Chapter 58: The Wish

It took about an hour for Link to finally regain consciousness, moaning as he was now literally hurting all over his body. Looking around, he saw the Sages stirring as well, each of them laying on a more comfortable position on the ground, as was Link himself. Trying to look around as the clouds within the endless void had cleared to reveal a clear blue sky with a sun shining high above in the air, he could feel someone was watching him. It was Reimu, who had approached them once she felt the battle was over and helped them in their comfortable positions, although she had great trouble with moving Darunia. This was evident as she was sweating, hunched bit over her steering wheel, panting a little, but she had recovered far quicker than they did. Groaning, Link moved to a sitting position, holding his head as he obviously was in pain or otherwise still was recovering, coupled with the injuries that were still present around his body, being bruises, cuts and other lacerations, although the most serious wounds have for the most part stopped bleeding and had been bandaged for as good and as bad as it could. As he watched, he saw Zelda and Saria both attempting to sit upright, silently chuckling to himself as he noticed the girls were right at his side, before he stretched his legs, wincing a little as he moved over a bruised part…

His attention was caught by a few other moans, seeing Ruto holding her head for a bit before nursing one of her arms, Saria was having pain on her belly and back, while Nabooru was nursing her right arm, in particular the spot which had been broken in the events leading to her initial demise, but was reset prior to her resurrection by the Great Fairy Venus. Impa coughed, instantly feeling pain in her lungs as she sat up, trying to calm herself, while Rauru groaned as he gently rubbed over his calves. At the same time, Link subconsciously wiped the blood from his mouth away, before rolling his head around his shoulders to pop his neck a little, being bothered by the stiff muscles there, allowing him to relax a bit as one particular pop made him feel better. Looking in the direction of Zelda, he watched as she tried to get up, but her arms were wobbling, causing her to collapse a few times before finally being able to lift herself up. Then he tried himself to shift his position to a bit more comfortable one, but his movements were slow and painful, despite biting through it.
"Ugh… what happened?" Link asked Reimu as he eventually sat upright, rubbing his sore thighs as he then moved to relax his breathing pattern, being still quite tired from the events that had taken place up to this point.
"I came here as soon as I witnessed the massive explosion from a far distance. I do not know what has happened so far as you requested to fight your enemy alone, but from what I can tell is that you eventually came out victorious." Reimu said, smiling.
"Are you sure? I apologize, but my head is a bit woozy…" Link said.
"Look around you, my friend." Reimu said, showing Link the pleasantness of the bright blue sky, the gentle breeze swaying across the area and the gentle warmth as if a sun was shining on them being present in the area.
"The darkness in this area… has been completely vanquished…" Impa said, smiling.
"Indeed, Ganjora is no more." Rauru said, confirming what happened.
"But what had happened to us? I mean, we did fuse together, but when Ganjora terminated it by force, we all had those facial markings that used to be on the Fierce Deity's Mask…" Zelda said.
"I think I have an explanation for this…" Link said.
"You do?" Saria asked.
"Yes. When Garo Ganjora hit the Fierce Deity so hard it terminated the fusion by the force of it alone, the Fierce Deity's Mask was destroyed in the process. I believe however that its power, before its initial destruction, was perfectly split between the eight of us, which in turn explained how we got those markings, much less temporarily transforming into adaptations of my Fierce Deity self in turn." Link said.
"So we all had a bit of its original power until now, right? Like its power having split between us the moment the fusion was terminated, which in turn destroyed the mask itself?" Saria asked.
"Yes, it's the only way I can explain it." Link said, nodding.
"Well, now that we've finally won this battle, all that is left to do for us is to summon the Triforce for our wish…" Impa said.
"Indeed." Rauru said, as the group got up.
"So, how are you going to do this?" Reimu asked.
"We don't exactly know how this will go. It depends mostly on those who are in possession of the Triforce pieces themselves." Rauru said.
"Looks like it's up to us then." Link said to Zelda.
"That it is." Zelda said, as the two moved forward a bit, supporting each other as their injuries had not fully healed completely.

