Chapter 26: The Purification

Entering another open area with a cavern ahead, Link and the Sages mused that the cavern was also holding the entrance to the building they were heading to. This time there were no enemies nearby to bother them, which in turn brought them some relief as it allowed them to focus on taking it easy, nursing each other's injuries and making plans for their next movements. It was for them as a lot of stress and frustration had been removed from their shoulders, mainly thanks to Link suffering his breakdown which allowed him to throw out everything he had cropped up inside him and in turn would leave him much more focused on whatever the future would bring. Still, it didn't leave out the fact that the Sages witnessed first-hand what kind of power the Fierce Deity's Mask contained and it was of no surprise that Link was just as afraid and reviling of that mask as they were. But why did the group share the unanimous thought of the mask somehow being much more useful after being purified? Was it even possible to purify it in the first place? Would this demonic power affect them as much as it has affected Link? Or would it make them want to have the mask for themselves? These were questions that rang through the minds of the entire group, even Link himself. Link however was certain that Majora would have felt its presence anyhow; after all it was this particular mask that was given to him BY Majora and Link used it to end that crazed lunatic in turn, bringing peace and safety back to Termina. As Link reviewed the events of what has happened to him so far, he couldn't help to think that things would have definitely been different in the Future That Almost Was. Given that the events in Termina would have happened either way, it was safe to assume that the entire land of Termina would already have been wiped out for six years after he recovered from his slumber, reducing the lands that were present there into nothing more than a barren wasteland that stretched for miles in all corners of the wind and the entire population, from Clock Town to Goron Village to the Deku Palace to Romani Ranch to Zora Hall and the Ikana region as a whole, being incinerated in the ensuing shockwave from the moon crashing on Clock Town. The mere thought of it, coupled with what effects it may have had on Hyrule or other parts of the world in that time sent shivers down Link's spine, which was something Saria and Zelda could see as he visibly shivered.
"Are you okay, Link?" Zelda asked.
"I'm fine, just having some bad thoughts of what could have happened to Termina and how it could affect its surroundings in the Future That Almost Was." Link said.
Zelda could understand that all too well, given the fact that Link was sealed in the Sacred Realm himself for years in that time.
"Time can be very cruel at times. Even the slightest change in a universe can alter a timeline and create a new branch from where new events can unfold from." Rauru said.
"How do you mean?" Impa asked.
"Let's say that a timeline can split whenever one event has a different outcome than what we have come to know." Rauru said.
"I see. Would that affect a whole timeline by itself or create a brand new one?" Darunia asked.
"If an event has a different outcome, it would create a new timeline as a whole. A great example would be Link's fight against Ganondorf in the Future That Almost Was. We all know that Link was victorious against the Evil King, but there could very well be a timeline where Link, despite his best efforts, was defeated by the Evil King instead, perhaps even killed by him, which in turn allowed Ganondorf to lay his hands on the complete Triforce. In desperation, Zelda and the Sages managed to seal Ganondorf in the Sacred Realm, but it would already be too late for the Hero." Rauru said.
"Would that alone be a timeline by itself?" Link asked.
"Yes. It is only a speculation on my part, but it could happen." Rauru said.
"Would that also count for this timeline?" Zelda asked, shuddering at the mere thought of a time where she, Link, Saria, Ruto and Nabooru remained dead and were unable to be resurrected, leading to a more grotesque downfall of the once prosperous Kingdom of Hyrule.
"Yes, since anything is possible if the given circumstances permit such a change." Rauru said as the group entered the hallway of the building itself.
"Oh dear... the mere thought of something like that makes me cringe..." Saria said.

