Night had finally descended upon Hyrule. The moon and stars were veiled, probably by the same sorcery that shrouded the sun earlier, blanketing Hyrule in complete and utter darkness. The only things cutting through the complete blackness of the night were the torches scattered around Hyrule Castle and the fires from the armies camped in Hyrule Market. Hyrule was so shrouded however, that only the flames could be seen flickering in the distance and nothing more.
The night was calm and quiet. Not a sound could be heard in the darkness. There was no rustling of branches, no cracking of dry leaves. Even the crickets were silent, their beautiful songs absent in the dead of the night. The silence was eerie and unnerving, and it was only enhanced by the occasional cracking of the fires.
Link stared out at this bleakness from the dark of his own bedroom. He stood over by his window, an elbow sitting on the windowsill while he rested his chin in his hand, staring out absently and wondering. A lone candle, Link's only source of illumination, sat beside him on the windowsill. The Master Sword and Mirror Shield were no longer upon his back, but on their respective positions on his wall.
Even though it was too dark and he was too high up in the castle to see, Link knew that the ground was covered in a fog. He had been out walking the castle grounds earlier when the fog began to roll in. It wasn't a particularly dense fog, but given the already poor visibility the fog made it even more difficult to detect any incoming enemies. For all Link knew as he stared out his window, the entire army within Hyrule Market could already be dead, having been slain quite stealthily in the fog shrouded darkness. Even though Link doubted that possibility, as it would take quite an amount of skill to move an entire army into Hyrule Market and slay everyone within even with the current conditions, he knew that they would have to possibly be on the lookout for spies that were placed in the middle of the night. For an entire army it was impossible, but one or two skilled warriors could easily slip in undetected.
As Link stared out at a darkened Hyrule however, he couldn't keep his mind from wandering to earlier that day. He had unintentionally hurt Zelda, the one person most dear to his heart and perhaps only person left alive who still cared for him. All she had tried to do was talk to him about something serious, but he just threw it up in her face. The events of earlier just kept playing over and over in his head no matter how hard he tried to shut them out.
"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Zelda shouted at Link. "Why aren't you taking this seriously?!"
Zelda's voice was becoming enraged. She had just finished vividly describing her premonition to Link, yet he was refusing to listen to her. He just wore a smug smirk on his face throughout the entire retelling.
"Because there's nothing to be worried about," Link replied with amusement. "You had a dream, that is all."
"I know what a dream is Link, and this was no dream. It was a premonition, a foreshadowing of things to come."
"So then I guess my dreams were premonitions also? You kept saying that they meant something. There's only one problem though; I know that they were dreams and you even admitted that mine were dreams."
"It's not the same thing. Correct, you had dreams, not premonitions, but even still, your dreams were trying to tell you something. Your dreams focused on the past, but mine was about the future. It was a premonition telling me about things to come."
"You were just worrying over me and my dream so much that your mind created it's own chain of events."
"Then how the hell do you explain all the things have already come to pass: the shadow covering Hyrule, Navi's black armor, the Black Tower for goodness sake? All of those things have already come about, which means that the rest of them will as well. I didn't want to believe it at first either, so when Hyrule became covered in shadow and I saw Navi in her black armor, I went into denial. But when I saw that Black Tower, I knew that it wasn't just a coincidence. Even you have to admit that it wasn't just a coincidence."
"Three things out of your premonition don't make it one hundred percent accurate. Okay, maybe you did have a few brief glimpses into the future, but that's it. I don't see the land dying, the Triforce vanished after I made my wish upon it, and even if it did still exist it wouldn't return as some black incarnate; it's called the 'Golden Power' for a reason, and I have no intentions of dying."
"How do you know that?!" Zelda squealed as tears started to run down her cheeks. "You are an exceptional warrior, but . . ."
