This is the last chapter of my fanfic! Thank you so much for following, reviewing, and favoriting it! After I take a break, however, I'm planning to write a sequel called Triforce Shock that takes elements from Bioshock and combines it with stuff from Wind Waker, Phantom Hourglass, Majora's Mask, Minish Cap, and Hyrule Warriors: Legends. Hope you guys will like that series as much as this one once it comes out and I'll see you then!

Chapter 68: Darkness

"Ganon!" Cia exclaimed. "I was just about to head upstairs to give this to you when—

"Enough of your excuses!" Ganon said loudly. "You were only interested in benefiting yourself from the beginning, and using me to achieve that. But what you failed to realize is by aiding me you've given me exactly what I wanted, and because of that your services are no longer needed. Ghirahim!"

"Yes, Master?" Ghirahim said, appearing in a shower of black diamonds.

"Kill the traitorous Seer and bring me the Triforce!" Ganon commanded.

"Very well, Master," replied Ghirahim as he removed his cloak. "I shall do as you bid."

Then Ghirahim summoned the curved sword he used before and attempted to strike Cia with it. But his blade was blocked by Link, who had drawn out the Master Sword in one swift motion. Irritated, Ghirahim withdrew his blade and struck from a different angle but Link parried him. After a few rounds of this, Ghirahim grew increasingly angry which caused his skin to change from pale white to ebony black while his eyes changed from coal black to bright yellow.

"You are really trying my patience, boy," Ghirahim said, his voice having gotten deeper. "Now you shall face the wrath of my master!"

Then with that, Ghirahim vanished into something that was attached to Ganon's side. Grim-faced, Ganon took ahold of the thing and pulled it out. It was a large broadsword with a black hilt and a slight curve. He pointed this sword at Link and grinned menacingly.

"I'm going to give you one more chance to get in my good graces, Cia," Ganon said. "Give me the Triforce, or I shall slay the one you love before your very eyes!"

At that moment, Cia's eyes widened and she looked at the Triforce which she held in her hand.

"Don't do it!" Zelda said. "It's a trick."

"Shut up, Zelda!" Cia said and raised the Triforce above her head. "If you want the Triforce, Ganon, you'll have to pry it from my dead body!"

"That can be arranged," Ganon said, and vanished.

He reappeared behind Cia and stabbed her through the chest with his sword. She fell to her knees and with it the Triforce floated up. As Ganon reached out for it, something caused the Triforce to suddenly drift away from him and toward Zelda. She received the Triforce between her two hands and closed her eyes.

"No! Not you!" Ganon shouted angrily. "That power was meant to be mine!"

"You have no entitlement to the Triforce, Ganon," Zelda said as her clothes changed to a white dress with long sleeves and she grew taller. "This is the property of the Goddesses, and you're just a lowly thief who wants to steal it from us!"

A Puncture appeared behind Zelda which she disappeared through along with the Triforce.

"You're not going to get away that easily!" Ganon said as he charged into the Puncture.

"We can't let him catch up to Zelda, Master," Fi said, appearing briefly. "You must stop him at all costs before he obtains the Triforce!"

Link nodded in agreement and stepped into the Puncture. On the other side lay an endless plane with a blue sky and white clouds overhead, and as Link stepped forward ripples formed on the watery surface he was apparently standing on. Further ahead, he saw Ganon standing erect looking up at the clouds.

"You cannot hide from me forever, Zelda!" Ganon shouted. "I know you're around here somewhere! Show yourself!"

"Ganon!" Link said, holding the Master Sword in an attacking position. "Zelda's not your heir anymore, so let her go free."

"That's all you think she was to me?" Ganon asked, turning to face Link. "I never saw her as an heir, or even a daughter for that matter. She was just a tool to instrument my rise to power — not just over this world but also every single possible timeline in existence!"

"You're insane!" Link responded.

"Says the boy who thinks he can defeat me," replied Ganon. "You may wield the Blade of Evil's Bane, but I have experience on my side."

"Oh, yeah, we'll see about that!"

Then Link sent a Blast Attack at Ganon, who immediately blocked it with his sword. The sword then glowed which allowed Ganon to send the magical energy flying back at Link. But Link volleyed it back and so Ganon reciprocated by doing the same. After a few rounds, though, the magical energy eventually hit Ganon which allowed Link to strike him. Yet despite this, Ganon didn't seem to be affected.

"Is that all you've got?" Ganon said as he got to his feet. "I barely felt a thing."

To Link's surprise, Ganon suddenly transformed into a more sinister version of himself with long fiery red hair, a black robe that trailed like mist, and his sword had blackened with sharp thorny edges along the sides of the blade.

"Come on, kid," Ganon said in a distorted throaty voice. "Give me a real challenge!"

Ganon then rushed at Link who managed to block his strike with the Master Sword. The two parried for a while until Link managed to land a hit. It caused Ganon to flinch, but he shrugged the pain off and continued the fight. Later on, Link managed to land a few more hits but like before they only seemed to annoy Ganon.

"Are you getting tired yet?" Ganon said as he and Link had their swords locked. "Because frankly, this fight is starting to bore me. So I'm going to grant you a swift death and continue searching for Zelda whom I shall kill slowly. Then, once she's dead, the Triforce will be mine and I can use it to wish you, the Hero of Infinite Possibilities, out of existence."

"No!" cried Zelda's voice from the clouds. "It is you who shall no longer exist!"

Then the Triforce suddenly appeared between Link and Ganon causing them to be pushed back by its energy.

"Now, Link!" Zelda said. "Touch the Triforce and wish Ganon had never existed at all!"

