Chapter 16: Realm of Sin I

There were some thoughts trying to make the right connections in Link's mind. On the ground, there was a glowing emblem of the Septdraco rings with arcane text. It should be a safe area with some kind of danger outside it. Whatever danger it would be, it might not be something he could defeat. It might be a testing grounds, but what for? Or it could have something to do with the way these dragons were sealed. Close to him, there was a shallow dish with ashes inside.

Hearing wings behind him, Link turned and found the Sulfur Dragon reforming itself. "You are not the one who summoned us," it said in a raspy voice.

"I'm not," he replied, not sure what else to say. He was also trying not to offend it with a poor reaction to its rank breath.

"Are you attempting to conquer us?" Now that it was close, he could see that it had red bloodshot eyes. It made it seem less intimidating, like it wouldn't be as strong as it could be.

"I'm going to stop you seven from wreaking havoc everywhere," Link said.

Sulfur dipped its head a little and growled softly. "We do as we were designed to do. Hmph, your soul bears a strong light… but how steady is it? I think I can conquer you, yes. Fine, you're here, so you will take the challenge." It lifted a foot and pointed out the bowl of ashes. "If you can bring a soul fire back to this torch, you have defeated me. The soul fire is out in this testing realm somewhere. And once you step outside of this emblem, you will be at the mercy of my power. Should your will break or you spend too long outside the emblem's protection, I will conquer you. That's how things are here, and with the other six. But I think your quest will end here." The dragon then vanished.

While the task didn't sound hard, Link knew there had to be something the dragon wasn't telling him. Why else would it be so confident? He wasn't sure how to leave this place without completing the challenge either. At least he had his gear still with him. Nothing stood out from here at the emblem, so the soul fire might be outside the town square. Link headed out, bracing himself for something to react.

The empty square filled with people once he stepped off the emblem. Link tensed, not having expected this. After his vision flickered, it seemed more like an ordinary day with a yellow tinge. The clouds overhead were in a strange spiral and everyone was avoiding the emblem space. There was even the usual noise that should come from a gathering like this. The ordinary and oddity mixed into something uncanny.

He started to head for one of the side streets to look for the soul fire. However, the street back to the temple was blocked off with a watery force field. Someone else walked into it and vanished; another person came in from nothing. A quick look around showed that the other exits to the square were also blocked off. Then, it had to have shown up with all these people. One of them might know.

No one around was familiar to him. Were they even real? As he looked around, Link saw a woman walking towards him give a disapproving look. He stepped out of her way, but that didn't help. A man just past her was looking at him like he was weird. Feeling uncomfortable, Link walked around quietly for a minute. Coming into an empty town had been unnerving, but it was a problem he didn't mind looking into. This was a problem he didn't like dealing with. Since it was a test, he couldn't just leave. There was something he had to do here. Just, where was that soul flame?

"Are you looking for a soul flame?" someone called out like a street performer. He looked like one too, with an eye-catching white suit decorated with sparkling stars. "Maybe you don't think you are, but you could be missing out on something brilliant, something that could change your life right around! Maybe you need the passion to accomplish your wildest dreams. Maybe you need to rid yourself of insecurity and anxiety, or cover over a trait that would completely embarrass you if others knew. Well then you need the spirit cleansing power of the soul flame, the proof of conquering sin! This will take your weak and dull mind and shine it up into something brilliant to make everyone admire you! But you have to speak up soon or you will lose this chance forever."

It sounded like a bizarre sales pitch for some snake oil potion, but it was gathering attention to the performer. Link would normally keep to the edges of such displays. However, he'd been caught near the sales performer when he started. And the thing he had on display seemed right. It was a torch with a white flame burning quietly. Looking at it, Link was reminded of his thoughts that he needed to be less nervous about talking with people. It also made him think of Gale telling him that he liked his voice and wanted to keep talking with him. Was that a lie too or was it real?

This wasn't the time for those thoughts. "Does it really do that?" Link asked of the performer.