Once they had a decent distance ahead of the group, Link and Zelda stopped and stretched their hands out, after which the respective Triforce Pieces they had on their hands began to glow. A few seconds later, the sacred triangles that represented those Triforce Pieces appeared from the marks and began to float further ahead, assembling together as they did, with the Triforce of Power on top, the Triforce of Wisdom to the left and the Triforce of Courage to the right. As the distance between the pieces decreased, the glow around them increased, which only intensified as the three pieces made contact with each other on the respective tips, creating the completed, full Triforce in all of its glory. Mesmerized by it, both Link and Zelda approached the ancient relic with equaled, slow pace, while the Sages and Reimu followed. Oddly enough, Link and Zelda were holding each other's hands, but the Sages felt that this was due to both of them being holders of parts of the relic itself as well as being nervous of approaching it. After all, this was the relic of legends, the very thing that the Goddesses Din, Farore and Nayru had left behind after their departure from the world after they had done their part in creating it. The knowledge of this did make the group approach it in silence for the most part.
"Wow…" Reimu said, blinking at the sight of the Triforce glowing in front of the group.
"Impressive, isn't it?" Nabooru asked.
"That it is. I only heard of the Triforce because of Ganondorf babbling about it before his failed coup d'état, but I never thought that I would see this with my very own eyes." Reimu said.
"Let's hope there will be no interference." Impa said.
"I doubt there will be," Rauru said, "aside from the now-deceased Ganjora, we are the only ones here."
"Indeed. I hope Link and Zelda can provide the wish that will lead to a hopefully bright future of our homelands…" Nabooru said.
"I have faith in my Sworn Brother and the Princess; their hearts are pure and balanced, unlike Ganondorf's." Darunia said, smiling brightly.
"Indeed. If Ganondorf would see this now, he'd probably go insane with rage." Nabooru said, just as the Sages stopped, letting Link and Zelda continue on to speak on their behalf.
Reimu herself also stopped, lowering her aircraft to ground level, after which she waited, mostly out of respect for the ones she had helped out in their time of need.

Both Link and Zelda then stood in front of the Triforce itself, watching it glow.
"Do you already know how to address our wish to the Goddesses?" Link asked.
"Don't worry, leave everything to me. Besides, this should possibly also make up a bit for what I have done in the Future That Almost Was." Zelda said, smiling at Link.
Link returned the smile, acknowledging it with a nod, before both he and Zelda touched the sacred Triforce with their free hands, holding onto it in order to make sure their wish would be granted. It was then that Zelda spoke.
"Goddesses of Hyrule, hear that which we desire! Restore the lands of Hyrule and Termina to how they were before Ganondorf and Majora's forces invaded and defiled them! Heal the souls of the innocent ones whom have died during the conflicts that ensued because of the evil beings! Free the ones whom have served the forces of evil against their will from the spells or bindings that held them! Restore the ones whom have been cursed into altered forms back to their normal state of beings! Heal the ones whom have been seriously to gravely wounded during the ensuing conflicts from their injuries and revive the ones whom have fallen in the battles! And give the Hero of Time the privilege of entering the Sacred Realm with the Seven Sages at will." She said.
The last one made Link blink at Zelda, who merely smiled at him in return. The glow around the Triforce itself intensified, glowing in acceptance of Zelda and Link's desires, both of them having balanced hearts. It was then that a glow appeared around the both of them as well as the remaining Six Sages, which lasted for several seconds, before dissipating… and the group discovered that their injuries had indeed been healed, much to their delight, as some of them were slowly getting weaker due to the numerous wounds, cuts and lacerations inflicted on them during the last battle. As the healing process went underway with them, they could also feel their strength returning, much to their delight.

From the portal in the sky, a gentle white-golden glow began to shine for a brief moment, washing itself over the lands of both Hyrule and Termina. Whatever dwelled on evil beings within the open lands of Hyrule and Termina were instantly vanquished, the people whom were brainwashed to do Ganondorf and Majora's bidding were subsequently released from the spells that bound them into these unwilling servitudes and also restored to full health. Other people whom had received serious to critical injuries from the battles also were restored back to health, while those soldiers and civilians from any race whom had given their lives to protect others were revived, thus given a second chance at life and in turn be reunited with their loved ones among the living. What was once the desolated, destroyed Hyruined Field, filled with dead trees and bushes, coupled with the withered corpses of previously slain enemies and soldiers alike was cleansed and restored back to its former glory, much to the delight of those whom often ventured in the field itself, like Talon and Malon, which allowed them to visit Hyrule Castle Town again. Speaking of Hyrule Castle Town, the town itself was also cleansed of all hostile presence, leaving only the abandoned buildings that were salvageable enough to be rebuilt and restart business as before. While Hyrule Castle and the Temple of Time still laid in ruins, most of the bases of those buildings remained intact, making the rebuilding and restoration processes much easier for the people. Whatever water bodies were poisoned thanks to the actions of the now-deceased Dark Ruto were also purified, allowing the Sea Zoras to freely swim around in their domain as well as Lake Hylia again, while Ruto herself had already cleansed the waters around Great Bay for the Zora population there prior to their travel towards the hidden temple and by extension Ganjora's lair as a whole.