So Link dashed forward just as Ganon disappeared. The two men appeared at the same time on opposite sides of the Triforce, but Link was the one who touched it first. With his eyes closed, he concentrated on the wish that Zelda told him which caused the Triforce to glow even brighter than before. This was followed by a painful roar, and then silence. When Link opened his eyes, Ganon was nowhere to be seen and the Triforce flew up into the clouds. There was a bright flash, and then Zelda floated downward wearing the same white dress only she was not as tall as before. She opened her eyes upon touching the watery surface and hugged Link tightly.

"It's finally over," Link said, putting his arms around Zelda as well. "Now you're free to live the way you want to, Zelda."

"Yeah, about that," Zelda said breaking from Link's embrace. "When I smashed Cia's crystal ball, it destroyed all her spells including one that she had cast upon me seven years ago. At the time, I had no idea she did this but now I know that it was to limit my own powers which were manifesting through the Infinity Gauntlet. So in other words, I was the one creating those Punctures and not the Infinity Gauntlet which merely acted as an amplifier of sorts. I've also come to realize a lot of things since the spell was destroyed, including who I really am and what we must do to destroy Ganon completely."

"What do you mean? I wished him out of existence, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did, but only from this timeline. In order to eliminate Ganon for good, we need to erase him from every single possible timeline."

"And how are we going to do that?"

"By going back in time to the event that caused the never-ending cycle Cia described to begin with. If we can end the cycle before it starts, then Ganon's spirit will no longer continue to reincarnate and threaten Hyrule."

"Okay, but how do you know this will work?"

"Because I can now see everything: the past, present, and future of every single timeline in existence. In truth, I was never always the girl you and your previous incarnations knew as 'Zelda'. Before that, I was once a Goddess known as Hylia who fought against a dark force known simply as Demise in the land that would later become Hyrule. Unfortunately, I could not destroy Demise completely so I sealed him away and sent the only remaining humans up into the sky on series of floating islands that became the first incarnation of Skyloft. But as a result of this decision, I lost my immortality and reincarnated as the daughter of Skyloft's mayor.

"It was here I met a young boy who saved me from the servant of Demise known as Ghirahim and with the aid of my own servant Fi he defeated the newly resurrected Demise with the Goddess Sword of old that had been reforged into the Master Sword with the Sacred Flames. That boy was you, Link, and together we founded the Kingdom of Hyrule from the ground up. However, the evil known as Demise had vowed to return and destroy your descendants before he completely faded away. In the form of Ganon he attempted to take over Hyrule numerous times and capture me to aid him in this cause, but you were always there to stop him. Because of the strength of our souls, including Ganon's, this cycle has continued to repeat itself over and over gain. But now, we will end it and hopefully that'll be the last of the evil that has plagued Hyrule for centuries."

So Zelda took off across the watery surface at a quick but steady pace while Link followed close behind her. No Punctures appeared, but the sky changed to reflect images of different versions of Link clashing swords with many versions of Ganon as Zelda who appeared differently each time aided him. Below, the water grew steadily darker and various symbols came and went.

"What is this place?" Link asked.

"This is the Sacred Realm," Zelda answered. "The original resting place of the Triforce after the Goddesses Din, Nayru, and Farore had created the world. It also serves as a temporary sanctuary for Sages who have been awakened by the Hero so that they can build their strength and aid him in defeating the great evil under my leadership. Right now, I'm using it to turn the hands of time back to the beginning before all of this happened."

As Zelda spoke, the clouds vanished and the sky went black. Meanwhile, the symbols in the water disappeared altogether leaving behind dark water with seemingly no bottom. Then the watery surface was gone and everything was encased in darkness except for Link and Zelda.

"Where are we now?" Link said nervously.

"Before the Goddesses were born, let alone the land that would become Hyrule, there was Darkness," Zelda answered solemnly. "It was both a destructive force and a catalyst for creation. Yet, this dualistic nature was not meant to last. Because both sides of Darkness vied for greater power over the other, it split into two halves. One became Demise, a creature born from destruction that sought to destroy all that was created. The other half, which was known as Life, manifested in a soul that would do everything in its power to stop Demise and allow creation to continue. In other words…

"You are Life," said another version of Zelda that appeared, this one wearing a short-sleeved pink dress with long white gloves and a circlet adorned with downward triangles.

"The good half of Demise," added a third zelda, who wore a dark purple short-sleeved dress bearing a long thin sword.

"Who is the evil half of Darkness," replied a fourth Zelda wearing a long-sleeved pink dress and a white sash around her waist.

"Therefore, in order to start a new cycle, both sides of the being once known as Darkness must be destroyed," the original Zelda said as a small sword adorned with a turquoise hilt appeared in her hand.

Then Zelda impaled Link with the small sword through his heart before he could react. Link attempted to lift the Master Sword, but it fell from his hands and sank into the darkness below. His knees then gave out, and they too sank into the darkness. Soon Link's whole body was consumed as Zelda removed the sword from his chest, and then he was completely gone while Proxi faded into nothing.

"Now a new cycle will begin," Zelda said as the various versions of herself began to vanish one-by-one. "The great evil born from the destructive side of Darkness shall be known as Vaati, the Demon of the Winds. Then the being known as Life that protects creation will manifest in the soul of Linkle, the Heroine in the Green Tunic. I, on the other hand, plan to watch over Linkle in her many incarnations not as a young woman but an old crone with many faces and names."

Once these words were spoken, Zelda vanished just like the others and then there was nothing but the all-encompassing darkness. Then three distinct lights appeared: one was green, another blue, and the third was red. These in turn became figures with feminine bodies that lit up the darkness revealing a dark blue sky with streaks of white light flying onto a barren world. The feminine figures in turn approached the barren world and turned it into a living planet with mountains, forests, streams, oceans, and even people. Once this was done, the three feminine figures flew back up into the sky and in their place stood the glowing Triforce forged anew and glowing brightly as ever.

The End