The group came across a large room where three Mad Scrubs were present, waiting to attack anyone near them in ambush.
"Mad Deku Scrubs? I haven't seen any of those in a while..." Link said.
"Yeah; all other Deku were friendly..." Saria said, nodding.
"Well, we should deal with these then before proceeding." Ruto said as the group got ready.
Nodding, the group went to engage the Deku, having no problems in having to take them down in their own fashion.
"Well, that's that." Link said after the three Mad Scrubs were dealt with and another gateway opened, which revealed another tunnel.
"Looks like this part will lead to a different place altogether again." Saria said.
"I wonder where we'll end up now..." Zelda said as the group went into the new room, leading to another dark hallway.
So far there were no new enemies in sight as they walked along the hallway, having some form of reprieve as they had their wounds bandaged before entering the building in the first place, taking it easy to prevent making it worse. Zelda sighed.
"A rupee for your thoughts?" Impa asked.
"This part feels… familiar to me," Zelda replied to her attendant, "Nabooru, Ruto, Saria, Link and myself have seen a similar structure back in the land beyond the Woods of Mystery. It had similar tiles and the polished floor…"
"Hmmm… what do you think regarding its use?"
"I don't know… it looks too abandoned or empty to be made into an actual command post or hideout for the greater evil troops… its appearance gives more the feel of something ancient, like a shrine that was eventually left behind in obscurity… and yet it looks too nice to actually call it abandoned."
"Maybe someone could still be present to look after such buildings?" Link asked, having overheard the conversation as Zelda walked next to him.
"That is a possibility, but it only leaves the question of who built the whole thing in the first place." Zelda said.
"True." Link said, just as the group reached the exit of the area, arriving in front of an abyss with a set of platforms set in a path towards an open log to the left.
"Wow, now I'm experiencing a déjà vu." Link said.
"How so?" Saria asked.
"I had to cross a similar path back when the Majora-possessed Skullkid turned me into a Deku." Link said as he carefully hopped towards the next platform, the others following one by one to give each other enough space to make their moves, before moving into the log together.

Majora in the meantime was indeed working on making the minions stronger as per Ganondorf's command. His own fear and frustration at the fact why he had been so stupid to give Link that accursed Fierce Deity's Mask was still deep within his mind, as it made him realize that he did have the tool to at least end him quickly as well as dealing critical damage to Ganondorf. Both knew that Link and the Sages would not hesitate to try to seal Ganondorf away again, so that scenario had to be avoided at all costs in their eyes. They wanted to rule the world and not be defeated by a combined force of a forest child and what appeared to be representatives of basically every race that lives in Hyrule, led by a princess who had become more fearsome and very defensive over her land as well as that forest child. Something had to be done about the entire group, but what? It appeared that not even death could stop them from achieving their objective, treating it as if it was a mere setback in order to change their strategies. Wouldn't they be able to do the same thing to still give those accursed Sages a taste of their own medicine? The mask-wielding lunatic howled as he tossed a vase against the wall in utter frustration, somehow unable to keep his mind under control as the outrage of the Fierce Deity's presence in his land was intolerable in his view. Coupled with those accursed Sages backing him up made it apparent that the tide of this war could have very well be turned into their favor. Majora would see to it that this advantage wouldn't last long…