Reimu's sister also made a swift recovery as she was covered in a similar glow like Link and the Sages had been covered inside the portal, much to the delight of the Gerudo whom were watching over her, while they also still waited for news of their commander Reimu, keeping a close watch on the portal. In regards to the rest of Termina, the lands were also restored to their former state as in after Link had vanquished Majora there the first time, with an added bonus of peace being brought to those innocent souls dwelling within Ikana Canyon whom were still lingering with regrets, making the haunted lands at least safer for travelers to go through. Of course there were those that could not be revived, which included Sakon as he was crushed to death by Dark Saria and had his soul destroyed by Dark Nabooru. Others whom weren't revived were of course those whom had gone too deep into corruption to properly redeem themselves, like specific Corrupted Soldiers or Gerudo whom willingly sided with Ganondorf and Majora and were subsequently slain in the following battles, as well as those whom were killed before the whole mess had started.

Link, Saria, Zelda, Ruto, Nabooru, Impa, Darunia, Rauru and Reimu watched as the Triforce fulfilled its task of granting the group the wishes that they had, which would hopefully bring peace and prosperity back to the world as a whole. Once the task was finished, the Triforce itself then vanished, leaving the group behind.
"Where did it go?" Reimu asked, blinking.
"Possibly back to the Sacred Realm to await its new owner. But as far as I'm concerned, this may take decades or even longer, perhaps even long after we've passed on to the next life." Rauru said.
"Let's hope that, for our sake, this will take a long time, so we can have some time to ourselves and both Hyrule and Termina will know peace for a long time to come." Link said as he and Zelda joined the group again, smiling.
"Indeed. Hopefully no new evil beings will come to disturb the peace this time." Zelda said.
"Don't jinx it, Zel. But as long as the Triforce of Power is secured back in the Sacred Realm and Majora's Mask destroyed, we have at least two vile beings less to worry about." Link said.
"True." Zelda said, although blushing again at the affectionate nickname Link gave her.
"Come on, board the ship. If anything, the exit of this realm should still be open. It's time to go home." Reimu said.
"Right." The group said as they boarded the ship one by one.
"I trust you have little occupations as of this moment?" Nabooru then asked Reimu.
"I think so, I've still been trying to redeem myself for what I've done, regardless of the matter not being my fault." Reimu replied.
"Well, I think you've redeemed yourself well enough over the days you have associated with us. I'm giving you a couple of days to settle your personal affairs where needed, whether it is with your family, the area you were watching, your guards, whatever that needs to be addressed. I expect you to visit the Fortress soon after you do."
"Understood ma'am. Anything else?"
"Yes, when you're summoned to the fortress, bring those four Pirates that accompanied us from the Stone Tower Temple and your sister Leia with you. Consider it a form of audience with yours truly and my second-in-command Aveil. What it'll be is a surprise." Nabooru said with a genuine smile.
"Very well, ma'am. I'll be sure to be present with the others you wanted to see once the time is there." Reimu said.
"That reminds me, I'll also expect you to arrive at Hyrule Castle soon for a similar audience." Zelda said, first making Reimu blink, before she smiled in understanding.
"Very well, Your Highness." Reimu said, smiling and bowing politely.
"In fact, I expect Link, Saria, Ruto, Darunia and Nabooru herself to be present during that audience as well." Zelda said.
"I'll be there, Zel. You can count on that." Link said, smiling.
"I'll be present too for sure." Ruto said.
"Same with me. Don't look up surprised when Link and I arrive side by side." Saria said, while Tatl, Navi and Tael floated around them, wondering what it was going to be about.
"Right. Let's go home." Nabooru said as she sat down in Reimu's airship.
With a smile, Reimu activated her airship and steered to where she had emerged into the void between dimensions with the Fierce Deity himself to ignite the final battle.