"Of course it does," the performer said, looking at him with a smug smile. "Just look at it and you can tell, right? Anyone could, it's clear that this is a treasure beyond worth."

Others in the crowd were looking at him now, even backing away to make him part of the center of activity. They might be illusions; they were part of this test. Whatever they were, he still felt nervous with all this attention. This had to be done to deal with the dragon, for some reason. "I don't know what this soul flame is," he admitted. "But it seems more like proof of something, not a thing that could change a person."

"But those who claim this soul flame are purified, I assure you," the performer said. "Perhaps it is a proof as well? The mysteries of the soul are vast and this is just another one of those mysteries. Did you need the soul flame?"

"And who do you think you are to try claiming it?" someone in the crowd called. Others murmured in suspicion; they muttered against him.

This felt like a nightmare now. "I need it to stop a dragon that's ruined a town."

"Searching for glory and fame then?" the performer said, smiling slyly like he was working up to some trick. "Of course, what better way to gain adoration and approval of the people then to save them from a threat they won't fight themselves?"

"That's not it," Link said. His throat was tensing up, but he couldn't stop here. He wasn't sure what the dragon meant by conquering him, but it couldn't be anything good. "That's not why I'm doing this."

"Then you want the rewards that come from defeating a dragon? Of course, of course, even if the dragon doesn't have a treasure hoard, lots of people are sure to pay you well for such a task." The performer nodded at his own explanation. "Well then..."

"That's not it either," he said. These people, phantoms or not, were still watching him suspiciously or jealously. But Link felt more certain of himself. It seemed like the dragon was the one questioning him. "The townspeople will have enough a burden recovering from this; I don't wish to burden them further with trying to repay me. Knowing that the dragon will no longer be out there ruining the lives of others will be enough for me."

The performer was still smiling, but he seemed nervous now. "That's quite a boast to be making, but surely you have some personal reason to be doing this. Don't be shy now; it's perfectly normal for people to do benevolent acts for reasons that are actually selfish. It's better to be honest. Aren't you doing this to make people see you as brave and fearless? They might overlook an oddity of a person afraid of ordinary socializing if they aren't afraid to face a powerful monster. That's the reason you do what you do, isn't it? It must be!"

"It's a weakness I need to work through, one I have been working on. But that's besides the point. The matter at hand is that you need to be stopped, Sulfur Dragon."

At that, the performer snarled and backed off. All the others vanished into smoke; they had been illusions. "C-come on, this is ridiculous! How are you supposed to be representative of courage if you get nervous or defensive just trying to talk to people?"

Link went to take the torch of the soul flame before responding. It had a calming effect on him, like earlier when he spoke with the Gerudo woman about horses. In this situation, he could be confident. "I don't know if I am and that still doesn't matter. Maybe I do need bravery for something others think nothing of, but I'm getting more confident in talking to others. And someday it will no longer be a problem to me." He then turned to head for the emblem space.

The air around him dimmed; the drone of unclear conversations surrounded him again. As did many eyes that watched him when he couldn't see them clearly. Link brought the torch in front of him, using the calming presence of the soul flame to put those illusions out of mind. They didn't matter; they weren't able to stop him from reaching the emblem and placing the soul flame where it belonged. As it caught hold there, he saw a glint of gold on the back of his hand. It was a golden marking of three triangle, one of which was solid while the other two were hollow.

"When did you chose me?" Link said quietly, making sure he was seeing things right. The marking faded for a moment, but then appeared again very clearly as the mark of the Triforce of Courage.

Did that mean he was locked into this role as the hero? Link tried to think of when it might have shown up. He thought there'd be some vision or special encounter that would call him the chosen of the goddesses, something like that. Not that it'd just show up quietly with no fanfare. In the dimness around him, the Sulfur Dragon growled warily.

Then things darkened dramatically, save for a ring of light around himself. In that darkness, Link saw the form of the Triforce of Courage in front of him. "I've been with you all along," a gentle voice came to him. "As you continued to act as a hero, our connection grew. You act without hesitation to save strangers, even when the danger is great. While you are not without fear, you are overcoming the quieter ones that can be more difficult to shake. You are one with great courage, thus I have become more apparent from within you."