After about 15 minutes of walking through logs and passing through a different forest area, Link and the Sages finally found themselves into a more familiar environment: The Lost Woods. In particular arriving at an area which sported the shortcut towards Zora's River.
"Whew, at least it is closer to home." Link said with a smile as he observed the area.
"Yeah. Let's move into Goron City first; perhaps there are things that can be salvaged there, along with having a path towards Kakariko Village." Darunia said.
"Are you certain of this?" Impa asked.
"Trust me, I'll mostly go in there myself to give you something that will be of help." Darunia said, while Navi, Tatl and Tael finally came out of hiding from Zelda's pocket, seeing that the larger version of Link was gone.
Upon entering Goron City, the group could see that the city was mostly intact, save for the remains of the exploded Bomb Flowers, the giant Goron vase on the bottom floor laid broken against the wall and a permanent pool of lava was on ground level, able to walked in by only Gorons. Immediately the rest of the group could feel the heat emanating from the lava, except for Darunia who hopped down towards the ground floor, feeling that the lava was only at the height of his toes as he had no trouble in walking through it, entering the Goron Shop in turn.
"Wow, Death Mountain sure has messed up the crater and by extension Goron City!" Link said, looking around as he saw the remains of the vase, the faces partially melted off.
"And Kakariko Village too…" Impa said, nodding solemnly as she overlooked the area, sighing.
"I feel certain that the Triforce will be able to repair most of the damage done…" Rauru said to Impa.
"I hope so… the worst thing about it is that this time it is worse than the Future That Almost Was…" Impa replied.
Soon enough, Darunia returned, carrying a stack of red clothing with him.
"Wait, are those Goron Tunics?" Link asked.
"Yes. I figure we may need those soon, so I suggest we move to Kakariko Village first and make some of them big enough to fit a child as well as a woman, just to be sure." Darunia said.
The others could see the logic in this, deciding to store them within their bags before proceeding to leave the ruined Goron City and head down Death Mountain Trail towards the remnants of Kakariko Village. As Rauru had observed during his own travels, the main path down the trail, including the entrance to Dodongo's Cavern, were left mostly untouched, allowing the group safe passage, although the heat from the lava flowing down on the other side was almost excruciating. Nevertheless, the group remained firm and reached the remnants of Kakariko Village, taking temporal residence inside Impa's old house which was left mostly intact. There, the group tended to each other's injuries more properly, refreshing the bandages and applying medicine where needed to dull the pain or prevent inflammation of the injuries in question, giving them the time and chance needed to heal properly.

Retrieving blankets of the other homes which could be salvaged, Impa, Rauru and Darunia brought them to Impa's old house to provide cover for the others as they went upstairs to get some rest, using the equipment from their camping site to make makeshift separated bedrooms for as good and bad as it could. After having their respective measures taken body-wise, Link, Saria, Zelda and Ruto retreated into one of the tents to rest up as much as they could, while Impa, Darunia, Rauru and Nabooru went to work on adjusting the Goron Tunics for the group except Darunia himself and by extension Rauru, whom could fit a large, adult model of the Goron Tunic without troubles. Thankfully Darunia managed to discover some tools needed for making clothing in one of the houses in Kakariko Village, being the house that was partially intact close to the potion shop. After about an hour or so, Nabooru went to check on the four children inside the tents. She soon found the children inside one of the tents, huddled close together to chase each other's nightmares away as Link laid between Saria and Zelda, while Ruto laid behind Saria on her turn, each of the four children being peacefully asleep. Smiling at this, Nabooru closed the tent before joining the others in the living room once more.

