Link just stood there. He neither moved nor spoke, his eyes transfixed upon Minerva. He was captivated by her beauty, there was no denying that, but there was something more. Dozens of thoughts and feelings were welling up within him all at the same time. There was a sense of joy and relief that it was all over, that all his hardships had finally granted him access to the Queen Fairy, but there was also confusion, and a little anger that once again he had been put through another test, and from the way his body wanted to collapse a very physically exhausting test at that.

"I know why you have come," Minerva continued in her soft tones after letting the brief shock Link experienced at his first sight of her wash away, "and I know what it is you seek. The Master Sword has shattered, and you hope that I can repair the Sword of Evil's Bane."

Still unable to find the strength to speak, whether from exhaustion or still from shock, Link just dumbly nodded his head. Minerva seemed to find this amusing and giggled like a little girl before continuing.

"That wish is within my power to grant. I can repair the Master Sword, but I won't."

Link stumbled and nearly fell over as the hope he once held instantly vanished. His smile was replaced with silent stuttering and his wide eyes full of wonderment were now filled with disbelief. Slowly, sounds began making their way up his throat and out his mouth, followed by words.

"But . . . but you have to," Link said, his voice relaying the confusion he felt. "Don't you understand? There's a madman running around Hyrule. Innocent people are suffering, and Hyrule itself is on the verge of collapse. Only the Master Sword can prevent this."

"I know full well about Lord Arcana and what is currently transpiring," Minerva replied calmly as she looked Link straight in the eyes, her mouth losing its smile and turning more serious. "I see and know all that happens within the realm of Hyrule."

Link's eyes flashed red. Without realizing, his fists had become clenched, his knuckles instantly turning white. He just stared up at Minerva, not willing to believe what he had just heard. But Minerva just stood there, staring back. She still wasn't smiling, but her face had a serenity to it that to Link made her look smug considering what she had just said.

"You knew!" Link finally shouted, his voice echoing loudly in the expansive chamber. "You knew all along, and you did nothing. You just sat back while innocent people died." A sudden realization dawned on Link, and his stare grew colder. "And this isn't the first you've sat back either. Ganon's attempt to seize power, the War of the Triforce, all of Hyrule's past wars, the near extermination of the Sheikah . . . you watched it all happen. How many innocent lives are on your hands? You're supposed to be the protector of Hyrule."

"Your feelings are perfectly natural, but utterly misguided," Minerva replied when Link had finally finished, her voice and demeanor calm as if Link hadn't just been yelling at her moments before. "It is not my place to interfere in the affairs of mortals. Who am I to decide whose side to be on, of who is right, and who is wrong?"

Link stared at her incredulously, as if she had just grown an extra head. "You can't be serious," he said. "You don't honestly believe that Lord Arcana is in the right do you, or that Ganon was?"

"Right and wrong, good and evil, light and dark, they are all just words, their meanings only relevant in the eye of the beholder. What you see as right and wrong is not the same as what everyone else sees. In Lord Arcana's eyes, for instance, he views himself as being in the right while you stand on the wrong side. How right, how fair would it be for me to choose one side over the other, when each one believes that what they are doing is for the benefit of all involved?"

"Because people like Lord Arcana and Ganon are monsters," Link argued. "They think of nothing but themselves, and could care less about who they step on in their mad grab for power. They have no morals, no sense of decency. In their eyes the world belongs to them and everyone in it lives only to serve them."

At this Minerva chuckled slightly, to which Link just stared at her confusedly. Finished with her laugh, Minerva turned to look down upon Link again, a smile on her face. She was happy that he was not so easy to connive, to switch his views, but at the same time frustrated that he refused to relinquish his point even after proved wrong. That would prove troublesome down the road.

"You say they have no morals," Minerva said, "but they do. Granted, they aren't the same morals that you follow. What if I were to tell you that Lord Arcana would kill hundreds in his seizure of Hyrule, but once in power he would bring about an age of peace and prosperity to the land as never before seen? Thousands would benefit. Does that still make him an evil man?"

For once Link didn't strike back immediately. He bit his lower lip as he tried to come up with what to say next, and Minerva's smile grew. He was beginning to falter, to finally see the truth. "It . . . it still doesn't make it right though," Link finally managed to say. "If he has such grand plans, why can't he implement them without bloodshed?"

