They stand in the familiar depths beneath Hyrule, far under Death Mountain. This was once the Goron Capital, but the Deity is more familiar with its repurposed ruins, the Temple of the Ancient Sage of Fire. The whole place is bathed in a red light due to the lava surrounding it, and were they still mortal, they would doubtless burst into flame merely from standing here. As they are now, the heat is not at all a concern. They're aware of it in the same way that they are aware of what they see and hear.

The Deity knows they didn't sense the heart of the curse when they were here before. It was there already, it was there since Demise cast the curse tens of thousands of years before the resurrected hero was here, but that incarnation hadn't know of the curse, and even if he had, the heart was and is too well hidden to be found by any mortal.

It is not hidden well enough, however, to escape the Deity now.

They beckon it to themself, force it out of the rocks encasing it deep into the lava. It's soon at their feet, a diamond still pulsing with the force of Demise's evil.

It's cracked already. They understand why: the curse was in part on the Spirit of the Hero, to condemn that soul to fight Demise's hatred in every lifetime they would ever have, so the fact that the Spirit of the Hero will never actually live again already weakens the age old magic.

It's not nearly enough to undo Demise's work, however. The blood of Hylia is still subject to the curse - the blood that runs not only in the veins of his last life and within the Royal Family, but to a lesser degree in most Hylian descendants thanks to the natural dispersion of the gene pool over hundreds of generations.

If the Deity was to allow it, the curse would still doom Hyrule. Obviously, they will not allow it. The curse will not hurt Hyrule again, not a single time more. It ends now.

They unsheathe their blade. It's no longer the Master Sword: the spirit of the Master Sword, Fi, is part of them now, and thanks to their last life, so is the Golden Power. The blade they wield is therefore dual, the two halves crossing and joining together while remaining distinct. It no longer has an independent spirit: this sword's spirit is the Deity themself.

They grip it with both hands, point downward, and drive it through the diamond that is the heart and physical anchor of Demise's curse.

The diamond does not shatter: it expands rapidly into a new form instead, that materializes a few steps away from where the diamond was broken. One final defense mechanism for the curse, one last attempt by the evil magic to preserve itself: the Shade of the Demon King.

Demise's Shade stands before the Deity, and immediately assumes a fighting stance. The Shade's skull seems to smirk and frown, an illusion no doubt engineered to make itself look more intimidating.

The Deity smiles, the point of their sword still resting on the ground where the diamond had been.

"Return to the realm of the dead, Demon King," they say. "I will not show you any mercy."

The Shade laughs. "Foolish hero… what do you think you've allowed yourself to become? A being created by mortals who surrendered their souls for power… you are a demon! And I AM the Demon King, and you are therefore mine to command!"

Demise extends his hand in a claw grip, as if to seize the deity by the throat even though the two are not quite within physical reach of each other.

The Deity snorts. "I think not," they say. "Whether I'm a deity or a demon doesn't matter. I chose my own bonds."

They charge. The warning was given and mocked, it's now time for combat.

The Shade blocks, conjuring its own blade from the burning air surrounding them. The Deity grins.

"My first was enough to defeat you, Demon King. Do you really think you stand a chance against all of me?"

They strike again. The Shade blocks but is pushed back and down to its knees. It snarls.

"I refuse to free you, Hero!" It growls. "I cur…"

The Shade doesn't get to finish the word: the Deity's third strike cuts right through the Shade's sword and jaw, slicing the Shade's head apart.

"Your dark desires no longer matter, Demon King," the Deity says.

They drive the sword through the Shade's chest and will for light to purge the darkness. The Golden Power inherited in their last life explodes and for a few seconds, the whole area is lit gold rather than red. When the light dies, there is no more curse, no more Shade, no more Demise.

The Deity sheathes their sword with the twirl they once enjoyed, once upon a lifetime that also involved the twilight and being a wolf.

The King of Hyrule stands on the bridge of Hylia with his guards a few steps behind and the girl he adopted to play the part of Princess Zelda right by his side. They're all staring at the patch of ground on the lake's south shore where the Unnamed had restored an ancient fortress.

The fortress is gone, which was NOT part of the script. The King mentally thinks back on the instructions left him by his forbears, trying to remember anything like this being mentioned and addressed, but as far as he knows, the fortress vanishing before the appointed Princess Zelda walked in and used the light spell designed to look like the Golden Power has never happened before.

He can't imagine the Unnamed would suddenly decide to change their deal: the monster has always been completely satisfied and has not made any new request. It's not that the King trusts the demon, that would be madness, but he knows that the Unnamed has nothing to gain by changing the playbook without warning. The Royal Family has always agreed to every new demand and the King had made it clear, when he'd summoned the monster, that he would not stray. Backing out on the deal that provided it with as many victims as it wanted and with the Chosen One as a last sacrifice simply wasn't in the monster's interest.

He also can't imagine that Link was victorious. This hero was all spit and rage, acting on every mindless impulse, and above all, utterly exhausted and beaten by the time he got here. And even if he hadn't been, even if the Hero of Legends himself had been sent into the Unnamed's Lair, it wouldn't have mattered: the Master Sword could not pierce the Unnamed's armor. No hero could defeat this demon. The last eight were proof of that.

