through the water and took several large swings at the eyeball.
The fish's thrashing continued until it bucked Link from its back, sending him high into the flooded room. As soon as he got his bearings, he dove back down, watching as the panicked fish broke through several of the large stone pillars.
The impact from crashing into the pillars must have dazed the monster, its swimming almost lethargic. It made for a perfect time to strike.
This time, instead of slashing across its eye, he plunged his sword into it. The fish hissed and roared in pain and anger, trying to buck Link off again, but his sword kept him tethered to its back.
As the fish flailed, it crashed through more of the pillars. Chunks of rock went flying past him as the monster dragged him around. A smaller chunk struck his cheek, leaving a stinging scrape.
The monster swung and turned, its panicked swimming bringing it straight for the wall. Now was a great time to yank his sword out of its eye. He pulled and pulled, his heart racing faster as the fish neared the wall, until at least with a squelch and a pop the sword came out. Link swam to safety, and a breath of a moment later the fish crashed head first into the wall. Its body floated down and flopped to the ground, as water rushed out of the gap in the wall it had just made.
The water drained out of the room, to where Link didn't know (and didn't care, it was nice to breathe in air again). Though, the water didn't seem to take the cold with it - it just became a dry chill rather than wet. He shivered and watched the water disappear into the broken wall.
As soon as the water was gone, a Heart Container popped out of where the eye had been and landed on the ground next to him. He shouldn't worry about where the eye had gone. The fish's body darkened. A ripple of explosions started from the tail, shredding the body into familiar dark fragments. The black particles dangled in the air for a few moments, before swirling together into something that floated down in front of Link. The last Fused Shadow.
The shape was familiar. And, unnervingly familiar, was the warmth that rose from it. In the freezing air of the dark room, he could feel himself inching toward it. If it promised warmth, when he was frozen to the bone, what else could it promise him?
The vision Lanayru had given him stabbed into his mind, and he winced, shaking his head as he stepped back. It wasn't worth the danger.
Midna appeared beside him. "There it is! The last Fused Shadow..." Her hair-hand grabbed it. "I'll just take that, thanks!" Link nodded. Better in her hands than in his.
After so long, after so much pain and worry. It was over, wasn't it?
She sighed as the Fused Shadow disappeared behind her. "Now... don't resent me for all I've put you through, alright? I... I NEED this thing!" She scoffed. "Besides, we have to do something about Zant, the one who thinks he is the king of shadows."
Link tilted his head to one side. "... We?" Wasn't Midna going to deal with Zant herself?
Midna stared at him for a few moments, before waving her hand. "I meant the royal we." When Link's confusion didn't fade away, she sighed. "It's a way of saying that I have to do something about Zant." Hm. Why not just say that, then? And what did she mean by 'the royal we'?
"Zant's power is a false one. And I can prove it, using the Fused Shadows." She turned away from Link. "So..." Her voice was... sad? Why? "I've done everything I needed to. I'm sorry, for dragging you all over the place with me." She floated away, throwing a portal onto the ground. "But, look, you can go home now!"
Link stared at her. He knew this was what would happen. He knew that once she'd gotten all of the Fused Shadows, she wouldn't need him anymore.
So then why was there a pang of something in his heart at the thought of the journey being over? At the thought of never seeing Midna again?
"Shall we go?" There was that word again. Why did she say that, when they were going to part ways after she teleported him out of the temple?
Instead of responding, he turned and looked at the Heart Container on the ground. Was this the last time he'd pick one up? The last time he'd feel it strengthen his body, the last time it'd seem to wash away whatever wounds he'd gotten?
Maybe, this time, he should enjoy the feeling one last time. He knelt down, staring at the sparkling, heart-shaped gem that had settled in the sand. He studied the gentle orange of the gem itself, the elegant metal that framed it.
With a sigh, he reached out to touch it. Ah. There it was. That familiar, now almost nostalgic, feeling. He sighed, a bittersweet smile on his face. Even though he wouldn't miss the monsters, and certainly not the large ones, he would miss this feeling.
Midna laughed, from next to the portal she'd created. "Why, Mr. Important Hero - are you getting sentimental over a Heart Container?" There wasn't as much bite in her tone as there used to be. Link just shrugged and rose to his feet. Then he looked up at the surrounding room. What had it once been? Whatever it was, would it be able to become that again, now that the Fused Shadow wasn't corrupting the temple? Could this become the sacred temple of the Zoras again?
The thought filled Link with hope as he walked over to the portal and nodded at Midna. She dove into the portal, and soon Link was carried away on the wind.
He found himself standing on the outcropping over Lanayru's spring, still smiling. It was warm, a comfortably familiar warmth like the first spring after a long winter. With a sigh, he turned around-
And almost leapt back into the water at the sight of a figure towering over him. Its head seemed to be made of stone, like the armor on its shoulders and chest, with bulging eyes and a tongue that stuck out. The top of its head was a spike, making it seem that much taller. It was wearing a black robe with teal markings - almost like Midna's markings - and a red apron with a golden pattern on it.
The spring grew brighter, brighter, and there was a roar of water behind him. Lanayru, no doubt, defending their spring.
Lanayru hissed at the figure. "Zant. You are not welcome here, interloper-"
Perhaps Lanayru had been going to say more. But when they spat out that last word, a pulse of something burst out from the figure - Zant - knocking Link to the ground. A distant thud behind him. Something must have struck the rock wall.
Could it have been Lanayru? Did Zant even have that kind of power?!
The air chilled until- no. He was in the body of a wolf again. How?!
Midna groaned next to him. It was hard to hear anything over the thudding and roaring and ringing in his ears and his head. The world around him was blurry. Everything was too dark, everything was too bright.
Midna's voice was full of fury. "Zant!" Then she shrieked, her voice further away in an instant. He had to get up! Zant did something to her! Link heard her gasp, then shriek again.
The voice that answered had a calm viciousness that sent a chill racing down Link's spine. "Did you honestly mean to take an ancient and withered power like this, and turn it against me?" Zant tsked. "You are a foolish traitor, Midna. Why do you defy your king?"
Her voice was shrill - with anger or fear, Link couldn't tell over the pounding in his head. "My KING?! You, who do nothing but abuse the magic of your tribe? You must be joking!"
Zant scoffed. "You dare imply that my power is our old magic? Now that is a joke."
She shrieked again, and something landed next to him with a distant thud. Midna. It had to be. Did Zant throw her to the ground?! Get! Up!
There was a vicious crackling and roaring, something that almost drowned out Zant's voice. "This power is granted to me by my god. It is the magic of the King of Twilight, and you will respect it."
Link's vision cleared, and he dragged his head up. A ball of red magic snapped and pulsed in front of Zant. The eyes of Zant's stone mask glared down at Midna, as Lanayru's spring suffocated in the glow from the magic ball.
As the crackling grew louder, the red energy stretched and twisted, its shape contorting from a ball to something like a jagged rock.
An image stabbed into Link's mind. Queen Rutela's ghost, her body covered in shards of something with a reddish energy. He growled. No!
Zant hurled the glowing rock towards Midna, but Link was faster. He leapt up and into its path, where it slammed into his forehead.
He collapsed onto the ground. The world spun. Midna's voice cried out to him. And his vision went dark.