"My dear Link, I am not trying to say that Lord Arcana is in the right, but I am not saying that you are either. Every living thing is shaped by their own beliefs, by their own experiences. Had you been raised by Ganon, do you not think there would be a chance that you would have followed him into battle against Hyrule? After all, you would have been raised by his ideals. On the same token, do you not believe it possible that had Ganon grown up in a proper Hylian family, that he would have turned out good? These are not definite assumptions of course, but still, you have to wonder. We are not born inherently good or inherently evil. We each have within us the power to go down either road, and it is our decisions in life that will lead us down one path or another."

Link was silent. His eyes turned down to the floor, his shoulders drooping slightly. Link's face appeared to be nothing more than a blank expression, but it was easily recognizable that underneath the surface he was deep within thought. Minerva breathed out a sigh of relief and continued to smile, knowing that she had finally gotten through his thick Hylian skull.

"Now you understand," continued Minerva after allowing Link more than enough time to think about it. "Now you understand why it is not my place to interfere. The Goddesses granted me with immense power, but they also granted me the wisdom to use that power correctly. It is not my place to be judge for this land, only to watch over it and ensure that this gift given to us by the Goddesses, Hyrule, lives on. As long as I maintain the balance, Hyrule shall survive."

Link's eyes had darted back up to her the second Minerva had begun speaking again, but now he lifted his whole head to gaze upon her fully. He took in every word she said, realizing that she knew more than he could ever hope to in a thousand lifetimes.

"But . . .," he began, "but the balance has been destroyed. The Master Sword is destroyed, and without it evil shall run unchecked throughout the lands of Hyrule. Where is the balance if the light has lost it's greatest weapon against the dark?"

"Ah, you are learning," Minerva replied happily. "You are right of course. With the Master Sword destroyed the balance between good and evil has been disrupted, and only with the blade's return can that balance be restored."

"But then why won't you repair the Master Sword?" Link said, anger creeping into his voice again. "You just said it yourself, it's your job to maintain the balance."

"Because," Minerva responded back sternly and without sympathy, "in your hands repairing the blade would be useless. Were I to repair the sword, in your current state a battle with Lord Arcana would result in the same thing: the Master Sword being destroyed, you being defeated, and this time Lord Arcana finishing you off."

"I won't lose again," Link said determinedly. "I'll admit he caught me off guard last time, but I won't let him get to me again. Besides, can't you maybe make the Master Sword stronger so that it's less likely to be broken?"

Minerva sighed and shook her head solemnly. "After all this time you still don't understand. You've yet to realize the true power of the Master Sword."

After looking back up and seeing Link's confused expression, Minerva continued, "The Master Sword is just that, a sword. Sure, it was created by the Goddesses, and yes, they blessed it with their divine power, but in the end it is nothing more than a sharpened piece of metal. Its power, the power to destroy evil, comes not from the sword itself, but from its wielder. The Sword of Evil's Bane draws its strength from the one who holds it, and the more noble, more pure their heart is, the more powerful the sword becomes."

Link looked up at Minerva with an expression akin to looking hurt. When he spoke, his voice was soft, almost demoralizing. "So . . . so you're saying my heart is no longer pure, that I . . . that I don't have the strength required to beat Lord Arcana?"

Minerva was taken aback. She had not expected this response from Link. She had expected something more along the lines of anger, of confidence, even a little arrogance, but here was an almost broken man. Apparently Link's defeat at the hands of Lord Arcana had had a much more profound effect upon him than even she realized.

"Yes," Minerva answered, "but it is through no fault of your own. The innocence of childhood has long since past, and you have seen and been through much during your lifetime. Did you not ever wonder why you were sealed away for those seven years? Rauru said it was because you were not yet ready to take up the mantle of Hero of Time, that much is true. But those seven years would have been much better used if you were given proper training and guidance, would you not think so?"

Link didn't answer, but he stared at Minerva intently. He had honestly never given it much thought. He had simply taken Rauru at his word and without a second thought just took the Master Sword and went on his way. There had been no reason to at the time. Link knew what he had to do, and he did it without pause. But know, thanks to Minerva's words, he was beginning to wonder why. He had been only a mediocre swordsman at best at the time, learning only as he went along since he had no formal training. The Sages certainly could have prepared him better.

