POV Zelda
The cold here is intense, and even with multiple layers of clothing, it penetrates my bones. The snow falls gently and melts as it lands on my nose. Link and I are at the top of Mount Lanayru, before the Spring of Wisdom. As we approached, I saw Naydra, the gigantic dragon that flies over this region of Hyrule, protecting it. There are two more, Dinraal and Farosh, each covering a different area of the land.
I watch her floating many meters above us, peaceful and graceful.
"The Zonai were right to worship them," I remark, enchanted. "Look how divine she is."
We admire Naydra as she follows her route and eventually disappears behind the gigantic ice columns that permeate the mountain.
"I wonder what it must be like to exist like that… so… free," I ponder, thoughtfully.
I shake my head to break the spell and focus on the task at hand. Link accompanies me to the elevated platform of the Spring. As with the others, between where I stand and the statue of Hylia, there is a small pool. I take a deep breath and step into the water.
The water is much colder than in the other springs — but not as cold as it should be, considering we are on an icy mountain. However, here it only reaches my ankles, so it's not too bothersome.
Three days ago, Link recovered his last memory. After disappearing for a few seconds upon playing the Ocarina, he reappeared in the same spot — pale, sweaty, and completely shaken.
"She killed him," he said, simply.
At first, I was happy. I imagined he was referring to Demise. But after a few minutes of recovery, he explained the whole story to me.
"Why would she do that?" I questioned, puzzled.
"I don't know… but we need to get to the Spring of Wisdom as soon as possible."
So we prepared for the journey. The Spring is not too far from Hateno, but the trip is difficult due to its location at the top of Mount Lanayru — which is always covered in snow and has a terrible altitude. We had to camp at several points along the way, and the closer we got to the summit, the more tension we felt.
Like the last times, I close my eyes and concentrate. Once again, I feel the water, now icy, rising over me.
"I am glad you made it here, Zelda," says the voice in my head. "I see you and Link have made some assumptions, but you still do not understand the whole story. I will clear your doubts today. Unlike the previous times, I will present the last memory to you now. But I need Link to receive this knowledge as well. Ask him to join us, please."
Confused, I comply with her order. Without hesitation, Link steps into the water and approaches until he is beside me.
"Hold his hand so I can transmit the memory to him as well," says the voice.
I interlace my fingers with his as we have done so many times, and I feel our hands freezing in a way that we cannot let go. I see the water covering me start to rise up his arm from the point where we touch and envelop him in a few seconds.
"Perfect," I hear, and when I look at him, I realize he also heard the voice. "We can begin then."
His head falls back, and blood starts pouring from his mouth, nose, ears, and, of course, the spot where the sword pierced his heart. Tears stream down my face, the first time in my existence that I experience the act of crying.
Unable to lose a second now, I concentrate on the next steps. By transforming the sword into a portal to the Sacred Realm, I believe I can transfer his soul there until I decide what to do next. This way, I can prevent him from dissolving back into the universe and maintain his individuality.
The sword's blade, still piercing his body, glows a faint shade of blue as I murmur some words to make it capture his soul.
Due to the chaos outside, no one saw what happened inside the temple. When Demise fell, all his monsters disappeared too. But many of the soldiers were wounded from the battle, so now, those in better condition were helping the more injured ones.
Feeling his soul leave his body completely but safely within the sword, I carefully withdraw it from his chest. I pass my hand over his wounds without touching them, closing them and cleaning the blood.
I leave his body lying on the temple floor, as I need to finish tidying up this mess before burying him. Holding the sword, I head outside the temple through the main door. Upon noticing my presence, all the soldiers stop what they are doing and kneel.
"Demise is dead," I announce loudly, firmly.
It's not true; his energy still permeates the temple. But I tell the people what they need to hear.
"However, it's not safe yet. Return to your homes immediately and lock yourselves in until further notice. Thank you for your service," and as I give the orders, I see there are very few soldiers here. My heart aches thinking of how many lives that demon took.
Everyone obeys without question, and in a few minutes, I am alone. Here outside the temple is a colossal statue of me. The hylians erected it despite my protests. Personally, I see no resemblance between the image and myself. But today, it will serve a purpose. Below the statue, there is a base that I can transform into a small room. I approach the wall, say some words while touching the stone, and after a few seconds, a purple arc glows on it, and a passage appears.
I enter the room, descending a small ramp. I concentrate my energy and conjure columns, candelabras, and a small pedestal in the middle. In the center of the pedestal, I create a base to hold the sword.
I kneel in front of this base and place the sword in its opening. I hold the hilt with both hands, preparing to make one last trip to the Sacred Realm.
Din, Farore, and Nayru greet me with curiosity. I realize Demise was right; they do not feel emotions like mortals — even witnessing everything that happened, they are not angry, scared, sad, or joyful. Just curious.
The three goddesses do not live in the Sacred Realm but somewhere outside time and space, where even I cannot access. But they can enter the Realm when they want, and I can only communicate with them from there.
"And now, Hylia? What have you done?" asks Din.
"Your mortal weakened Demise, a force of nature. Unbelievable," declares Farore.
"And you, in turn, ended the mortal's life to preserve his soul?" says Nayru, impressed. "Fascinating."
"You know this will come at a cost, right, Hylia? Everything you did there was against the basic laws that govern our universe — you interrupted several natural cycles just to satisfy a whim. We expect such selfish attitudes from mortals, not gods," says Din. However, there is no anger in her voice; she is just stating facts.
I nod, as I am aware of the consequences of my actions.