While that was encouraging to hear, there were things to worry about as well. "I see. But can you keep subtle about it? If I don't keep you hidden, Ganon will find out and I will lose the chance to save Gale."

That was briefly a sound of wind even though the air around him was still. "Do you have the courage to defy expectations?" the voice asked, even quieter like it was being restrained.

"To defy the role defined for me by your own power?" Link asked.

"Please do." The Triforce then faded from his awareness. Although now that he knew it had been with him all along, he could feel its presence still within him.

He clenched a fist at his side. The courage to defy expectations… it was going to be a treacherous path; there would be the fog of doubts trying to deter him. But if he could make it work, then he'd get what he wanted. And there was something he wanted now. He was no longer doing all this simply because it seemed like the right thing to do. He was going to save someone that no one else saw as worth saving.

Then the Sulfur Dragon spoke up again, as if it was distressed by his very presence. "Oh gods, why did you have to come after me first? Did you think I'd be easier than the others, huh? I thought I had you for sure."

"I came upon you by chance," Link said. And the odd test with the crowd was not as bad since he knew it was a test of illusions. It might even be not so bad with real people since the Triforce had confidence in him resisting his quieter fears.

"Well, nothing I can do about it now," it said. "But first, do you mean to destroy the legends?"

"What do you mean by that?" It didn't sound like a good thing to do. Although, if he meant the destiny that was forcing him and Gale into this mess, that was what Link wanted.

Sulfur seemed to relax, dismissing the town square illusion and leaving them in a strange place with the soul flame. It looked like an abandoned temple, a sacred space forgotten by time. "I mean the order forced upon the world to keep it in a cycle of stagnation. You mortal races are allowed to live freely most of the time. But if you threaten to advance your civilizations past a point, a time of darkness will come and destroy all that you have done. It sets you back to a state of trying to survive in a harsh world. Even the golden ages mask how this land never changes."

"Then we are forced into these roles." But what about the voice that came to him on seeing the Triforce? It wanted him to be true to himself.

"It's a game where the particulars are inconsequential," Sulfur said. "Everyone gets shoved down when they think they've won." The dragon snorted. "Even we of the Septdraco have fallen for it. We had a purpose and it ended up bent in favor of the legends. When we found that there was no way we could have won, we decided to do whatever it took to mess up that force. And it seems we may have to cooperate with a hero, bah. So are you out to destroy the legends?"

"Yes," Link said.

One of the rings on the Septdraco shone yellow then. "Very well, then as the Sulfur Dagon, born of cowardice, I submit my will to you. You can call on my power to drain the life energy of your foes. But if you end up in a situation where your will fails to mine, I will destroy you and leave."

Since he was marked by the Triforce of Courage now, it'd be a severe failing to fall to fear even without the dragon's threat. The other dragons could be the same way; he'd need to be careful of that. "All right. Can you restore the life energy you stole from this town?"

"Must I?" Sulfur grumbled.

"Yes, give it back," Link ordered.

"Fine, fine, you don't have to be bossy about it," it said, then dissolved into a glowing yellow spirit. "Can't believe we really have to go with a selfless hero for this." They were pulled out of the testing realm back into the real town, where the dragon sent a blast of energy outward. The wind picked up, so even the rotten odor could be taken away.

To make sure, he went back to check on the people in the temple.

This whole week had been like something out of a story. First there was that obnoxious smell that worried the animals and drove the fish away. Then everyone in town fell ill on the same day, growing so weary that it was difficult to do daily tasks like cooking, cleaning, or going out to fish. A large yellow dragon showed up when they all gathered to figure things out, demanding a sacrifice of one of their own or everyone would die. As worn down as everyone was, it looked impossible to do anything against it. One of the older women offered to go to the dragon as she did not have much to lose. It prompted a debate between those that didn't want to lose her, those who thought an elderly sacrifice wouldn't be enough for a dragon, and those who thought it was unfortunate but practical.