Seeing that her words had struck a chord, Minerva continued, "There was a reason, an important one. It was to ensure that your heart remained pure. As a child, you were blessed with the greatest gift of all, innocence. In many ways, a child is far superior to any adult. They don't see the world in black and white, nor classify it in such cut and dry terms. They see it for what it truly is. Their understandings are more complex than most adults realize, which is why they often foolishly sum it up as childish nonsense. To view the world through a child's eyes is to see the truth."

"That's it," Link said in disbelief, "that's the big answer? Because I grew up I can no longer use the Master Sword to its full potential?"

"Such simple-mindedness," Minerva said a little irritably. "That is but a part of it. You were also sealed away to protect you from witnessing the horrors unleashed upon Hyrule by Ganon."

"For what purpose?" Link interrupted. "If I had witnessed, it only would've strengthened my resolve to defeat Ganon."

"That may be true, but that's not the point. Even with a strengthened resolve you would not have had the strength to defeat Ganon. Witnessing those horrors would only have expanded the darkness within your own heart, thus reducing the Master Sword's own power against the evil."

"There is no darkness within my heart," Link shouted, his face screwing up in anger.

Minerva shook her head, and trying to control her own growing rage she replied, "Such single-minded arrogance makes you no better than the men you fight against. Every one of us has light and dark within their heart. We must, for just as neither light nor dark can exist without the other, neither can we exist without both in our hearts. The difference between you and people like Lord Arcana is how much you allow that darkness to corrupt yourself. But even someone as noble and righteous as you, if given the right incentive, could easily take up arms alongside the likes of Lord Arcana if the darkness within their heart is stirred."

The snap remark Link was ready to say didn't come, but was rather exhaled in the breath of a sigh as he heaved his shoulders and let them drop. He glanced back down toward the ground, Minerva's words cutting through him like a knife. When he looked back up and spoke, his voice was once again calm.

"So you're saying I've given into the darkness?"

Minerva smiled. "Only as much as any other person in your position. It all revolves around emotions. Experiences evoke feelings, feelings grow into emotions, and then emotions turn into actions. Depending on what our actions are determines whether we become light or dark, but it's the emotions in the first place that lead to it all. Anger, rage, hatred; these are but a few."

"But I thought your emotions helped you, that you were suppose to use them. When I fought Ganon last year, and I felt all that anger, all that rage, I was like a new man and I was able to use that to defeat him."

"Yes, using your emotions is the way to go, but most give in to their emotions which puts your emotions, which are irrational by nature, in control of your actions; not you. To use your emotions to your advantage, to turn them into an unstoppable force, takes training. The Sheikah were the ones who understood this concept best. They kept their emotions in check, not allowing themselves to succumb to them. When the time was right, they knew exactly when and how to use their emotions in battle. That's what made them such a powerful force to contend with. So as long as you continue to give in to your emotions and refuse to see the world as it truly is, the true power of the Master Sword shall be denied to you."

Minerva blew out a sigh and then just stood there staring at Link with a serene expression, her dreamy eyes looking for any sign of impact her words might have had. She had said all she needed to say. The rest was now up to Link.

Link didn't make her wait long. He stood up straight and looking directly into Minerva's eyes he said in a strong, confident voice, "Will you train me then?"

Minerva giggled. "But of course. It is time for you to become the hero you were born to be, not only in name, but in reality as well. I must warn you though. The road you are about to take shall not be an easy one, and before long you may regret some of what you need to do. Time is not on our side, and I shall not go easy on you. Are you prepared to listen and obey everything I say and face any hardship that comes your way?"

"Yes, I am prepared."

"Good," Minerva smirked. "Then fight me."

"What?" Link asked, Minerva's brunt order catching him by surprise.

"You said you'd follow any order I gave, and I told you to fight me."

For the first time since appearing Minerva moved from her spot. She stepped out of the fountain and began walking down the steps toward Link in a sultry manner. Link stared at her as she walked, his eyes mesmerized by Minerva's curves and the sensual movements of her body. He began to grow hot and flustered, and as she was nearing the bottom of the steps he was beginning to back away.

"Uh . . . um . . .would . . . wouldn't you like to maybe put some more clothing on?" Link stammered as Minerva continued to advance.