What should have happened was the body of the hero being tossed out of the fortress to be found when the King and the Princess arrived to 'help' the Chosen One. The Princess would then have gone in with selected knight, to 'defeat' the Unnamed using 'the Golden Power'. In truth, the demon would have already been gone by that point, leaving the fortress behind until the light spell was activated.

The fake Golden Power would have dissolved the fortress for all to see, the Royal Family once more defeating the Unnamed, at the cost of the Knight's life who would be said to have died protecting the Princess. The Hero's body would be brought to the castle and news would be sent out that he had miraculously survived and would live in luxury for the rest of his days.

But the fortress is gone and the Hero's body is missing.

"My King…" the girl says in a voice meant for his ears alone, "you don't suppose the golden power…"

The King's eyes widen. He swallows. "It's… possible," he whispers back. "But then, where is… AH!"

He nearly jumps out of his skin and jerks back, falling to the ground, when what appears to be some kind of demonic tattooed swordsman appears right in front of him.

The Deity narrows their eyes at one of the remaining evil to be purged from Hyrule. This man has abused his power to hurt his subjects throughout his whole life and more recently, has willingly unleashed the Unnamed and its minions on the population in a bid to stay in power unopposed. The King is responsible for countless deaths and immeasurable suffering.

"UP," the Deity order the King. They unsheathe their blade and point it, one handed, at the mortal scourge.

The King scowls. "GUARDS!" he barks. "What are you waiting for?!"

Arrows come flying towards the Deity. They ignore them and the fragile wood and metal projectiles turn to dust upon reaching his aura. The King's eyes widen and his face pales.

"Up, Corrupted King," the Deity orders again. "Or you will die as you are, sat on the ground."

The King gets up and glares at the threatening intruder.

"Who do you think you are, demon, to issue orders and threaten the King of this land?"

The Deity points his sword at the monster's chest, the tip of the dual blade just an arm's length away from the King's heart.

"I am the hero chosen by the goddess and that same hero reborn far too many times," they say. "I am one with the Spirit of the Sword of Evil's Bane. Through your own repulsive crime, I am the Blood of Hylia. I am the fierce deity sworn to protect Hyrule and I am here to end your reign of terror, Corrupted King."

The King backs up a step, face paler still and getting shiny with sweat. "L... Link?" he stammers, voice shaking. "Link, you... you survived? G... glad news indeed! Come, come back to your own self! I… I've reconsidered! You are a true hero and you've served Hyrule well. I would never dream of… of being ungrateful!"

The Deity takes a step forward. The King whimpers and backs away again.

A few guards find the courage to rush forward and attempt to attack. The Fierce Deity moves, the double blade flicking through the air in a motion too fast for mortal eyes to follow, and the few guards who tried to attack them fall to the ground, dead.

"Link, come back to your senses!" the King cries, backing away still. "I... I lied. I admit I lied!" he screams. "You ARE of Royal Blood, you are my own son! Link, I am your FATHER! You're the future King! What are you thinking? Lay down your weapon! Come back to yourself! Stop this madness!"

The Deity follows the retreating King, catching up with ease.

"Corrupted King," they say. "Your crimes are completely unforgiveable..."

"No!" the King yells. "No! Listen to me!"

"...and I am compelled to end you," the Deity says. "For the violence you perpetrated upon your own subjects…"

"No! Wait! I'm sorry!" the King wails. He tries to back away again.

The Deity reaches with their free hand and seizes the front of the King's garments.

"STAY," they order. "For the misery you imposed on your Kingdom while you and those who serve you lived in luxury..."

"I abdicate!" the King cries, joining his hands in a supplicating pose just above where the deity is holding him. "I will exile myself! I'll be your prisoner! Anything! Name your prize, it's yours!"

"...and most of all for your deal with the Unnamed, which directly caused the death of countless people and unacceptable suffering," the Deity continues, "your sentence is death."

The sword moves again, and the King's head rolls. The body falls sideways to the paved road with a deceptively soft thump.

The Deity turns to their next target. The woman desecrating the name of Princess Zelda is breathing hard, staring at the head of the fallen monarch.

"What is your name, sorceress?" the Deity asks.

The woman turns to face him and starts crying. "Y...yours. I'm yours. Whatever you wish," she babbles. She falls to the ground on her knees and like the King, joins her hands in prayer. "Please. Please, have mercy."

"No," the Deity says.

The sorceress winces, then frowns and attempts to use her magic to hurt him. He feels the torture spell wash over him and registers the fake sensation of being on fire. The sensation is neither pleasant nor unpleasant, a mere fact.

"The King's abdication was contingent on my mercy, and I refused it to them. You are therefore now Queen, by law," the Deity says. "You are casually cruel and constantly use any power at your disposal to hurt others. You have been playing along in the King's game willingly and in full conscience of what he was doing. How can you hope for mercy?"

