Part 3

The Hero

Chapter 15

"Courage proven too late,"

It is only during extreme peril that people truly understand themselves. In those last minutes before death, a person can look back on his life without bias, without prejudice. The self-pleasing lens of false belief that covers the eyes falls away, exposing the putrid stink of existence in all its fetid glory. For people will always examine themselves as superior, no matter the situation. It is this lens that breeds corruption and discrimination; without it, all would truly be equal in the eye of the beholder.

That is why those that have pushed the brink of life and dipped their toes into the dark expanse will always see the world in a different light. The film has been ripped away and they have been forced to confront their own evils and shortcomings. This is the key to enlightenment.

Heroes are made by such understanding. They are not greater than the common man; that is a sign of discrimination. Rather, a hero is one has assumed his place in the midst of others, taking on their troubles as his own. How can one be a hero if he believes himself superior? Pride is the downfall of even the most esteemed man.

The road to heroism is not the watershed event of some life-altering spark. Just because one has removed the false lens from his eye does not mean he is thoroughly moral. It is not enough to see the inadequacies within; that is just the beginning. Such a man must act upon what he sees, cleansing his own corrupt nature.

Yet heroes are not chosen through unbiased circumstance or random appeal. Farore, life's artisan, moves deftly through the world, sifting through the masses and into the hearts of those with promise. Her courage falls upon only a select few, imbuing them with hope and strength. Theirs is a sacred vocation, righteous and uplifting. Between them is created a fraternal bond, a divine kinship. They are Farore's children and shall forever have a seat in her celestial house.

Rebirth then, is tantamount to this transformation. Rebirth of the soul, rebirth of the mind, even rebirth of the body. Like a butterfly blossoming out of a misshapen cocoon, the emergence of a hero is both beautiful and powerful, coloring the lives of those in witness with profound effect. Never will the world be the same.

A hero has been reborn.

"YOU HAVE FAILED MY TEST." Farore's powerful words wrapped around Link, pulling his broken mind back from the brink of insanity. A sickening shudder ran through him as he knelt on the damp earth; he had almost lost himself. The sight of Malon's lifeless body was too much to bear.

The alcove was empty now, Malon and the shadow monster disappearing with the end of Farore's trial. It seemed so obvious to him now that what he's seen had only been part of the Goddess' test, but at the time—at the time it had seemed more than real.

Realizing that he was still on his knees, Link tried to stand, but was forced back to the ground by the shudders that tore through his body. He was still reeling from the sight of Malon's broken corpse.

"I—I could have saved her," Link whispered hopelessly as he knelt on the ground before the Goddess' statue. The convulsions, while slowly receding, seemed to tear at his heart.

"NO," Farore's voice replied, louder than thunder, yet more beautiful than emerald. "YOU LACKED THE COURAGE TO SAVE HER."

"That was an impossible choice!" he cried out with a sob. Anger and pain gave him the energy to raise his head. "It was impossi—"

"COURAGE IS NOT THE ABSENCE OF FEAR, BUT THE ABILITY TO TRUST ONESELF NO MATTER THE ODDS," Farore interrupted. Link's taxed body and mind were screaming for rest. His arms were beginning to grow heavy, and his vision fuzzy. He had taken too much, been pushed too far past his limit.

"YOU HAVE FAILED MY TEST," the Goddess said as his vision dimmed. He vaguely felt the air swirling around him as Farore's presence left the swampy alcove. Still on his knees, Link teetered for a moment, then collapsed onto the damp, mossy earth. Finally, with the Goddess' words echoing in his head, exhaustion overtook him. As he slipped into unconsciousness, Farore's voice was softly accompanied by one his own that spoke with spiteful reproach.

"You have failed her."