"Why, is this form so unpleasing that you wish it covered up?" Minerva asked in a voice as sensual as her walk, her hands rubbing down the length of her body as she said this.

"N-n-n-no, that's not it. I just thought you might want some protection."

"Oh, I assure you that I am quite safe."

As Minerva closed the gap between them, Link noticed that her strands of hair were parting more and more as she walked exposing more of her breasts. Link immediately tilted his head slightly and glanced away, and in that instant, before Link could even blink, Minerva was directly behind him with the edge of a knife held up to his throat.

"Modesty is a weakness that adults learn," Minerva whispered into his ear. "A child knows better, for they are free from such thoughts. They don't allow it to cloud their judgement when they know they are in danger. You glanced away, leaving me an opening to strike. This is but one of the more simpler lessons that you must learn. You underestimated me and allowed my appearance to deceive you. It is a trick your enemies know well, and they will use it to their advantage. Now that you know how serious I am, the true training can begin."

Zelda awoke within the confines of a dungeon holding cell. The smooth, cold, black stone that made up her cell told Zelda that she was within the Black Tower. Her head was spinning slightly, and the dankness sent shivers throughout her body. She was still weak from using her spell, but she managed to push herself off the floor and stand up. Though physically exhausted, she was able to sense a thin barrier around her cell which would prevent any sort of escape through her magic.

Unable to sense any weakness within the barrier, Zelda walked over to the bars of the cell. The first sight to greet her eyes was Impa being held in another cell directly across from her. She was slumped up against the far wall with her arms shackled. With the bloodied holes in both her hands and the way Impa's head was just drooped against her chest, at first Zelda believed her to be dead. She noticed, however, that Impa was breathing, albeit slowly and shallowly. Zelda was happy to see Impa, but at the same time saddened by the state she was in, especially since she had a very good idea of whom put her in that position.

Looking up and down the dark hallway now, she saw that the rest of the holding cells were filled with the Kokiri that had been captured. Most were pale and barely moving, all life seemingly having been sucked out of them. There were no wounds on their bodies that Zelda could see though.

"Zelda, is that you?" came a weak sounding voice to Zelda's right.

"Saria?" Zelda asked as she turned toward where the voice came from.

Saria was in the cell directly next to Impa's. She had been laying in the corner before which is why Zelda had not recognized her, but now she stood up weakly by the bars of her own cell looking straight at Zelda. Saria's hair was a mess, her clothes were tattered and ruined, and there were many day old wounds all over her body. She had apparently put up quite a struggle during Lord Arcana's invasion of the Kokiri Forest. There was a small smile on Saria's face as she looked at Zelda, but Zelda could see the hopelessness Saria was trying to hide behind her eyes.

"Heh, looks like things aren't going so great for us this time around," Saria said in a vain attempt at humor.

"Saria, are you okay?" Zelda asked. "Do you know what's going on here?"

"I'd be more than happy to answer any questions you may have my dear princess," came a dark and sinister voice that Zelda didn't recognize yet had a feeling she knew who it belonged to.

The sound of boots walking echoed through the dungeons as the large and intimidating form of Lord Arcana came into view. Saria's smile vanished and was replaced with a look of pure defiance. Zelda's expression mimicked Saria's as she laid eyes for the first time upon the man who had caused so much grief for Hyrule. Seeing his face and build left no doubt in Zelda's mind that this definitely was the father of Ganondorf.

"Lord Arcana I presume," Zelda said in disgust.

"My, my, such manners," Lord Arcana replied with a smirk. "Is that any way to speak to your host?"

"What are you planning Arcana? You've had ample opportunity to attack us, yet here you stay like a coward. Maybe you don't even have a plan; you're just trying to defeat us psychologically. You certainly don't have an army. We crushed it a year ago."

Lord Arcana simply laughed. "Such harsh words from such a delicate little flower."

"Release the barrier around my cell and I'll show you how delicate I am!"

"My dear, goading does not work on me. Despite what you may think, I do have a plan, and with every passing moment it grows closer to completion. If you look around you can already see my plan at work."

"The Kokiri?" she asked as she watched Lord Arcana indicate the other holding cells.

"Yes, the Kokiri. Didn't you know? The Kokiri are the lifeblood of Hyrule. They have a special affinity to the land. If one should die, then so does the other. Of course, this affinity can be manipulated in a variety of ways."

