Chapter 25
Link awoke in a daze. He remembered being sucked into the vortex, but he couldn't remember anything else. The first thing he noticed was that he couldn't move at all. He looked straight ahead and he realized he was being confined in a see through capsule of some sort. He looked around and he noticed two other capsules. He assumed Charlie and Navi were in the other two. He banged his hands on the capsule.. He didn't want to be in this prison any longer! As he was banging the capsule, he looked at his hands. He was wearing leather gauntlets and his hands were a lot larger. He looked down at himself and he noticed he was taller as well. What happened to him? He looked a lot older. Before he could make another observation about his new body, a bright yellow glow emanated in front of him. When the glow subsided, an old man was standing in front of Link. He waved his hand and the capsule Link was in broke open and Link fell out onto solid ground. He groaned and got up. He took a quick look around. He was standing on a large glowing blue platform. There were strange pads with symbols on them as well. He turned and looked at the old man in confusion.
"Who are you? Where am I and what happened to my body?"
The old man smiled.
"Greetings, Link. My name is Rauru. You are inside the Chamber of Light within the Sacred Realm. As soon as you pulled out the Master Sword from the pedestal, you took on the role as the Hero of Time. However, you were too young to fulfill your role. So I sealed you and your friends here for seven years. Now that you are old enough, I want you to take on the role as the Hero of Time."
Link was still a little confused.
"So let me get this straight. I pulled the sword out of the pedestal and me and my friends got pulled into that vortex just so you could freeze us for seven years?"
Rauru frowned.
"You could hardly lift the sword, let alone swing it. I figured you would be a lot stronger after seven or eight years "
Link nodded. That made a little sense. That sword was very heavy.
"But how do you know my name? We have never met."
Rauru simply smiled.
"Oh we have met, my boy. I seem to remember you calling me a chatterbox once."
Link thought for a minute and then gasped. It couldn't be! Was it possible that he was that annoying owl?
"You're telling me that you were that owl?"
Rauru nodded.
"Indeed. I was the very same owl that gave you and Charlie a lift back to Kakariko. I was Kaepora Gaebora. I used magic to morph into an owl. I tried to guide you a little even though you didn't like me back then."
Link grinned.
"Heh yeah. Can you free Navi and Charlie please?"
Rauru nodded and waved his hands and the other two capsules broke open. Navi fell to the ground. She looked the same after seven years. Charlie looked completely different. He was very tall and he had very long red hair and a beard. He was at least three feet taller than Link. He had kokiri clothing on still, but was fitted to his size. Link walked over to him.
"Charlie? Wake up, Pal. You're not going to believe what happened! You too, Navi."
Charlie groaned and opened his eyes. He gasped when he saw Link.
"What the? Is that you, Link? What happened to you?"
Charlie looked down at himself.
"And what happened to me? I grew up big time!"
He stood up and Link's head was level with his shoulders.
"It is seven years later, Charlie. That's why we look different."
Navi woke up. She gasped when she heard about how much time had passed.
"Link! Charlie! I hardly recognized you two. Has it really been seven years?"
Link nodded.
"Yes, Navi. That's right."
He turned to Charlie and pointed at Rauru.
"This man is Rauru. Guess who else he was? That owl we kept running into!"
"That's neat, Link. I never would've guessed."
Rauru frowned.
"Now that all that is straitened out, I have some bad news. While you were frozen, Ganondorf and his son Vaati followed you and managed to enter this Sacred Realm. They found the Triforcre and with it, they created a world of monsters. I need you to enter the five temples around Hyrule and awaken the sages within. Their power will surely help you in your struggle to defeat Ganondorf, king of evil. Oh and by the way, I know of your dilemma concerning your reality. Do you wish to continue living here?"
Link thought about it, but he wasn't sure anymore. His friend Max was now an evil villain, but his other friend Charlie didn't seem to mind it here. Link shrugged his shoulders.
"I have no idea. I haven't given it much thought to be honest. I like it here and I think Charlie still does as well."
Charlie nodded.
"I'm with you, pal. I've liked this place since day one."
Link smiled.
"Well said, man. Rauru, if we end up getting my former friend Max back to normal someday, I'll give you an answer then. But for now, I think we want to stay and continue our adventure."
Rauru nodded wisely.
"So be it. When your quest is complete, I will ask you again. I have the power to return you to your reality. Now, I am one of the six sages you will find in the temples. Each sage will awaken with the knowledge that they are a sage after you find them. You will be given a medallion just like this one."
Rauru held out his hand and passed Link a gold medallion. It had a picture of the triforce on one side and a strange symbol on the other side. Rauru smiled at Link and his friends.
"Take care of yourselves. I am going to send you back to the Temple of Time. Find the other sages so we can help you defeat Ganondorf."
Rauru waved his hands. Bright white light emanated from them. Link, Charlie and Navi covered their eyes. When they opened them, they were back in the Temple of Time. Charlie shook his head in amazement.
"Wow. I can't believe we were in there for seven years. I can't believe how tall I am now. I even got a beard! Let's see the master sword up close, Link."
Link found it in a scabbard strapped to his back. He held it out. The beautiful blade sparkled in the light of Navi's glow. It had a blue cross hilt with a black jet stone set into the hilt itself. All in all, it looked like a very impressive blade. Suddenly, Link's eyes caught movement ahead of them. They walked cautiously forward and a figure stepped out of the darkness. It appeared to be a heavily cloaked man. He was wearing purple pants and had a white scarf wrapped around his head and when he spoke, his voice sounded muffled.