"But what?!" Link almost yelled fiercely at her. "You don't believe in me? When Ganon stole his father's powers a year ago, he became the most powerful being alive. He became twice as powerful as the time I fought him in the alternate future. I defeated him, and if I can defeat him I can defeat anybody."
"You barely defeated him. You were a wreck when you came down from that mountain, and you even admitted that if it weren't for Gerik you would've died. You never did tell me what happened on that mountaintop, and I never pushed it because I thought it might be too difficult for you, but something happened up there. The same person that went up that mountain didn't come back down."
"Zelda, I'm still the same person. I just don't think that's there's any reason why you should worry yourself when nothing is going to happen to me. I'm not going to die Zelda, no matter what happens."
"You may not care to think about what may happen to you," Zelda's voice quivered as tears now flowed freely down her face, "but I do."
With those last words floating in the air, Zelda quickly turned around and ran out of the room. Link was just left standing there with his mouth half opened and his right hand outstretched as if he were reaching out to Zelda. When Zelda had slammed the door to the room shut behind her, Link's arm fell to his side limply and he lowered his head.
All Zelda had wanted to do was make sure that Link would be careful and plan out a strategy that would make sure her premonition didn't come to pass, but Link had been too full of himself to listen. Those last words that Zelda had said were burned into his mind, and just thinking about them was enough to make him grimace. Link had tried to go and apologize, but finding Malon standing outside of Zelda's bedroom with a deep scowl on her face had told him that he better wait. He was just lucky that Malon hadn't seen him, or he knew that he would've gotten an earful from her as well.
Knowing that he would be no good to Hyrule without at least a decent night's sleep, and out of an intense desire to bring this day, which would easily go down as one of his worst days in history, to a close, Link grabbed the candle off the windowsill and stepped away. He placed the candle down on the night stand next to his bed and then proceeded to take off the black tunic he had been wearing all day. He sloppily tossed the tunic onto a nearby chair and climbed into bed. He blew out the candle, encompassing himself in now complete darkness, and laid his head down upon his pillow.
Link's head hadn't touched the pillow for even a second before his eyes flew open and Link quickly flipped out of bed. As Link flew off his bed a sword was thrust upward through the bed from underneath, a fatal blow had Link been a second slower. Link landed on his feet directly in front of the bed and facing the wall, just as he planned. Even though he couldn't see, Link instinctually reached forward and yanked the Master Sword off the wall. Then without pause, in one swift move Link did an about-face unsheathing the Master Sword as he turned to face his bed.
Link couldn't see a thing, but he knew that in the time it took him to grab his sword and turn around, his attacker had emerged from underneath his bed and was now standing somewhere in the room, hopefully just as equally blind. Link just stood his ground, not wanting to make any sort of sound that would give away his position. Since he couldn't trust his eyes, Link closed them so he could rely on his other senses. Unfortunately, his attacker wasn't moving either.
"Glad to see your reflexes haven't slowed any," came a voice Link knew he had heard before but couldn't place somewhere from the opposite side of the room. "I really was hoping that it wouldn't be that easy."
"Yeah well, I hate to disappoint," Link replied as he tried sensing where in the room his attacker was. The silence all around them made their voices sound as if they were coming from all directions. "So, are you going to reveal yourself or are we going to stab around blindly in the dark until one of us gets lucky?"
"Well, I actually can fight in the dark and I could easily kill you where you stand in mere seconds, but since that's not my style I'll oblige you," the attacker said as he lit the candle he swiped off Link's night stand.
Link had kept his eyes closed through the entire conversation, but as soon as the inside of his eyelids became rimmed with the red-orange glow from the candle, he opened them ever so slowly so that his eyes could adjust to the sudden brightness. Once opened, Link spotted the intruder sitting Indian style on his bed and he narrowed his eyes and tightened his grip on the Master Sword upon the sight of him. It was the robed figure.