"Whatever you're planning you won't succeed," Saria stated. "The Kokiri will resist you, as will the rest of Hyrule."

Lord Arcana aimed his hand at Saria and fired an energy ball straight into her sending her flying to the back of her cell. Saria was knocked unconscious and fell to a heap on the ground. Zelda watched in horror as Lord Arcana did this, and at first feared that Saria had been killed, but she could sense the life still in her.

"This is a private conversation," Lord Arcana said calmly, smoke still rising from the palm of his hand. "No one asked for your two cents."

"You bastard!" Zelda shouted. "So then what is your almighty plan? You said you'd be more than happy to answer my questions, so answer me. What are you up to?"

Lord Arcana just looked at her and smiled. Then, with the snap of his fingers, a translucent, diamond shaped shield formed around Zelda. Zelda looked around curious, and then back at Lord Arcana, but before she could say anything he snapped his fingers again and Zelda vanished from the dungeon. She reappeared inside of Lord Arcana's throne room, still trapped within the shield. Lord Arcana himself appeared next to her shortly after.

"A throne room?" Zelda said condescendingly. "That's your big plan."

Lord Arcana's smile turned into a smirk following a short chuckle and he pointed up to the ceiling. Zelda followed his arm and looked upward. As soon as she did, her eyes grew wide and mouth fell open as all color drained from her face and all feeling in her legs vanished and she fell to her knees, her gaze still staring upward.

Link sat cross-legged in the center of the expansive chamber, right in the middle of the marble columns. His eyes were closed, back was as straight and as stiff as a board, arms were resting comfortably in his lap, and breathing was slow, deep, and steady. All of Link's gear and weapons had been removed and were lying near the fountain, the broken hilt and shards of the Master Sword having been specifically placed within the basin of the fountain itself. As Link sat there Minerva was circling him, her serene face staring intently upon Link as she walked.

To Link, the outside world seemed to disappear. All noise slowly faded to nothingness. The running water of the fountain, the crackling flames of the torches, and even Minerva's soft footfalls, which he had been unable to hear in the first place until beginning this and truly listening to the sounds around him, all vanished as Link drew into himself. All thoughts ceased as he cleared his mind. He then focused on a single thought, and within his mind he pictured the chamber, and within the chamber stood himself.

"Good," Minerva's voice echoed within his mind as if she were speaking to him telepathically, and for all Link knew perhaps she was. "You have the physical prowess and skill, but to conquer your emotions you must now train your mind. You have accomplished the first step and centered yourself. Now we can begin. We shall start with fear. What is it that you fear Link?"

Link knew it wasn't a question he was supposed to answer outwardly. Instead, he focused within himself on what he feared most and the image of the chamber within his mind began to distort and change. Link was now floating in the sky, big billowing columns of black smoke rising up into the sky. Below him, Hyrule was aflame, hundreds of bodies scattered about, all dead. The scene abruptly changed, images of the bloodied and deceased bodies of Zelda, Malon, Navi, and all his other friends rushing past. The final scene was of Link himself. He was down on his knees, the large and imposing figure of Lord Arcana standing over him, laughing.

"You fear failure, and letting down your friends and loved ones," Minerva's voice echoed. "You must let go of these fears. You will do what you must, and you will do it to the best of your ability. Whether you succeed or fail is irrelevant. Even should Hyrule fall, there shall always be those who will take up arms and resist. As for your friends, their fates are their own. What happens to them is not a result of what you do. They all know and fully accept the risks. Now face your fears Link. Do what needs to be done. Let go!"

As Lord Arcana continued to laugh, a sword materialized within Link's hand. With determination in his eyes, he stood up and faced Lord Arcana on equal terms. Lord Arcana saw this and his own sword appeared. Both Link and Lord Arcana swung, and as their swords clashed the image returned to that of Link standing within the Queen Fairy's Fountain.

"Excellent. As the chosen one of Farore, I had expected this emotion to be the easiest. Now, we shall move on to shame. What is it that you are ashamed of?"