And then, a hero stepped into the picture. He didn't have much to say, immediately offering to deal with the dragon without being asked. He seemed a little pale himself, but it was undeniable that he was in better shape than any of them. Since the situation was dire, they went ahead and rang the temple bell for him. A few youths followed after him quietly to see what would happen.

One came back a few minutes later with extraordinary news: the hero had struck down the dragon with just one blow, using an arrow that shone like lightning across the night sky. It was shameful that it took so little when they hadn't even tried. But then, as one of the elders reminded the rest, it must have been a divinely blessed weapon to be so powerful. The hero had vanished, which was worrisome.

Thankfully, he reappeared a short time later, now with an odd artifact on his right hand. And with a strange chill, the illness they had all fallen under vanished as soon as it came. The sulfuric air lifted and they all felt a powerful vitality that restored their spirits. When the hero came back into the temple with the other youths, they all cheered for him.

He was oddly bashful from all the attention and gave his name in a quiet voice. Link then asked them where he was. While Eblan Port was a small place, it was a little strange that he was all the way out here without knowing the town's name. He was going to leave right away, but it wasn't proper for them to let him do so without some show of gratitude. Link eventually agreed to stay for a community dinner and a free stay at the small inn.

Most people scattered to get enough food together for the impromptu celebration; a few of the fishermen even took their boats out in hopes of catching something in gratitude for the one who saved them. For a few others, though, Link had asked if there was any in town skilled with a sword that he could practice with. He had those holy arrows, but his sword was fairly unremarkable. Now that they were in good health, the few who acted as an informal town guard were glad to test their skills against a hero like him.

They didn't stand a chance. Link had quick reflexes and an eye for technique faults. While he thought he was out of shape from being imprisoned, his ability must not have dulled at all. He defeated all of them in short spars and thanked them graciously for it. For a long time after, a group of the guard challenged themselves daily with the hopes of being able to match Link someday.

At dinner, he was again quiet and mostly listened to talk about local stories. He did tell a story about a time he traversed a confusing forest dungeon when a group of kids wanted to hear something from him. Even though he was a strong fighter, he was gentle around the children and freely encouraged them to work hard towards any dreams they had.

That evening, a castle messenger arrived and asked about Link's whereabouts. They wanted to question him about a possible treason charge. The night guard who met with the messenger didn't tell him about Link being in their village. A hero like him could not be a traitor; others in the town agreed with that.

This had been a rough day. Link was glad it was over. Tomorrow, he'd have to go back for the Master Sword. He didn't want to kill Gale. But now that he'd argued with Zelda, she might try to send someone else after the sword, someone who didn't think he was worth saving. It was better that he'd get it not only because of the dragons, but because having it would give him time to figure out what had to be done.

The envelope showed up as he was checking through his room at the inn. It had a short note inside, saying that he was coming. Should he be looking forward to this? Or trying to get out of it? The people here would surely recognize him as their former king, which could lead to a lot of trouble. He wasn't going to get back the simple life he preferred.

When he heard a knock on the door, Link didn't hear any other fuss going on. He got the door and quietly said, "Gale, this could be reckless."

"Don't worry, I made sure no one saw me coming," he said, coming in quickly and pushing the door shut. A gold shine appeared on the door briefly. "And no one is going to hear us outside this room now."

From the caution and worry he was showing, it was most likely Gale in control now. Yet Link felt wary of this. He'd already set his gear aside, so no one would hear if things went bad either. "I see."

"Sorry, I know this must be hard on you," Gale said, coming closer and taking his shoulder. Trust him or not? It didn't seem obvious, except what he wanted to do regardless of rhyme or reason. "I shouldn't have come, should have kept to myself. But when I got some time to think clearly, I wanted to see you again so much. There's no one else who can see me as anyone but Ganon."