Link now knew that the robed figure's identity was being kept secret by sorcery rather than the hood he wore for the robed figure was holding the candle directly in front of his face, yet all Link could see was darkness underneath the hood. The only difference now was that there were a pair of red eyes staring back at him from under the hood, and as Link stared at them he couldn't help but think that they were familiar somehow. The candle he held was bright enough to outline the robed figure's body and give away his location, but for the most part he was still covered in shadow.
"How did you get in here?" Link demanded through clenched teeth.
"Oh, it was really quite easy," the robed figure responded, amusement apparent in his voice. "Of course, even without the total darkness and the fog, breaking into this place would be a piece of cake, but they did help considerably; I didn't have to kill anyone on my way in. I will give you credit however. The castle's defenses have certainly improved since the days of Ganon."
"So Ganon is the one pulling the strings."
"You're kidding me right? That pathetic loser, orchestrating all of this? I never heard something so funny before. Ganon's ideas usually revolve around total destruction and becoming ruler of the desolate wasteland that he created. Your puny mind can't even comprehend what we have in store for you, and by the time you even realize it, if you even do that is, it'll be too late to stop it. Besides, I'd much rather kill myself than work for Ganon."
"Well whatever your plans are, they'll have to go ahead without you. Now either draw your sword, or die where you are."
"I was wondering when you would be getting around to that. But really, let's not kid ourselves; this is not a suitable location for a fight. It's too small and there's too much furniture to get in our way. Follow me and I'll take us someplace more suitable for a battle."
"How can I trust you? For all I know you could take me someplace where your troops lie in wait to ambush me."
"You're absolutely right. I haven't exactly given you any reason to trust me. Oh, but wait, let's think of the alternative. You can either trust me and come with me, or I can blow out this candle and kill you in mere seconds without any trouble whatsoever. The choice is yours."
"Alright, you have a deal," Link said while eying the robed figure carefully. "Just let me put my tunic on first."
The robed figure nodded and extended his arm in a 'go ahead' fashion. Without taking his eyes off of him, Link leaned the Master Sword up against the wall and released the hilt. He then reached over and grabbed the black tunic he had tossed on the chair. With all reason in his heart telling him not to do so, Link finally broke his gaze and tossed the tunic over his head. He pulled the tunic over himself faster than normal, but as he did so he didn't hear any sign of movement come from the robed figure and when he was finished he saw that the robed figure hadn't even moved an inch.
"Well now I definitely know that you're not with Ganon," Link said as he picked up the Master Sword and walked over to the robed figure. "You fight with honor, something that all of Ganon's minions lacked. If you had been one of Ganon's minions, you would've attacked me while I was off guard putting my tunic on."
"As I said earlier, that is not my style," replied the robed figure as he looked at Link and then turned to look at the wall where the Mirror Shield hung. "If I am to win a fight, it will be because I am the better warrior. Speaking of which, aren't you going to bring your shield with you?"
"Trust me, the Master Sword is all I'm going to need to take care of you."
The robed figure whispered something under his breath, but Link didn't hear what he said. He then stood up on Link's bed and reached into his robes. Link saw this and tensed, but since the robed figure had been honorable so far, he relaxed slightly. The robed figure pulled out several Deku Nuts, turned towards Link, tossed them at the ground, and in a bright flash that was seen for miles in the darkness of Hyrule, both Link and the robed figure were gone.
When they reappeared, Link saw that they were now standing in a large, well-lit area. The air around him had a slight chill to it, and an occasional wind blew past. A low echo rang in his ears, and he immediately realized that wherever they were, they were high up in the sky. Looking down at the ground only confirmed his suspicions. The robed figure had brought them to the top of the Black Tower.
The floor he stood on was of a glossy black the same color as the rest of the tower. Staring at it, Link was positive that he could've seen his own reflection in it had the sun been up. Looking back up again, Link noticed that the top of the tower was rimmed with twelve multi-faceted peaks the same color as the rest of the tower which extended high up into the heavens. In front of each peak were large, flaming cauldrons that were the sources of light for the top of the tower. Standing beside each cauldron were the twelve Darknut resembling warriors that had accompanied the robed figure during his attack earlier that day.