It didn't take long at all for the image in Link's mind to change. Zelda appeared before him, tears in her eyes, and Link instantly knew where this was from. It had happened a few days earlier, when Zelda had warned him about her premonition. But Link had been too full of himself and simply dismissed it, turning him into an uncaring fool. It hadn't been long after that Link suffered his humiliating defeat at Lord Arcana's hands.

"Shame is something that happens to us all. We are not perfect beings. But we cannot let our shame get the best of us, to hinder us in our actions. We must move past what we are ashamed of. It is done, history. Leave it in the past where it belongs, and look toward the future."

The image of the teary-eyed Zelda started to waver, and soon transformed itself into a beautiful sunset over Lake Hylia, one in which both Link and Zelda were watching while lying on the beach, the past forgotten. Once again the image then reverted itself to that of the Queen Fairy's Fountain.

"You are progressing quite nicely, but harder trials yet await you. We move now to guilt. What is it that you blame yourself for?"

The scene abruptly changed to the top of Death Mountain. Link looked down upon the grim scene as if he were floating above the area. He saw himself, and he saw Ganon holding him by the throat. He then watched as Gerik, the old Gerik, although a bloody and tattered mess limped up behind Ganon and drove his sword into him. Link then watched again in horror like on that night, like he had watched so many times in his nightmares, as Ganon thrust his own sword into Gerik, finishing him off. Link almost broke his concentration at this point and nearly cried out, but resisted with all the strength he could muster.

"Gerik's loss was regrettable," Minerva said solemnly. "He was a truly skilled warrior and knew exactly what it took to accomplish what needed to be done. But his death is not your fault. He volunteered to distract Ganon while you headed to the Triforce. He knew full well the consequences of his actions, knew full well that he could die, and knew full well that he would die the moment he decided to save your life. Gerik made these decisions on his own, and there was nothing you could have done to prevent this from happening."

"If I had been a stronger fighter I could've defeated Ganon and Gerik would still be alive," Link answered without breaking his concentration. "I was too weak, and as a result Gerik had to die so that I would live. And now Lord Arcana has capitalized by creating that monstrosity."

"What happened to Gerik was not your fault, his death nor his turning. He made his own decisions. As great as he was, he was also a rash one, and how he had managed to survive up to that point was a miracle in and of itself. Everyone is responsible for their own actions. You were not the one who drove their sword into Gerik. That was Ganon. You must learn to forgive yourself. Would the Gerik you had known want you brooding over his death, blaming yourself? No, he would tell you to pick yourself up and teach Lord Arcana a lesson he won't soon forget."

The image in Link's mind changed to just that. The bloody, mangled body of Gerik vanished, and was replaced by the Gerik he had met for the very first time out by Lake Hylia. His red eyes bore into him as he scowled down at Link. Gerik began to reproach Link, but at the same time igniting the fire within him. Link looked up to Gerik then, his face full of resolve, and Gerik just smiled before vanishing.

"Good, good, let your guilt flow away as forgiveness flows in. But no time for rest; we still have a ways to go. The next emotion is grief. What is it that grieves you?"

Everything went white, and then slowly various images of people started appearing around Link. There was the withered remains of the Great Deku Tree, the burnt cinders of the Deku Tree Sprout, the fallen form of Kaepora Gaebora, and even the remains of Mido and Ingo. Beyond them stretched hundreds of bodies, Hylian, Goron, Zora, and even Gerudo. The scene then changed and Link was now standing in the middle of the Kokiri Forest, the houses still smouldering and the small childlike bodies of many Kokiri scattered about the forest, all dead.

"You grieve for friends long gone, many of whom were cut down before their time. The Kokiri, whom you treat as brothers and sisters, as family; their loss has been especially grievous on you. It is a natural response to feel sorrow at one's passing, but you must remember that they did not die in vain. They all fought and died with honor. They made their choices and accepted the risks. But remember, though their physical forms may be gone, they exist still. They exist in your memories, and there they shall never be forgotten. Their spirits have returned to the land that gave them life and are now a part of it for all eternity. They are with you always, and if you remember that there shall be no need for sorrow."

The bodies all vanished, and then as if a fog were rolling in they all returned. The bodies were no longer bloody or mangled; they looked just as Link had remembered them all in life. They appeared around Link in an ethereal form, all of them with smiles upon their faces. He could feel their support and confidence flowing off of them and being transferred within himself. As this happened within Link's mind, a lone tear made it's way down his cheek, which Minerva saw and smiled at.