"Right," Link said. Defy expectations… this would be hard but there was no one else who would give him a chance. "Actually, I was at Sudai Castle earlier today. One of the maids said they were going to hide some of the things from you and your family to make sure they didn't get destroyed or lost. She told me I could take anything that I thought was interesting. Not everyone has forgotten who you were."

Gale looked relieved to hear that. "That's good, at least to keeping some of those things safe. Did you take anything?"

He nodded. "Only a book, though I was a little surprised it was the only children's book around."

"Wait, you found that?" he asked, embarrassed about it. "Well, at least it was you and not anybody else. Don't let anybody see that or know where it's from."

Link smiled; that was such a normal reaction, giving him confidence that Gale was being genuine here. His goal of trying to save him wasn't absurd. "Of course, I'll keep that a secret."

"But that was in my bedroom, I thought I'd locked that."

"You gave me a magic key," he reminded him.

"Oh right." he smiled some at that, still embarrassed about it being found but relieved at the same time. "So you're interested enough in me that you'd sneak into my bedroom."

"I was trying to find out more about who you are," Link said. "Though it was very sparse in there, not much of a personal space."

He shrugged. "It didn't feel right to live in luxury when my people were still rebuilding their homes. Besides, my mother would say that a harsher environment was better to keep sharp in. Living a soft life leads to laziness and irresponsibility."

"But the nearby parlor with the piano was a nice place."

"Well that, that was a place I couldn't let change. That was our family room. Even if it brought sorrow, I couldn't bear to change it from how it was." Then he put his arm around Link's back to pull him closer. "You should know that, but I don't want to dwell on the past tonight. I want to be here with you, with everything else out of sight and mind. Could you do that for me?"

He didn't even have to think about it; it was what he wanted. "Sure."

It had taken some time to calm Zelda down; Joachim hadn't seen her this frustrated and angry before, not even when her father had been obstinate. "So much has gone badly already, but this makes it feel like everything is going wrong," she said. "Sorry to bother you like this."

He hugged her tighter at that. "It's fine; you've been through a lot. But we can start working against Ganon now. Since I've gotten people here to accept me, we've got command over the Sudain and Hylian knights. I've also heard from other regions of Hyrule that they're willing to work with us to make the roads and towns safe at least. Even Laverre and the northern region are willing to listen to both of us."

"That's good," she said, leaning against him. "But we can't count on Link now. We have to find someone else to take the Master Sword, and fast because he knows where it is."

"He was able to claim the three medals to the shrine," Joachim said. It wasn't going to be easy to replace a hero.

Shaking her head, Zelda said, "They were relatively recent creations. We shouldn't have relied on them to pick out the most suitable person. As it is, Link is not going to be getting the Triforce of Courage. Not after what he said today; that was too selfish, and, and just blind! I don't think he could wield the Master Sword either, no matter how good his swordsmanship may be."

Selfishness didn't necessarily negate courage. Although, it would get in the way of being a true hero. "Perhaps one of the knights of Hyrule? There were a few who have been honest and loyal. Or even among the people here, like the generals. Although, Leonidas is quite old; I wouldn't want to put him in direct combat against Ganon."

"Me either. Velken's a good man, but his fighting style and tactics aren't suited to the role of a hero. But, maybe Kimbera could?"

"She's a good knight, but the hero's never been a woman before," Joachim said. "Otherwise, she does fit the role well."

Zelda sighed quietly. "If a man is unable or unwilling to fulfill the role, why not a woman? She's got the honor and aptitude we would expect out of the legendary hero. We could send her to get the Master Sword early tomorrow morning and see how it reacts to her. That just makes sense."

"You don't seem too convinced of that," he said. It did make sense to let Kimbera try handling the sword, even if it was unusual. Still, it seemed strange even to him; Link had also seemed like a hero before it came out that he was in love with Ganon knowingly. Joachim felt more sorry for Link, though, since it was clear that he was being manipulated and ruined.