Exiting the portal, Reimu smiled as she observed the now clear blue sky above instead of the dark clouds bellowing around the tower, while the Gerudo forces and Leia herself all cheered when they saw them coming out of the portal, with the portal itself closing up once the group was out, sealing the gateway to the void between dimensions up again.
"Whew, that was one battle I wouldn't want to experience again." Link said.
"I'll say. Although I have to admit that I kinda liked being like you as a Fierce Deity…" Zelda said.
"I agree with Zelda here, it felt to me as an unknown strength coursed through my veins like someone granted me extra power." Saria said, nodding.
Link giggled at this.
"Well, that's because the mask must have divided its power between us for the time we needed it." He said.
"True. I do wonder what is going to happen now with the Purified Fierce Deity's Mask destroyed…" Impa said.
"I honestly have no idea. It's likely we must have kept a fragment of its power for ourselves or it must dissipate over time or already has dissipated… it's likely that only time will tell what has fully happened to it." Link said.
"I see your point." Rauru said, just as Reimu reunited with the fleet and in turn got a reunion with her sister Leia, hugging her.
"So, now that we've lost our respected Triforce Pieces, what's going to happen now?" Link asked Zelda.
"I have no idea, but I believe that we may have kept part of their respective essences in turn, so it would do nothing to hinder our wisdom and courage respectively," Zelda said, "but I see why you've asked that question, given that our general objective is complete."
"At least you two can rest with the comforting thought of having used the Triforce together for the cause of good and not for a selfish desire in regards to power or anything." Impa said, putting a hand on both children's respective shoulders."
"Do you have any idea where you want to go now?" Darunia asked.
"Well, it depends mostly. I think we should look up our friends at the forest to show them that we're back and once more alive." Saria said.
"Saria has a point; I doubt the other Kokiri are aware of our initial resurrection…" Link said.
"Let's tell them that the wish of the Triforce brought you back alive. It should work with the wish in the first place." Impa said.
"True. It would supply us with a decent cover-up in regards to what has happened to us overall." Saria said, nodding.
"Indeed." Link said, nodding.
"The Gorons should know that I've been around alive and well, but what about the Hyrulean Sea Zoras? I haven't seen them around as well…" Darunia said.
"I should go and visit them to let them know I am fine, if only to deter my father's worries about me." Ruto said.
"I say we all should take time off to settle our personal affairs first and return for a get together and whatever meetings require our immediate attention. That way we should be able to get things done quicker." Link said.
"Great idea. It should help us getting back in the swing of things again." Saria said, smiling at Link who smiled in return.
"So, it's settled then, we'll first handle our own personal affairs and then proceed with the meetings." Impa said.
"I'll send couriers out to let you know when the meetings will be held so you all have time to prepare yourselves accordingly. Later on I shall pass on the invitations to those whose presence is required and who is invited to join in." Zelda said.
"Right, Saria and I should be around the Forest or the Sacred Forest Meadow. I'll be sure to make a map or something to ensure he won't get lost." Link said.
"That is most considerate of you, Link." Zelda said with a smile.
"Where will you go, Nabooru?" Impa then asked.
"I'll definitely be heading to the fortress to see how things are there and will set things straight where needed. I may be more lenient to those who seek redemption, but I won't be as forgiving when it comes to those whom have taken pride in betraying me and/or willingly joining Ganondorf's side." The Gerudo leader said.
"Oh? What do you plan to do with them?" Link asked.
"Those who show genuine guilt will be spared of the worst punishments, but they'll likely have to start from the bottom again to earn their redemption. This may also include putting them on probation for several months to a year or so, depending on how severe their acts were and how much they are willing to give to earn it. As for the ones whom don't show remorse, they'll likely be exiled to a distant land, as long as they don't show their faces here and within our settlement in the Great Bay area." She replied.
"So you won't be killing them?" Saria asked.
"No, unless they decide to do something stupid and we are forced to strike them down in self-defense, but other than that, I consider death being too good for them. I prefer the notion of letting them stay alive and let them live with the shame they have brought upon themselves, coupled with the humiliation they would have to suffer from. The worst cases also will be stripped of their homes and possessions. Consider it a discommendation for them if you will." Nabooru said.
"I understand." Zelda said, nodding.
"Well, I guess it's time for us to go home then." Reimu said after she and her sister Leia moved on Reimu's ship, as Leia's vessel was destroyed by Ganjora in his beast form prior…
"I also want to thank you for bringing those airships along, Reimu. Without them, I would be at a loss as to how we would have gotten down from here without falling to death." Link said.
"It's no problem, Link." Reimu said.
"I could have made some leaves to use as parachutes for a soft landing. Then again I wouldn't be sure where we would even land." Saria said.
"It's alright, Saria. Be glad we got some help from an outside, friendly source." Darunia said.
"That I am indeed." Saria said, smiling brightly.
Darunia smiled, thumping his arms on his chest in happiness as he stood there, Reimu safely taking them to the ship where they would take the survivors and freed prisoners along with them towards their respective homelands.
"I hope Epona's alright." Link said.
"I'm sure she'll be fine; Romani and Cremia should be taking care of her for the time we spent in Termina altogether." Zelda said, reassuring Link, who smiled in response.
"I am so glad that the battle is finally over," Ruto said, "for a moment I did fear that it would be our last fight and that Ganjora would kill us all."
"I understand your concerns, Ruto. Be happy that we managed to come out on top after this long, excruciating fight." Nabooru said.
"You have no idea." Ruto said, smiling at Nabooru.
"You can use the rest once we're on the ships, we'll see to it that we'll return to Hyrule safely." Reimu said.
"Thank you once more, Reimu." Zelda said.
"Don't mention it." Reimu replied, smiling as the ships came into view after passing over the areas that still had trails of the snowboard ride and the destroyed underground headquarters.