Truth Revealed, A New Path Opens part 1
Link (narration): Time... the ebb and flow of life's river... listen close to my story.
[The party is gathered around a campfire,sitting in silence, reminiscing. Link stands and walks to a hill, and gazes out over the water covered region.]
Link: Wasn't there more? I mean like that time...uh... Anyone?
Yuna: I think...
Link: Yes?
Yuna: I think that we should stop...maybe. For now. Let's go.
Link: ... yeah, alright.
[The party walks along a crumbled road, passing the ruined buildings of the Hylian market, pyreflies dotting the watery ditches.]
Link:... Sin really did a number on Castle Town... Telma's bar was located down that flooded alleyway.
Rikku: Who's Telma?
Link: She was... leader of a underground resistance group... Guess it doesn't matter now
Wakka: Looks like the Farplane.
Auron: Close enough.
[The team exits the ruined market comes to a large stadium's entrance and a man walks out.]
Link: ... A Hylian Guard.
Man: Journeyer of the long road, name yourself.
Yuna: I am the summoner Yuna. I have come from the island of Besaid.
Man: Your eyes, my dear. Show me the long road you have travelled. Very good. You have journeyed well. Lady Yunalesca will surely welcome your arrival. Go to her now, and bring your guardians with you. Go.
[The man walks by and fades away. Inside the ruins of the Hylian Battle arena, a specter of a previous summoner and her guardians appears.]
Guardian: If it might benefit the future of Spira, I will gladly give my life. It is the highest honor for which a guardian might ask. Use my life, Lady Yocun, and rid Spira of Sin.
[The specters disappear.]
Rikku: What...what was that?
Auron: Our predecessors.
Lulu: She said 'Lady Yocun,' didn't she? Wait! She guarded High Summoner Yocun?
Auron: This dome is filled with pyreflies. It's like one gigantic sphere. People's thoughts remain here. Forever.
Link: ...
(The team exits the ruined arena and come upon Hyrule Castle and the ruins of it's once majestic courtyard. In the Middle of the Courtyard lies an ancient pedestal, with a pristine sword enshrined within, its magic long since gone dormant. It is surrounded by a dark shadow encased by pyreflies)
Lulu: Is that... a sword?
Link:... not just any sword.
Wakka: What you mean?
Auron: It is the Master Sword. Sword of Evil's Bane. Approach the sword Link.
Link: ... Yeah... approach the sword.
(Link steps forward and climbs the altar and approaches the sword. He reaches for it, but a voice from the shadow stops him, and a body starts to form)
Dark Link: Welcome home... fool. You are a failure as the Hero of Light and are no longer worthy of this sword.
Link: You!
Auron: Dark Link.
Dark Link: This sword belongs to me now. If you wish to reclaim it you must face me!
Link: Fine. Then lets fight. I will defeat you!
Dark Link: Ahahahahahah! Tough words, coming from a failure! I will be waiting... Link! Prove you are a real Hero!
(Dark Link vanishes with the Master Sword)
Link: Damn him!
Yuna: Who was that, Link?
Link: (sighs) No use hiding it... His name is Dark Link... He is ... me.
Wakka: You? You lost your mind?!
Rikku: If that was you, then who are you?
Link: I am the real me... But that was an evil copy created by Ganondorf, out of my hatred. Because of him... i killed Princess Zelda... and this is the very spot it happened.
(Suddenly the pyreflies that were floating around the empty pedestal of Time began to react and started playing out the events that resulted in Zelda's death. In the memory, Link and a twili imp run into the courtyard)
"Midna: Link.. are you sure about this?
Link:.. It has to be done.
Shadow Jecht: Halt! What are you two doing here?
Link: My old man?
Midna: Link, go! I will distract him; get the Master Sword back and stop Ganon!
Link: I can't do this without you!
Midna: Yes, you can! Now Go!
Link: (runs off in chase of Dark Link) Damn!
Shadow Jecht: Beautiful Midna. You would fight me?
Midna: If it will protect Link long enough to stop Ganon's evil plans
(Shadow jecht lunges at Midna, picking her up by the stone helmet. He crushes it, slamming her into the ground with inhuman force. The memory skips forward, showing Link inside the throne room of Hyrule Castle, he has caught up to Dark Link, who is bowing in front of both Princess Zelda and Ganondorf. Ganondorf stands and leaves the room, leaving only Zelda and Dark Link who appears before her as Link. He draws the Master Sword and strikes down Princess Zelda. Dark Link turns and faces the Link of the memory. He flashes a sinister smile and vanishes along with the Master Sword.)
Link: I... I'm too late.
(4 Hylian Guards run into the throne room along with Telma. She walks over to Link and kneels down.)
Telma: Let's get you out of here.
(The memory ends and the pyreflies vanish)
Link: Now you know what happened.
Auron: It wasn't your fault.
Yuna: Sir Auron's right. You shouldn't beat yourself up.
Link: I know. I'm not going to be held back by this any longer!
[They continue on inside the castle, inside a boy's specter appears out of pyreflies.]
Boy: No! Mother, no! I don't want you to become a fayth!
Woman: There is no other way. Use me and defeat Sin. Only then will the people accept you.
Boy: I don't care about them! I need you, Mother! No one else!
Woman: I don't...have much time left.
[The specters disappear.]
Wakka: Hey, wasn't that...?
Rikku: Seymour?
[The party goes only a shortways before the specters of Braska, Jecht, and Auron appear, running alongside the party in a different time.]
Link:.. My old man?
Jecht: Hey, Braska. You don't have to do this.
Braska: Thank you for your concern.
Jecht: Fine. I said my piece.
Auron: Well, I haven't! Lord Braska, let us go back! I don't want to see you...die!
Braska: You knew this was to happen, my friend.
Auron: Yes, but I...I cannot accept it.
Braska: Auron, I am honored that you care for me so. But I have come to kill grief itself. I will defeat Sin, and lift the veil of sorrow covering Spira. Please understand, Auron.
[The specters head into the next room, and the party follows them. They find the specter's standing near a statue depicting Din, Farore, and Nayru holding up the Triforce]
Jecht: Are the Trials ahead?
Braska: Probably.
Jecht: Here, too, huh? Gimme a break. I was expecting, you know, parades and...fireworks!
Braska: You can ask for them after I defeat Sin.
[The party enters the next corridor, making it through the trials. Dark Link then appears.]
Dark Link: Welcome fools.
Link: Give ..it... back!
Dark Link: You want this sword, you must defeat me.
(Dark Link attacks summoning along with it, a large spectral guardian. Link uses the Fierce Deity Mask, and squares off against Dark Link, while the others fight the Spectral Guardian.)
Dark Link: I see... You have mastered the Fierce Deity.
FD Link: That's right! You no longer scare me. Today my hatred dies!
Dark Link: Ahahahahaha. The come fool. Reclaim your precious Master Sword! IF YOU CAN!
FD Link: I can.. and I WILL! DIN'S CATACLYSM!
(Both Dark Link and the Spectral Guardian fall, in a bevy of explosions releasing a large amount of pyreflies. The dormant Master Sword, resting calmly in the spot Dark Link once stood. Link, taking off the FD Mask. walks over to it and picks it up. As he does an elevator lowers from the ceiling.)
Link: It's dormant. Now, i just need to reawaken it.
Yuna: How will you do that.
Link: I don't know... yet.
(So, there we have it folks. The reason Link failed has the Hero of Light! Link now has the Master Sword in his possession too, but it is dormant. How in Din's name will he awaken its powers? And what of the Final Summoning... Will Yuna go through with it? Find out next in Part 2 of Truth Revealed, A New Path Opens, in Shadows Over Spira!)