"Please!" she begs. "I'll do anything! Go ahead, punish me! You say I played along? He was my King! What choice did I have? As for hurting others, I'm sorry! I'm sorry about everything!"

The Deity's eyes narrow. "What if I could offer you to suffer the same pain you've inflicted on others in expiation? Each second of torture you inflicted, returned to you."

It's a bluff: they don't have the ability to impose such a specific punishment, nor would they want to, because they are not cruel. They don't expect the offer to be accepted, but if it is, they may re-evaluate whether this one must die.

The sorceress grovels, bowing down until her forehead is on the ground and her joined hands in front of her head. "No... no, please! No! That would just be a more painful death! Please, please! Have mercy! I didn't summon the Unnamed! None of this was my decision!"

"You have done as much harm as you could for as long as you've been able to. You have gleefully and without a second thought followed the King's lead with no regard for the victims. I cannot possibly allow you to continue. I am compelled to end you," the Deity replies. "Your evil is just as repulsive as the King's, and your sentence is the same."

"I can't be the only one in Hyrule who sins now and again," she whimpers. "Are you going..."

She doesn't finish the question: the Deity moves. Because of her position, decapitation is impractical, so the Deity targets her heart instead, and impales her to the bridge. They retrieve their sword, which flashes briefly and is instantly cleaned of the blood.

The deity then turns to the guards, who after the first few, have wisely stayed out of it.

"I am Hyrule's Protector," he declares, amplifying his voice to be heard by everyone present. "I am not a ruler. I will not make rules nor enforce them. I will not hunt down anyone for merely being the flawed mortals you all are. But I offer a warning: I will be compelled to react if evil threatens Hyrule again."

There is no response. There doesn't need to be. They leave: their presence in the realm of the living is not meant to outlast their duty.

The new deity waits and observes from the Sacred Realm, ready to act again if Hyrule is ever threatened by a new evil. Demise's curse having been undone simply means that one source of evil can no longer keep cropping up – it doesn't eliminate new sources. Hyrule may very well have need of a protector again someday.

Time has little meaning here, and the Deity is not capable of impatience or boredom – being called to action would mean Hyrule is suffering. They do not wish for it.

"Link."

The Deity's eyes widen – through most of their lifetimes, that has been their name, and it still resonates. More importantly, the voice is one they remember very well. They turn around.

Hylia is smiling at them. She is in her Goddess form: all light and purity, an avatar of love and joy.

Memories come to the forefront in the Deity's soul: a lifetime with her while they were both mortal, both convinced their souls would find each other in the afterlife because of course they would, neither of them worried at all, both as happy as they could possibly be, their hearts tangled together so closely as to effectively beat as one.

And then they had died, and when the Hylian man they had been back then had followed Hylia in the afterlife, Demise's curse had taken effect and that man had been ripped away from her, cast alone in a void to wait for their next lifetime, their next fight. Alone, without Hylia, without anyone else they had gotten attached to, without anyone at all.

"Hylia?" They're not questioning who she is. They don't understand HOW she is.

She is right there in front of them, and yet it still feels impossible. They chose to save Hyrule with the understanding that the price was themself. None of their lives, not even the last one, would be more than memories, and they would never experience living again. Their entire existence would be limited to their purpose, and they had agreed to that. Their last life had agreed gleefully, but none of them would have refused.

And yet, Hylia is here. Here, right in front of them. Their Hylia, their Zelda, she is RIGHT HERE she has spoken she is smiling she is HERE, with them!

They stare. "How?" they ask, this time phrasing the question more accurately.

She steps closer to them and locks eyes with them.

"I made the same choice you did," she says. "A long time ago, in my case. I eventually accepted that I had lost you," she pauses and looks down, her brow slightly furrowed and her lips trembling. Her eyes shine.

They put their right hand on her left cheek, ever so gently. They don't want her to be sad. She smiles again, rests her own hand on his and slightly leans her head against his palm.

"I realized and accepted that I had lost you in the sense that we would never be together again, but I also realized that you needed me. And so did Hyrule, and so did the Triforce. I couldn't help as a mortal spirit, so I had to return to my original form. This was thousands and thousands of years ago."

"So then..."

"My purpose, as always, is to guard the Triforce and to help this Land of the Gods and its people flourish. Your purpose is to protect Hyrule."

"The Triforce is necessary to Hyrule, just like theirs was necessary to Lorule. You're saying that we share the same purpose."

"Yes."

"I thought... I expected… to remain on my own."

Hylia smiles. It's the smile of a young girl from Skyloft, and it has the same effect on the new deity as it did way back in their very first life. They are nearly bowled over by the surge of affection for her and all they can do is smile back. Hylia, Zelda of Skyloft, is but one of many, many people they loved with all their heart. They love all of them still. They love her still, as much as ever.

"Are you saying you want some alone time?" she asks playfully.

The new deity shakes their head. She puts her right hand on his left cheek – her left hand is still holding his right to her own face. He lays his free hand on hers and leans gently into her palm.

And the two protectors of Hyrule stand guard, ready to act as needed, united in waiting and in hoping that the wait will be very long.

Fin