Having surveyed his surroundings thoroughly, Link now turned his attention to the robed figure in front of him only to find that he was no longer robed. All that remained of his cloak was the hood and short trail of tattered fabric that still clung to it. Link was taken aback by the sight of him, but it wasn't from the ruined cloak; it was the ruined and filthy remains of the Sheikah outfit he wore underneath the cloak that left Link speechless. Link eyes went wide and he nearly dropped the Master Sword, but caught himself at the last second.
"You're . . . a Sheikah," Link stammered. "One of . . . the protectors . . . of the Royal Family. You've . . . you've betrayed your kind. You . . . you attacked the king."
"Well, ex-Sheikah would be more accurate," he replied amusingly. "Impa felt it necessary to remove my status when we fought each other earlier today."
"Wait, Impa!" Link shouted recovering from his initial shock. "So that's where Impa went to. What did you do?! Where is she?!"
"Oh, don't worry yourself. Impa is quite alive, although I daresay she'll never fight again. It's quite difficult without the use of your hands and feet I should say. Rest assured though, she is resting comfortably. And she's not alone either. Saria is keeping her company."
"You Bastard!"
"Bastard?" the robed figure laughed. "You used to call me friend."
"Huh, what are you talking about?"
"You are an exceptional fighter, there's no denying that, but you always have been slow on the uptake. You know, Impa figured out who I was right away. Maybe this will help you."
Link stood there dumbfounded as he watched the robed figure reach down to one of the two scabbards hanging from his belt. He took hold of the hilt and in one swift move unsheathed it and tossed it lightly over to Link. It landed only a few feet in front of the robed figure, but it's momentum made it slide all the way to Link and stop directly in front of his feet. Looking down, Link saw that it was what remained of a broken double-edged sword.
The hilt of the sword was still intact, it's silvery gleam glinting in the firelight while the red Sheikah eye on it's pommel stared up at Link. The leather wrapped around it's grip was frayed slightly, but that was something to be expected after repeated use. Only a small length of the blade remained, ending in several small yet sharp points. Extending down from where the blade broke were cracks of varying lengths, some more apparent than others. As Link stared at the broken sword, he couldn't help but sense an aura of familiarity about it. It was the same aura he felt when he first heard the robed figure speak.
With an almost knowing look in his eyes, Link looked back up at the robed figure. He was now standing there with his hands gripping the edges of his hood. When he was positive that Link's attention was focused on him, the robed figure pulled his hood back finally exposing his face. Link staggered backward at the sight of his face, his legs becoming jello and nearly collapsing underneath him. This time he did drop the Master Sword. Link was staring into the face of Gerik.
Gerik's flesh was of an unnatural pale blue hue, and a deep, jagged scar ran across his left cheek. His hair was no longer a dark brown, but a silvery white. His eyes retained their bright red color, yet Link could see a darkening of his irises from the bloodlust glinting in the corners of his eyes. Despite all the changes, it was unmistakably the face of Gerik. As Link continued to stare at him with unbelieving eyes, Gerik's mouth twisted itself into a wicked smile.
"Yo . . . you're . . . de . . .dead," Link was barely able to choke out, his voice hardly more than a whisper.
"Yeah, I seem to be getting that a lot lately," Gerik laughed menacingly. "Even though Impa found out much faster than you did, she was quite speechless herself."
"This is impossible," Link continued, his voice gaining back it's strength. "I saw you die; I was there at the funeral. I helped bury your body in the ground."
"For which I am most grateful. Had you cremated my body, my Master would not have been able to bring me back. You see, my Master is quite skilled in the Dark Arts, especially those pertaining to necromancy. It was a simple matter to raise my body."