"I'd like to be sure of it," she said. "Don't want to act rashly, and yet things will only get worse if we don't do anything. For some reason, I feel like I've lost something dear to me, something I thought I could have absolute certainty in. I barely knew Link and he barely knew me, but it all felt a lot more personal in that argument. I just don't know what to do."

Those two hadn't known each other, and Joachim thought he'd been sure of what he had. Yet he felt irked to hear her talk like that. Don't let it show, he told himself. He didn't need to make this harder on her. And he didn't want to take the chance of losing her for any reason; they'd just agreed to getting married soon, this shouldn't be over. "Isn't that like those feelings that you should just sit back and be quiet that you were complaining about?" he asked.

Zelda smiled bitterly at that. "Yes, that's exactly it. Even so, we should save Link from his predicament. He's not going to listen to me, probably not you either. But you now, I have a plan to call together six sages to seal Ganon away for good. One of those I've already contacted about it is someone who is close to Link already."

"Someone from his hometown?" That was for the best, since he'd be more likely to listen to someone he was familiar with.

"Right. We can't count on Link now, but I hope we can straighten him out. In the meantime, we should still send Kimbera to get the Master Sword to keep it safe until we can trust him with it."

Something wasn't quite right with this. However, Joachim couldn't explain it to himself. It was just a feeling, or maybe that bit of jealousy for her being like this about Link. Feelings like that could only hurt them in the end; he had to be supporting her now when she needed it most. "Of course, I'll get a message to her about it this evening. But after that, can we put all this business and political talk on hold?" He winked at her.

Zelda laughed about that. "Of course, I'd rather we do that."

He didn't have to do that. In past lives, he would have just taken what he wanted and not cared what his partner felt. But this was different. There was something to how Link had been tonight, wary and unsure of if he'd get hurt again. Then a few words got his guard to melt completely. Taking the idea of ignoring everything else seriously, he let himself get taken advantage of.

Well, he should keep to the thoughts that led to this. Reward him for choosing him over the princess now; draw him deeper into this trap. In time, that would pay off. Ganon left the Eblan inn as unnoticed as he had come and returned back to Hyrule Castle Town. There was no need to be sentimental and stay after Link had fallen asleep, not when Ganon had little use for sleep now.

This town was already a completely different character than what he first conquered. Not a single light shone within these walls now. In this darkness, monsters roamed restlessly. Steady clanks came from those with armor, while more feral beasts scuffled in the corners. A screeching yappy argument between some was somewhere in the alleyways. Among the damaged buildings, the scent of decay and evil was growing. If he wanted, he could turn this place into a disgusting mockery of its former self. It would be thrilling to get Zelda to return to it as if years of ruin had taken place, not weeks.

Was that what he really wanted?

"Of course it is," Ganon said to himself, knocking the rebellious doubt aside.

He had Albertos exposed with his hideous truth, then killed by his own hand. That would be enough for anyone else. But he was the evil king, with the soul of a demon and the legacy of a beast. That should not be enough. Utterly ruin the kingdom of Hyrule! Strip this place of its vain pretense of goodness and crush Zelda with despair at his works! That was what he should be doing. And the hero…

The hero, at one time, had been the only one who dared to face him without fear. Again and again, one life to another, the hero overcame overwhelming power and stopped him from turning the entire world to evil. Others became inspired by him and stood up to evil as well. But it was always the hero in the end who destroyed him. He hated that selfless light, the blessed one who made the Master Sword shine as bright as his soul. The cycle wore on, neither good nor evil keeping a steady claim to this world.

This hero could also look at him without fear, with a smile of bliss and eyes that tried to find a light within evil. He knew far deeper things about this hero than others. In return, the hero knew far deeper things about him. Could they even enter into that simple duel of good against evil this time? This was a new plan; it should now be a simple matter of using him for sexual pleasures that could corrupt him finally. And if that didn't work, turning him to being filled with hate should break the cycle, at least temporarily.