"You will have to give up your divine form," decrees Farore.
"I know. But I need you to help me with one last favor first," I request.
Curious about my proposal, the goddesses remain silent to hear my request.
"Demise was weakened, but his presence is still strong. When I give up my divinity, the energy will become unbalanced on the earth. He…" I say, looking at the new energy sphere floating, unconscious, here in the Sacred Realm. "He will be able to finish what I started. But the sword I created is not strong enough. I need you to help him enhance it so that it has the power to control Demise's destructive evil energy once and for all. That it returns to being just common, harmless entropy. And he will also need to be able to retrieve the Triforce to return it to the mortals, as I will no longer be able to make this connection."
The three remain silent for a few moments, considering what I said.
"Our energy is too intense for a mortal to bear, Hylia," says Din.
"But… I think we can help," says Farore.
"He, your beloved, will need to share the body with a mortal who has an Unbreakable Spirit. Ordinary mortals will not be able to carry the Hero's Spirit within them," explains Nayru.
"Additionally, in enhancing the sword, he will need to mature along with it to have the capacity to wield it. Each of us will create trials here in the Sacred Realm for him to develop his Courage, Power, and Wisdom. Only with these qualities will he be able to withstand the divine energy of this Master Sword," continues Farore.
Master Sword… I like the sound of that name for the weapon.
"In addition, once he possesses these qualities, he will be able to claim the Triforce," concludes Din.
"As for you," says Nayru. "Once the arrangements are completed, you will need to give up your divine form. But you will be able to reincarnate as a mortal. As you are still a goddess, living on the edge of time itself, part of your consciousness will remain here. The other part will be incarnate. However, you will only be able to use your powers from your mortal body — and in a much more limited way than you can today."
"And you will incarnate without memories of your existence as a goddess, of course," says Farore.
"If I am without memories, how will I access my powers?" I ask, trying to understand their logic.
I notice the attention of the three turning to his sleeping soul.
"Unlike him, who can incarnate in any mortal — as long as they possess an Unbreakable Spirit — you will incarnate only once. From then on, all women of your lineage will have the ability to channel your powers, as they will have divine blood running in their veins," begins Din.
"Your capabilities will be generally limited. However, in times when he is incarnate, he will be your answer. Your love for him will allow you to channel your powers to their full extent. He will be your connection to your divine consciousness. He will be your link," finishes Nayru.
Understanding their plan, only one last question remains.
"Why did you agree to help me with this? Wouldn't it be easier to just dematerialize everything and start from scratch?"
Their energy shines intensely, overflowing with curiosity.
"Sometimes it gets very monotonous here," says Din. "You are providing us with a new experience. Thank you for that."
I leave the Sacred Realm and begin the final preparations. I conjure a consciousness for the sword. It presents itself in a humanoid form, and its skin is blue.
"Your name will be Fi," I say. "You will reside in the Master Sword, and you will guide and protect him while I cannot remember."
She listens attentively as I inform her of all the necessary details. When I finish, she enters the sword, where she will live for all her existence.
With that done, I leave the chamber inside the statue and seal the door behind me. I go to the main entrance of the temple, raise my arms, and channel all my energy. The force is so great that my entire body trembles intensely, and I cause the piece of land where the statue and the chamber hiding the Master Sword are to detach and be launched into the sky. I do this with several other pieces of the territory as well, sending the few survivors, along with their homes, to live on floating islands far above this land.
Then, I conjure a large and dense barrier of clouds between this new kingdom and the land below. Those below the clouds will not be able to see the floating islands but will see the sky as normal. Those above will not be able to see the land below and will not know of its existence — as I masked their memories.
Finally, I enter the temple, where Demise's energy wanders aimlessly. I direct it outside the building and send it into the deep hole that remained from the spot where the statue stood, and force it into the ground. To seal his consciousness, I add a stake in the center — which I mark with sacred symbols to ensure he won't escape anytime soon.
I look around, confused, searching for the sword Demise carried. When he disintegrated, it fell to the temple floor, but now I can't find it. Feeling weak, I decide not to worry about it — it probably disintegrated too during the time I was in the Sacred Realm.
With no remaining tasks, I walk to his body and lie down beside him. I wish I had the strength to bury him properly, but I feel my energy dissipating. I decide to stay there, then, while the goddesses transmute my consciousness, and as I look at his face, I say my final words before falling asleep.
"My love, I hope you have the courage to find me."
I realize the memories have ended, but Hylia still speaks to me and Link.
"You may have realized it, but just to conclude: Zelda, you are a direct descendant of my first incarnation as a mortal, the Zelda of Skyloft. And you, Link, carry within you, along with your individual soul, the Spirit of the Hero, the Hylian I loved while still a goddess," she says, finishing her story. "That's why there are other Links and not other Zeldas. While young people with Unbreakable Spirits have a dual soul, I manifest through the divine blood of the Zeldas. And, for some unknown reason, when you, Links, die, your individual souls do not return to the fabric of the universe but remain in a separate dimension. Some of the previous Links have assisted you in your journey, but this is not the first time this has happened. The Hero of Time, for example, trained the Hero of Twilight in his mission."
"I understand," I reply aloud so that Link can also hear me. "But what does all this have to do with Ganon and the Calamity? And the Triforce, what happened to it? Why did we forget about its existence? And what is the ancient problem the Links asked us to solve?" I ask, desperate.
"Head to the Forgotten Temple in Hebra. There you will find the final answers."
And with that, Hylia cuts the connection one last time.