"Very good. We now move on to the more powerful of your emotions, and the ones of which could lead to your success, or failure. The first is anger. Let your anger manifest itself before you."

An image of Gerik appeared, but not the Gerik Link once called friend. It was the twisted monstrosity that Lord Arcana had turned him into, an evil, sadistic smirk plastered on his pale, unearthly complexion. Behind him stood Lord Arcana, his features so much like Ganon's, but at the same time different. He wore an arrogant smile as he began chuckling manically with his hand on Gerik's shoulder.

"Anger is a powerful emotion, and the one that will help you the most in battle. Remember back to Death Mountain a year ago. It was your anger over Gerik's death that gave you the strength and determination to fight on. Without realizing, you used your anger to its potential. You let it flow through you, empowering you, but you were in control. The anger you must be wary of, is that which controls you, which takes over your actions. It is this kind of a state where you become sloppy, where mistakes happen, and your enemy can capitalize. That is why your enemy will always taunt you; to try and anger you to the point that become sloppy and no longer a threat. This is what happened to you atop the Black Tower. Your anger took over and you became sloppy. Anger can become your greatest ally, but it can also become your greatest hindrance. You must be wary, and never allow it to take control."

Gerik and Lord Arcana still stood there, but now Link appeared before them. He stared them straight in the eyes, his sword held at the ready. His demeanor was one of calm, and both Gerik's and Lord Arcana's smiles vanished at once, their own demeanor's turning serious. Gerik and Lord Arcana then drew their own weapons, and refusing to allow himself to charge in at a blind rage, Link simply just stood his ground and motioned for them to come to him, at which they both took the bait and attacked.

"Perfect. I was hoping you would get that one quickly. How to control your anger was one of the top priorities drummed into the Sheikah which in turn made them such fearsome warriors. But I'm getting of topic. We are nearly done, and you are performing admirably. We shall now move on to the most powerful of all negative emotions: hate. Who or what is it that fills you with complete and utter hatred?"

The image in Link's mind instantly transformed into the large, towering form of Lord Arcana. As far as Link was concerned, he was the source of all the trouble he had gone through in his life. It was Lord Arcana who fathered the monster known as Ganon, it was Lord Arcana who launched an invasion of Hyrule a year ago that cost the lives of thousands of people, many of whom were friends of Link, and it was Lord Arcana who now was attacking Hyrule again and had turned Gerik into he didn't even know what anymore.

"Hate is a very dangerous emotion to have, but it is not without its strengths. Hate can be a powerful motivator to make one forget their fears and do what needs to be done. But at the same time it can cloud ones judgement, make them blind to all else but their hatred. This is not an emotion to experience on a whim."

"You can't honestly be telling me that Lord Arcana doesn't deserve my hatred," Link said, the image in his mind holding fast. "That monster is responsible for too many wrongs to be forgiven, or to even be viewed with anything less than hatred."

"In this case, your hatred is justified. But be careful. If you listen carefully to your words, you can hear what I mean about becoming blinded to all else. While Lord Arcana deserves your hatred, there are others whom you could hate that don't deserve it. Take Zelda for instance. Though she had noble intentions, her actions led you on a dangerous quest which resulted in allowing Ganon to obtain the Triforce and cast Hyrule under a blanket of despair and darkness for seven long years during which many innocent people lost their lives. Yet you hate her not, nor does anyone else. Had she been anyone else though, could you honestly say you would have shown them the same forgiveness and understanding, or would they have earned your hatred as well? This is an emotion of last resort, when it is fully deserved, and all it can do is help you, not hinder."

Unlike all his other visions, this one didn't change. Lord Arcana just continued to stand there. But Link knew he couldn't dwell on such things, no matter how much he hated the man and no matter how much he deserved that hatred. Link had more important things to concentrate on, like completing this training and getting the Master Sword repaired. He slowly pushed the image of Lord Arcana away and returned to the Queen Fairy's fountain.

"You've passed," Minerva said, almost happily. "For a second, I'll admit, I feared you would not realize the meaning behind my words. There is but one step left, one emotion left to conquer, and it is also the most difficult."

"I am ready," Link replied confidently.

"You must learn how to surrender your earthly attachments. You must give up love."