But did he really want this to remain a simple matter? Looking over a messy and cracking house, he saw a few toys that had been left behind by an evacuating family. What if he had been allowed to live a normal existence? He could have been stripped of a royal inheritance and sent to the orphanage where Link had grown up. He could have been allowed to choose his path from there. Did he want to be in a decaying kingdom or would he be happier if he could truly ignore all this and stay with Link through the night? And longer.

I can't choose; this is my fate.

A broken window shutter creaked in a dark wind. A throaty growl followed, covering over his pacing footsteps. Touching his throat, Ganon realized that was himself. These plans and double-faced thoughts, it was all too complicated. Simplicity was better. The strong would rule the weak, no, eliminate them. A person with weakness was trash and so was a world with weakness. Humanity made the world weak in making it too complex.

I am weak, afraid of what's inside me.

He should stop wallowing in old memories. And new ones, he'd take the power he held over others, whether in their cowardice or lust, and he would keep it. When the world finally woke up to the truth and accepted his rule, then he would end the cycle. That had been his plan. Since the world stubbornly refused to recognize its weakness, he would force it to submit to his power.

There were all kinds of desire in his eyes tonight, including a longing to be free of these roles that weigh us down. I saw that and wanted it as well. My lover, I wanted to stay, but I have to survive as a weak light in darkness.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a light in the darkness. Ganon grumbled. It was that group of Hylian loyalists who were determined to stay even as their kingdom became outwardly corrupted instead of inwardly. Whatever they thought of themselves, they were insignificant. They were incapable of doing anything but hiding like rats in a sewer. They weren't worthy of his time. Then again, they weren't worthy of living either.

I may be an embodiment of evil, but I'm not a brute. They love their homeland. Even if I hate this place, they must be respected for enduring like this. They're harmless, leave them be.

Stray thoughts tried to bubble through his mind to leave them be as harmless. This time, a snarl came with his growl. Being harmless was being weak. Staying his hand too long made him look reluctant. Ganon narrowed his eyes at that defiant light. They were reckless enough to keep a window open a crack, allowing voices to drift out.

"Are you serious?"

"Yes, that's what this message says. He's willfully staying blind to these atrocities and has turned his back on Hyrule. It doesn't say what exactly went down, but he must have done something horrible to have Zelda declare him guilty of treason."

"But why? Link's supposed to be the hero."

This was supposed to be secret. She was supposed to be the forgiving bearer of wisdom. Now, Link's life would be utterly ruined and no one would trust him. It would help, but, this wasn't what he wanted. He was supposed to be protecting the innocent from his fall, not exacerbating such problems. It should have stayed a secret.

"Beats me."

"Well everyone thought he had to be the hero, as he seemed best fitting for the part. But has anybody actually seen the mark of the Triforce on him? He didn't even get the Master Sword. Maybe it got itself removed from the shrine because it knew he would be unworthy."

Link was going to be ruined soon, if he wasn't already. Good, that made him more likely to defect fully. This corruption would be something to enjoy.

No, it won't.

Something wasn't right. Ganon couldn't put his finger on it, but it might not matter. At any rate, these fools were simple to deal with since they'd made themselves so obvious. He could make it less obvious by backing up, but why be that careful? Being careful were for those who weren't strong enough to fight. The ground around him lit up with red.

They don't deserve this.

"Might be that. I haven't run into him so it's just the princess' word against him."

"He was a student of Sir Gregio, you know?"

"He's still around?"

"Yeah, and you'd think a student of his would be better disciplined."

"He wasn't too loyal himself, since he quit being a knight."

"He was against taking Albertos' orders, so I don't entirely blame him."

"Hey, is something up with the lights?"

The bar they were using was consumed in magical flames. The five in the main room suffered a panicky death, unable to escape; others were asleep and dead before they knew it. In seconds, buildings around it ignited. If there was anyone else left in town, they didn't have long to get out before this inferno would make sure they never left.

Ganon didn't care; he could let the town burn without it touching the castle. Perhaps the storm had been trying to tell him to be more destructive. If he was going to stop Hyrule, he needed to leave it in ruins.