"How could you do this? How could you turn your back on Hyrule, on your friends? What about Navi? How could you turn your back on her?"
"That pathetic whelp? She means absolutely nothing to me. She will die and burn along with the rest of Hyrule."
"This isn't you. Whoever this Master of yours is, he's controlling you. You would never say something like that. Who is this Master of yours? Where is he hiding?"
"He isn't hiding anywhere. In fact, he's been wanting to meet you for a very long time Link, and he's standing right behind you."
Link quickly whipped around to find a tall, menacing figure standing directly behind him. Link took several steps back both to put some distance between himself and this man and to also get a better look at him. The man towered above Link at seven feet tall, his body a well-defined muscular piece of art that looked as if it were chiseled out of stone. On his chest was a black chest plate with a large gash directly in the center of it. The rest of his body was protected in reinforced leather. A black cape flowed down from his shoulders where spiked shoulder pads kept it in place. Covering his face was a black, half skull mask.
Link tensed his body slightly, ready to move at the slightest hint of danger. Link watched as the man gripped the mask on his face in one giant hand and remove it. The face beneath was shockingly similar to Ganon's, but Link could tell that it wasn't him, the major reason for it being the deep, nasty scar that ran diagonally across his face from the top of his right eye all the way to his neck. As Link stared into the man's cold and unforgiving eyes, the realization of who he was crossed Link's mind.
"Link," Gerik stated boldly from behind him, "I'd like you to meet my Master, Lord Arcana."
"So this is the legendary Hero of Time?" Lord Arcana commented as he looked down upon Link. "Hmm, he doesn't look like much. I was expecting someone more heroic looking; a little taller even at least. I knew my son was a loser, but to be defeated by this . . . Tis a true disgrace."
"Gerik, you sniveling snake!" Link shouted whipping his head around angrily to look at Gerik as the realization of what his true purpose for being here was. "This was all a ploy, wasn't it? I was never supposed to fight you, was I? You lured me here so that I could fight Lord Arcana."
"Wow, he actually gets it right for once," Gerik disparaged. "As much as I would love to challenge you and finally determine which of us is the greater warrior, reluctantly I must decline."
"Ah, the Master Sword," Lord Arcana said sadistically causing Link to quickly whip his head back around to see Lord Arcana staring down at the legendary blade at his feet. "The blade of evil's bane. How I've longed to look upon it, and face it in battle. Well go ahead and pick it up. I'd hand it too you but being such a malevolent entity I'd never be allowed to touch it."
Link stared at Lord Arcana cautiously, yet fear crept it's way into the corners of his face. Lord Arcana was correct, he couldn't touch the sword, yet Link was apprehensive nonetheless. Link wanted to grab it, to feel it's power coursing through him once again, to drive it's cold, hard steel into Lord Arcana's black heart. Desire was welling up in the pit of his stomach and stretching itself all throughout Link's body. Link stood his ground though, trepid of a cheap shot Lord Arcana would deliver as he reached down to pick up as his blade.
Almost as if in response to Link's dread, Lord Arcana suddenly took several steps back from where the Master Sword lay. As he did so he held his hands out in front of him palms upward, both as a signal that he meant no tricks and for Link to pick up his blade. As Lord Arcana stepped back, Link cautiously stepped forward one step at a time, his eyes locked onto those of Lord Arcana's. Through his peripheral vision he kept an eye on the warriors, of whom he now knew had to be Darknuts, who stood at the rim of the tower. He couldn't see Gerik behind him, but he kept his ears open for any sign of treachery from behind. In life Gerik had been honorable, but there was no telling what this evil, demonic copy that Lord Arcana created was capable of.
When Link reached the spot where his sword lay, he bent down carefully, never taking his eyes off of Lord Arcana, and took hold of it in his left hand. He then rose warily, gripping the sword with his right hand as well once he was fully upright. Link cracked his neck as he held the Master Sword out before him and awaited Lord Arcana's move.