It was only a few hours later that the other Sages went to sleep as well. The night went without incidents again, giving them some of the peace they needed and making them wake up in the next morning without incidents. After having breakfast together using the supplies they had with them, the group set out to return once again to the Temple of Time, this time to purify the Fierce Deity's Mask in order to ensure that the evil spirit dwelling within was vanquished. The fairies Navi, Tatl and Tael accompanied them once more, having remained around the group ever since the reunion and after they too were informed about the plans of the Sages to have the mask purified.
"So this mask that Link has can be purified... but what about Majora's Mask?" Tatl inquired as the group approached the gateway that formed the entrance to Kakariko Village from Hyrule Field.
"That is a mask which cannot be purified, due to its horrific power going way back towards ancient times, where it was used in its hexing rituals and what not. Some say that the mask was carved out of a horrific beast eons ago…" Rauru said.
"Really?" Link asked.
"Yes. Legends tell about an evil, demonic beast whom fed on the desires of the countless numbers of men and women who had come before it to try and claim its armor and be granted their wishes. A traveler then came forward to the place where the monster lived and started talking with the man-eating creature, where he finds that the monster itself wanted to die, being so miserable. The man then pulled out his bongo and started playing, causing the monster to go in a trance and started dancing. The traveler played for three days straight and on the third day, the beast dropped dead from dancing its heart out. He then took its magical armor, but instead of wishing upon it, he carved it into a mask in an attempt to seal the beast's power inside the mask forever. The mask was named Majora after the beast. The mask had a spirit because Majora's evil power lingered on inside the mask seeking a host, not resting until its wish was granted." Rauru said.
"Wow!" Link and Zelda said in unison.
"Either way, Majora's Mask is way too powerful, or too evil to be purified, hence it must be destroyed instead." Rauru said.
"And here I thought that its evil powers were already vanquished after I defeated it the first time…" Link solemnly said.
"It could appear to be vanquished as such a power can be put into dormancy, rendering the mask docile until it has found a more suitable host or someone capable of using magic for revival purposes, like Ganondorf's avatar Agahnim has done." Rauru replied.
Link shuddered visibly, as did Zelda.
"No wonder why he gives me the creeps." The Hyrulean princess said.
"I'll say. It is indeed a case of power corrupts on this one." Link said.
"That's right. Those who don't know the danger of wielding power shall be ultimately conquered by it." Impa said.
Link and Zelda both were unnerved by this.
"That is something that Ganondorf has become now, especially with his desire to obtain the very Triforce Pierces that you two possess," Rauru then said to Link and Zelda, "while Ganondorf was able to kill the both of you as you know, you two have taken your Triforce pieces with you. Whether this is done deliberately by Ganondorf or that Majora has had a part in this is something that not even I know, but either way, you two are in the greatest danger. After all, destiny as chosen you to wield the Triforce of Courage and Wisdom respectively."
Link and Zelda both nodded, understanding this as the group entered Hyrule Field and approaching Hyrule Castle Town.
"So, what are we going to do after the purification?" Ruto asked.
"We should head back to Termina one more time to properly prepare ourselves to enter that other sanctuary which contains more of Ganondorf and Majora's forces. Now that we know how strong they have become, we should heed to our Hero's advice and move to become stronger ourselves; we can't afford another mistake like what I made back then, since I know for certain that everyone of us will die if we go to confront them now, which in turn will doom the Kingdom of Hyrule and by extension the world forever." Rauru said.
Link nodded.
"It sounds tedious, I know that. I want to send both Ganondorf and Majora into oblivion as much as you do, don't get me wrong, but we mustn't grow careless. It is fortunate that Termina has some of the facilities we need for it, so we may need to spar against each other and push each other to the limit without causing any permanent/lasting damage." He said.
"We trust you on this as much as you trust us." Saria said.
"You know, kid, you've got some undying loyalty for your friends in a degree that I've never seen before." Nabooru said.
"Thanks." Link said to the Gerudo with a smile.
"It's ironic that, in a way, a wish of yours is being granted for now…" Darunia then said.
"Which is?"
"You and Zelda both are coming with us into the Chamber of the Sages, since that's the best place for us to commence with the ritual to purify that mask." Darunia smiled.
Link smiled brightly at this.
"Thank you." He said as the group entered the Hyrule Castle Town.

Ganondorf sat on his throne, thinking about what Majora has told him regarding that other mask that was given to Link by the latter. Truth be told, Ganondorf had never heard about such a being in existence, but that it was there was obvious. How else would Majora be so terrified all of a sudden when that level of power was felt all the way from the vast forest area all the way to the new tower, which was now named Ganjora's Tower… Standing up, he went outside to the top of the tower for some close observation. As he appeared on the top of the tower, it was already clear that the tower itself was incredibly high, being as high, if not higher than the Stone Tower, with his personal throne being located on the level where in the Stone Tower the entrance to its temple was situated. Walking to the edge, he could see the Stone Tower itself faintly in the far distance, before he looked down to the south area of the tower, past the vast mountain areas in the direction of where once stood the glorious castle of the Hyrulean Royal Family. He could sense the approach of Link and the Seven Sages, but why were they headed to the Temple of Time? Something was amiss, he knew it, so he decided to perform a little spy game. Perhaps he could see the mask and the Fierce Deity in person, so he could see for himself what got Majora so riled up since yesterday. He remained silent as he moved off silently, but keeping his distance and taking his time. It gave him time to inspect the headquarters below anyway…