"I have been waiting for you, Hero of Time. I am Shiek, a survivor of the Shiekah clan. You look impressive holding the Blade of Evil's Bane. The Master Sword is a sacred blade that has been untouched by evil for centuries. You have been tasked to find the sages throughout Hyrule and awaken them. I am going to point you in the right direction for the first sage you should encounter. She is in the Forest Temple in Kokiri Forest. Because of the evil forces at work, she cannot hear the call of awakening. You are going to help cleanse the evil so that she may awaken as a sage. The sage is a young girl that I think you will know. But before you go there, head to Kakariko Village. There is a useful tool you must obtain in the cemetery. I must also caution you about the evil one Vaati. He has been searching for you for the past seven years to seek vengeance on you. Be very careful, Link. Now, I must go. Good luck, Link."
Shiek started to back away. He threw an object on the floor. It created a lot of smoke. Link, Charlie and Navi started to cough. When the smoke cleared, Shiek was gone. Charlie scratched his head.
"What a weird guy, Link. Do you think we should listen to him and go to Kakariko Village graveyard?"
Link nodded.
"Yeah I think so. I'm not sure, but I think we can trust him. Let's go, guys."
The three friends walked out of the temple. As soon as they did, they heard evil laughing. Link turned around and a big muscular guy wearing black armor was standing there. He had black hair and his eyes were jet black in color. He had a jagged scar that ran across his forehead down to his lips. He grinned at Link.
"Well well, Link. Long time no see. Remember me?"
Link looked at the scar and recognized him immediately. Charlie gasped.
"Max! It's you! You found us!"
He sneered.
"The name's Vaati you idiot! I'm finally going to kill the three of you at last."
Vaati held out his hand. Link and Charlie went flying backwards into a wall of the Temple of Time. Afterwards, they were restrained by two black rings of dark energy. He smiled and turned to Navi.
"I think I'm going to kill you first you annoying Fairy!"
He walked over to Navi. She was hovering in mid air. She was too frightened to escape. She began to shake with fright. When he got closer, Navi screamed and suddenly flashed bright green in color. Vaati gasped and stumbles backwards and fell to the ground. Charlie and Link cheered Navi on.
"Yay! That showed him! How did you do that anyway?", asked Charlie.
"Who cares how she did it! When he gets up, do that again!", shouted Link.
Vaati groaned. The flashed knocked him unconscienous for a brief minute. When he stood up, he looked almost confused. He looked at himself and then he looked over at Charlie and Link.. Link took a closer look and he noticed that his eyes were no longer black. He began to speak.
"Uh where am I? Link? Is that you? And Charlie? You look so different. Why am I dressed like this?"
Link quickly began to realize who was talking.
"Max! You're back! You're right. It's me and Charlie. That green flash Navi did must have knocked out the evil inside of you."
Max smiled.
"It's so good to see you guys again. The last thing I remember was running from Saska and Jaska. One of them hit me with a spell and knocked me down. After that, I don't remember anything. What have I done to you guys?"
Link groaned.
"Try waving your hands. See if you can get us free."
Max waved his hands and the black rings of dark energy restraining Charlie and Link disappeared. They both ran over to him. Navi flew over to see him too.
"Max! It's been so long. We got a lot of catching up to do."
Max groaned and his eyes flashed black. He gasped.
"There's one problem. I don't think this is permanent, I think it's only temporary. Be ready to use that move on me again, Navi."
Max dropped to the ground. He yelled in pain. His eyes were almost black. Suddenly, they began to fade away again back to normal color.
"That took all my strength to resist the evil inside of me. You guys have to find a way to get me back to normal for good. I don't want to be evil anymore. Now tell me quickly, what have I done to you guys?"
Link spoke up.
"You almost killed me, man. Seven years ago, you shot a fireball at me and almost killed me. But I got revenge and shot a fireball in your face."
Max was shocked.
"I'm so sorry, Link. I can't control my actions. In my mind, I can see all the evil things I'm doing, but I'm unable to stop them. I don't blame you for fighting back. I can't believe I call that monster Ganondorf father! I'm going to try to make a mental note and hope my evil side tries it. I want to encounter you in one of the places you go. Battle me and get Navi to use that move again. You may be able to get me back to normal long enough to get me treated by someone. Now please, leave me. It was good to see you all again, but I'm afraid my evil side is going to take over soon. I will teleport you to Kakariko. Goodbye and good luck."
Max waved his hands and suddenly, all three disappeared. He smiled. He was glad to see them again. Even if it was only for a short time. Suddenly, he groaned again and dropped to the ground and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, they were pure black. His evil side was once again in control. He got up and looked around. He cursed in anger.
"Dammit! They must have escaped while I was out. I don't care how far you run, Link. Your days are numbered."
He disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke.
Link, Charlie and Navi appeared in Kakariko. On of the villagers saw them just appear and he shouted out.
"These guys came out of nowhere! They are evil villains sent here to kill us all!"
Another villager laughed at him.
"Yeah right, Hank. You tell the dumbest lies."
Link sighed with relief.
"Boy that was close. We got to find a way to keep Max normal permanently. I want my friend back. What do you guys think?"
Charlie nodded.
"Sounds fine to me. I miss him too and it was good to see him again. Navi, what was that move you used?"
Navi shrugged.
"I'm not too sure. The deku tree told me about a unique ability I possess when I'm in danger, but I don't remember what he called it. I thought it was only a rumor until I used it today."
Link smiled.
"Well whatever it was, you need to perfect it. If you can make that ability stronger, we will have Max back to normal sooner than we realize."