Lord Arcana smiled the whole time, and let slip a slight chuckle when Link was finished. A wicked grin still gracing his face, his scar making it appear even more maniacal looking, Lord Arcana reached for the sword hanging from his left hip in the most nonchalant manner Link had ever seen. Lord Arcana didn't show even the slightest hint of worry as he drew his blade from its sheath and held it out for Link to see. Link's eyes immediately became transfixed upon the sword's beauty as well as its lethality. The scalloped, coal-black blade with its silver glint and golden runes seemed to be calling to him, as well as stealing the warmth from his very soul.
"Behold, Hero of Time, my blade," declared Lord Arcana in a sadistic, booming voice. "Dragonflame, the sword of evil's ascension. Say hello to the sister blade of the Master Sword. I forged this blade myself deep within the fires of Hyrule, and infused it with my own dark powers. Dragonflame is the polar opposite of the Master Sword, yet in every way its equal. What the Master Sword does for the light, Dragonflame shall do for the dark."
Before Link could even fully comprehend Lord Arcana's words, Lord Arcana rushed forward at blinding speed and drove the hilt of Dragonflame deep into the solar plexus of Link. Link's eyes went wide and his mouth hung open as his body hunched over and all breath was stolen from him. With his eyes rolling their way behind his head, Link's first impulse was to drop the Master Sword, but he fought it and managed to keep, however slight, a hold on it. Without giving Link even a moment to try and catch his breath, Lord Arcana quickly delivered a roundhouse, backhand strike with his gauntleted hand across the side of Link's face.
Link's legs left the ground as the force of the blow sent Link spiraling to the ground several feet away. The entire side of Link's head was red, and small trickles of blood began to run down from the small cuts made by Lord Arcana's gauntlet. Link was still trying to get air into his lungs, but his chest felt like it was on the verge of exploding. The Master Sword was still with him, but his hand was only laying on top of it. He didn't even have the strength to take hold of it properly. As Link laid there, his body a network of pain, he could hear the sounds of Lord Arcana's boots approaching him.
Link started breathing harder and faster in an effort to fill up his lungs quicker and willed his body to move. He began flexing his left hand slowly, and soon took hold of the Master Sword. His body crying out in pain, Link rolled himself over onto his back swinging the Master Sword wide as he did so hoping to hit Lord Arcana. Lord Arcana had seen Link grab his sword though, and made sure to stay far out of its reach. When Link saw that the Master Sword had cut nothing but air, he looked into the eyes of Lord Arcana and watched as he grinned mischievously.
With Lord Arcana just standing there at the moment, Link struggled to stand up keeping the Master Sword held out before him in anticipation of an attack. Once Link was shakily on both feet again, he took hold of the Master Sword with both hands and rushed forward. Lord Arcana effortlessly blocked Link's attack by locking the two blades together. Then, in a show of force, Lord Arcana sent Link's sword wide, leaving Link's body open to attack. Although Lord Arcana could have easily cut Link's stomach open, all he did was kick Link hard beneath the chin sending him flying onto his back once again.
"Pathetic," Lord Arcana scoffed. "This is not the Hero of Time I've heard about. Where is the fire in your heart boy? Where is that power that you so readily disposed of my son with? Come on Hero of Time; on your feet. Pick up your sword and strike me down with the same anger, hatred, and pure rage that you struck Ganon down with. I know it's in you, welling up inside. Come and unleash it!"
Link groggily got back to his feet, but he ignored Lord Arcana's taunts. He wasn't going to let himself go down that road again. That day, on top of Death Mountain; he would not repeat it. Link rubbed his chin, waiting for Lord Arcana to make a move. Lord Arcana wasn't foolish however, and Link knew it. He would not make the first move. He would wait for Link to make a move, and then just dispatch of him the same as before. Link knew that he would be the one making the first move, but since standard attacks were no good he was going to need to try something a little differently.