Entering Hyrule Castle Town, the group was still unnerved by the vast amount of ReDeads that roamed the town square. However, Link played the Sun's Song on his Ocarina to freeze them all, allowing the Sages and himself to pass by without worries. For some reason it automatically brought relief to the group as a whole as the ReDeads were frozen in place, allowing them to reach the Temple of Time swiftly, which was in time as another group of enemies patrolling in the area were approaching their position rapidly. Passing by the Sheikah stones that stood in its courtyard, the group made the turn towards the entrance when Link suddenly stopped, spotting something in the faint distance.
"What's the matter?" Zelda asked.
"I'm seeing a landscape at a far distance ahead, something I've never seen before… it lies way beyond of where Hyrule Castle once stood…" Link said.
As the Sages watched, they could indeed see dark clouds bellowing towards a very distant landscape, as if an evil presence has made its home there. They could also see a faint outline of a tower that stuck out from beyond the mountains.
"I think that could be Ganondorf and Majora's true lair." Impa said.
"It is. We have to attend to this later however." Rauru said, as the group moved on towards the Temple of Time.

Once inside the Temple, the group could see that the Temple was still ruined, the rubble that once blocked the path towards the Pedestal of Time being neatly moved aside to make it accessible again. Upon approaching the Pedestal of Time, Rauru used his own Sage powers to transport the entire group directly into the Chamber of the Sages, which fortunately looked untouched. Navi, Tatl and Tael remained behind inside the Temple itself, partially due to Tatl and Tael being in foreign land and Navi wanting to stay with her kin in order to enlighten them a bit more about the place. Inside the Chamber of the Sages, the Sages already moved to stand in a circle on top of the Triforce-shaped pedestal, with Link standing between Saria and Zelda, although a bit at the back, wondering how this ritual was going to take place, not wanting to interfere as he felt it could hinder or even fail it in turn. This event all increased his heartbeat, but he kept his calm expression.
"Are you alright, Brother?" Darunia asked.
"I'm fine, Darunia. It's just that it's the first time I'm actually witnessing this first-hand and I'm also eager to finally turn the tide of this war." Link said, smiling.
"Trust us in the fact that we will emerge victorious at the end. First, we will heed to your request to purify the Fierce Deity's Mask. Your courage has allowed you to withstand its evil spirit so far, but we will see to it that it will never be able to corrupt you at all. First, we will need the Mask itself." Rauru then said.
Link nodded as he handed over the Fierce Deity's Mask, which Rauru lays down on the Triforce-shaped pedestal among the group. Link wondered how it would go, knowing he'd be the first to witness such a ritual. The Sages in the meantime had taken up their positions around the Mask. Rauru held the hands of Impa and Darunia. Darunia holds the hand of Nabooru, while Ruto is at Impa's side, holding her hand. Ruto holds the hand of Saria, while Nabooru has Zelda's hand. At first, Link believes that this is a Sage only ritual... but then he sees Saria and Zelda smiling at him, beckoning him to join in!
"You... you want me to join in on this?" Link asked, blinking in genuine surprise.
"Yes, Link. You are the Hero of Time and only the Hero is, when needed, allowed to join in on the Sages actions and rituals." Zelda said, smiling.
"Besides, we need all the help we can get to prevent mistakes like what happened to you before." Darunia said.
Link smiled and accepts the hands of Saria and Zelda, making the circle complete, the Sages all smiling back at him.
"Now, close your eyes as we will initiate the ritual. We need absolute concentration of everyone in this." Rauru said as he closed his eyes.
Link, Saria, Zelda, Ruto, Nabooru, Impa and Darunia followed suit, intertwining their fingers to maintain grip on each other's hands to ensure the circle would not break. Then Rauru proceeded with the incantation, citing it in the form of a prayer.
"Goddesses of Hyrule, please heed our call, the call of the ancient creators of Hyrule. For the past days, The lands of Hyrule and Termina have been plagued by the appearance and reappearance of Creatures of Evil, Creatures who are bound to destroy everything we have built up. Creatures who will stop at nothing until the original inhabitants of both worlds are vanquished and replaced by creatures of their own kind. Creatures who have no mercy and will mercilessly slaughter any man, woman, child and animal who stand in their way. We have the means to combat these creatures, but our time is running short. In the middle of us is a mask, a mask which bears the spirit of an Oni, whom gives the user enough power to combat any opponent in their path, giving them the strength needed to overcome any hardships quickly. But the spirit has once been evil or believed to be evil, as the user is exposed to the threat of being overtaken by it. We ask of you, Great Goddesses of Hyrule, to make this mask pure, so the wearer will not be corrupted by its evil spirit and use its power to protect what we helped to build up in the worlds. Goddesses of Hyrule, please heed our call, PURIFY THE MASK OF THE FIERCE DEITY!"