There was a gleam in Link's eye as he grabbed the Master Sword and charged at Lord Arcana the exact same way as before. Lord Arcana just lowered his head and sighed at Link's unoriginality. This time however, as Link was charging forward he was also summoning the power of Farore. Just as he was about to reach Lord Arcana, Link smiled and vanished in a whirlwind due to the magic of Farore's Wind. Lord Arcana was shocked by this and barely managed to turn around and block Link's attack when he sensed Link return behind him.
His attack blocked, Link quickly withdrew his sword so that the blades would not become locked again. In terms of pure strength Link was seriously outclassed. Link didn't hesitate, however, to deliver a series of quick and precise strikes and stabs. Lord Arcana blocked all attempts with ease, but he was now on the defensive and unable to counter-attack. Releasing his left hand from Dragonflame, Lord Arcana created a bright, glowing ball of energy in his hand and flashed a bright light into Link's eyes blinding him.
All that filled Link's vision was that bright flash, but after several seconds his eyes began to refocus. When his eyes had refocused enough so that he could at least see things even if they were somewhat blurry, Link saw a giant fireball launch from the end of Lord Arcana's hand straight toward him. The fireball slammed full force into Link's chest, burning away his tunic and singeing his skin as he flew backwards through the air and landed with a slam onto the cold, hard tower.
With smoke rising off his slightly charred chest, Link got to his feet as quickly as he could. His ruse had apparently angered Lord Arcana seeing as how, unlike all the other times, he was coming at Link with his sword held ready to deliver a lethal blow. What little strength Link still retained was leaving him. He knew that he could not win this battle. He had come here unprepared and cocky. As Link unconsciously watched Lord Arcana rapidly approaching, Zelda's earlier warning came blasting inside his head.
With the haziness in Link's mind getting worse by the second, he barely registered Lord Arcana standing before him. Lord Arcana raised his sword high above his head and then quickly brought it down full force upon Link. Link managed to raise the Master Sword to block Lord Arcana's attack at the last second. Unfortunately, the Master Sword shattered upon impact sending out a shockwave in the wake of it's destruction. Lord Arcana stood his ground against the force of the shockwave, but Link, in his weakened state, was sent flying to the ground, the back of his head slamming hard into the ground.
Link's mind was beginning to fade, his vision becoming cloudy. His body refused to move. He couldn't think. All sense of time and space was lost to him. Through half opened eyes he saw Lord Arcana come and stand over him, Dragonflame held firmly in his hand. As darkness began to consume him, Zelda's words filled his remaining thoughts.
"Forgive me Zelda," Link whispered to himself, and then to Lord Arcana said in chokey voice as loud as he could, "Go ahead and finish me off then. The Master Sword has been broken, and my body lays here unable to move. Just . . . kill me . . . already."
"Whatever gave you the idea that I wanted to kill you," Lord Arcana responded in a sincere voice. "All I wanted was to face you in combat. In truth, I owe you my life. Had you not killed those wretched Twinrova Sisters, I would still be frozen in their spell. And as if killing them wasn't joyous enough for me, you also disposed of my miserable excuse for a son. I am a man of honor, and as such I will let you keep your life, this time. We are now even Hero of Time. Should we meet again in combat, I will not hesitate to kill you."
Lord Arcana just watched as Link fell into unconsciousness. The broken hilt of the Master Sword was still clutched in his hand, and all around them lay the shards of the legendary blade. Lord Arcana sheathed his sword and then outstretched both hands toward Link's unconscious form. Link's body began to glow in a white aura, and then vanished without a trace. When he was finished, Lord Arcana turned around to see Gerik standing behind him.
"Are you sure that was such a wise decision, my Lord," Gerik asked nervously, "letting him live?"
"Should he try again he will fail," Lord Arcana replied confidently. "Without the Master Sword he cannot defeat me. Too bad he didn't have the Mirror Shield with him as well."