For a moment, everything was silent for a few seconds... but then the chamber itself began to rumble, but neither Link nor any of the Sages moved from their spots. An enormous power build-up proceeded to fill the Chamber itself, which in turn began to emanate from the ruined Temple of Time. The rumbling began to spread throughout the Temple of Time itself, then it would be felt in the courtyard of the temple… and then Hyrule Castle Town would begin to rumble. This alerted a group of Stalfos and Dinolfos as they patrolled around in the ruined town, the Moblin Guards, Bomb Soldiers and Iron Knuckles who stood guard also looked up, wondering where the rumbling came from. The ReDeads on the other hand remained in position as if it was nothing to them. Inside the Temple itself, Navi, Tatl and Tael huddled together, obviously frightened at what was going on at the moment.
"Wha- what is this?!" Tatl asked.
"It must be the ceremony they talked about! Look!" Navi exclaimed as he saw the Pedestal of Time beginning to glow…

Meanwhile, the rumbling intensified, and auras began to appear around the group of eight surrounding the Fierce Deity's Mask. It was as if there was an awakening ceremony taking place. Then, the eyes of the group seemed to open, but they were glowing... Rauru's eyes were yellow, Impa's were purple, Darunia's were red, Nabooru's were orange, Ruto's were Blue, Saria's were green, Zelda's were gold and Link's eyes were lime green, as if the goddesses were replying through them. A golden glow appeared around the Fierce Deity's Mask, the glow suddenly expanding slowly, engulfing the eight in its peaceful, warm glow, before an energy pillar shot up from it, and an energy pillar appeared from the pedestal and into the sky, piercing through the Dark clouds. It was then that an energy sphere appeared into the sky, making it reminiscent of almost forming a disc with symbols on it, but the sound coming from it seemed to be as if it was gathering energy first. It was then however that the center orb expanded along with the celestial 'disk', before it exploded into a single orb as a torrent of golden yellow lightning bolts as unleashed on the town AND the temple itself! Navi, Tatl and Tael remained untouched, but every creature that belonged to Ganondorf and Majora was incinerated the instant a lightning strike hit them. The Iron Knuckles however had their armors destroyed, releasing the Gerudo controlling them, each of the Gerudo being knocked out cold by the sudden attack. Those Gerudo whom were first brainwashed also had the spell casted on them dispelled, freeing them from Ganondorf and Majora's control in the process…

Soon enough, the light died down. The purification was a success and the Fierce Deity's Mask, now formerly home to an evil spirit, was now a mask that retained its power, but was without the danger of corrupting its user. Link and the Sages were equally drained, but satisfied at the end result as the whole ceremony was a complete success, with Link taking the mask now back after he was given the okay by the Sages. The group was of course exhausted after all this, but overall, their objective was completed. With this in hand, Rauru transported the group back towards the Temple of Time, reappearing around the Pedestal of Time. No sooner had they exited the part of what was once the Door of Time, the area began to rumble again, this time with a more evil intent.
"What the-?!" Link asked, right before he and the Sages found themselves encased in a single crystal prison, instantly causing Zelda to scream as this happened to her in the Future That Almost Was.
Just then, footsteps came into the room they were in. As the group looked forward, gazing through the crystal, they could see Ganondorf approaching… and he wasn't pleased at all…