Chapter 28: Chains of Madness
"Through perseverance many people win success out of what seemed destined to be certain failure." –Benjamin Disraeli
The battle for Rito Village has begun to slow down; the Allied Forces have managed to regain control of over 90% of the areas around the village and the phazon tentacles have been destroyed. Near the village, a small group of Hylian soldiers have gathered to tend to the wounded from all fronts.
"Men, status report." Commander Mormont arrives and orders an assessment.
"Sir, the enemy numbers have dwindled significantly and others have begun to retreat." One of the soldiers approaches Mormont and answers him. "It would seem that it is only a matter of time before the battle reaches its end."
"Link did it; his plan worked." Mormont comments quietly, relief washing over him. "Very well; I will lead our soldiers to aid the forces. You continue with aid to the wounded."
"Sir!"
Elsewhere, Paya and the new Champion's slow down as the enemies are almost completely wiped out. However, the former's attention is drawn high up towards the sky and she drops her spear in disbelief and terror.
"Everyone?!"
Acknowledging her shout, the Champions look up and are stunned by what they see.
Vah Medoh
"Zelda, Samus, Teba, please…" As Link reaches the edge of Vah Medoh's head, he drops to his knees again and grips his head as the helmet forms over the left half of his face...before looking up at them with a partially reconstructed helmet that resembles that of Dark Samus. "RUN!!!" As he shouts in despair, Link tosses himself from the Divine Beast.
"LINK!" Zelda, without thinking of her own self preservation, jumps after him.
"Damn it!" Teba exclaims as he puts away his bow. "Samus, quick; get on!"
"Right!" Deactivating her suit, Samus clings onto Teba's back and they both swoop down behind the others.
Straightening herself out, Zelda uses the speed to catch up to Link and grabs his arm. "Link! You cannot do this!"
"GET AWAY FROM ME!" Link shouts before shoving Zelda off of him, unwilling to harm her in his state. Undeterred, Zelda dives back down as Teba and Samus desperately try to catch up to them. Finally, avoiding all of Link's thrashing, Zelda manages to grab him from behind and invoke Farore's Wind to teleport them down below.
Rito Village
As the Champion's exclaim in confusion as to where Link and Zelda disappeared to, their questions were immediately answered; in flurry of green and yellow flashes, Zelda drops near them and due to his thrashing, Link is unintentionally jettisoned several feet away from her.
"Highness!" All the Champion's shout in surprise before gathering around Zelda.
"Princess, are you alright?" Paya asks, placing her hands on Zelda's shoulders.
"I…what?" Zelda responds in a daze before refocusing and looking past the others. "Where is Link?!"
From afar, Link gets to his knees and clutches his head; screaming as the phazon runs rampant in his body once more, along with altering his suit. As Zelda and the others move to help him, a barrier of phazon separates Link from them; allowing the phazon to continue undisturbed. In response, Zelda commands everyone to hit the barrier with their Chozodium weapons to bring it down. Soon, Link drops to the ground after the phazon completes its preparations.
"What is happening?" Sidon asks in uncertainty.
"Master Link?" Paya asks, fearful of Link's condition.
The barrier lowers, not due to their actions, and Link rises in a disturbing manner; without the aid of his hands and only using his feet as a center of gravity.
"Link, can you hear me?" Zelda slowly reaches out. In turn, Link does the same…only for the armor around his arm to disperse and form several points on his palm that starts to form a focused beam, firing it as a massive stream of phazon. Stunned, Zelda stands in place until Samus tackles her away from the blast. Activating her Duo-Blight Suit after getting Zelda away from Link, Samus prepares to engage her comrade.
"Zelda, I'll hold him off; you must explain to the others what's going on!" Samus quickly instructs, rushing off to face Link. Without a chance to retort, Zelda simply decides that it would be the best course of action to inform the others immediately.
"Everyone, gather around now!" Zelda calls out to the others and she is soon joined by them.
"Highness, what has happened to Master Link?" Paya is the first to ask.
"Yeah, why did he attack you? And what was that?" Yunobo adds.
"Everyone, I'm afraid that Link has been infected with phazon." At these words, the group collectively gasps. "We must get him to see reason before it takes him over completely."
"No offense, but how are you so sure we can even do that? That armor of his got stronger too." Teba retorts.
"You're all holding the answer."
"Our new weapons?" Riju asks, bring up the Chozodium sword she was handed earlier.
"Yes. While I don't fully understand the complete details, the material that these weapons are made from not only withstand phazite, but can actually disrupt phazon."
"But Highness, that would imply that we have to raise our weapons to him…" Sidon remarks in an uncertain tone.
"I don't know…if I'm willing to do that." Riju adds with insecurity.
"I mean, that's a lot to ask this time." Yunobo states, clearly uncomfortable with the idea.
"Listen to me!" Zelda shouts in order to get the others to pay attention to her. "Our current objective is to bring Link back to his senses, but that cannot be done in his state! I am asking you to stand with me and fight for him! I cannot do this alone!" At these words, the others look at each other in a mix of reluctance and understanding. "But I will if I must; please, do it for him…" With those final words, Zelda runs off, Chozodium rapier in hand, and goes to join Samus in the battle against her knight.
The fight between Samus and a Corrupted Link had not gone in either one's favor; Link's newfound strength, speed and agility made Samus's attack and defense very unbalanced.
"Seriously, where did you get all these abilities?" Samus asks in clear frustration.
"It's extraordinary how much the phazon has evolved in his body; I can say with almost 100% certainty that it is giving him ideas on how he can manipulate his suit into these bizarre forms." Virginia reports, bringing up a new schematic of Link's altered suit.
"Unbelievable…"
After the brief cut in the fight, Link forms spider-like legs on his back, a combination of suit parts and phazon ligaments, to propel himself towards Samus. In response, She blasts him with a phazon burst from her own reserves before somersaulting over him as he crashes into a tree. Before she can recover from the drop, Link uses a phazon tentacle to grab Samus by the leg and slam her into several trees before tossing her towards a rocky wall. As Samus tries to get back on her feet, Link charges phazon energy into his chest before firing a stream from it. Just then, Zelda teleports in between them and uses Nayru's Love to deflect it back at Link, sending him backwards several feet.
"Zelda!"
"Samus, I'm here to help you." Zelda states with her rapier drawn.
"And the others? Are they coming?" Samus asks while checking her suits diagnostics.
"I…I don't know." Zelda responds in an uncertain tone "Regardless, we must help him however we can."
"Zelda, I am open to suggestions, but I don't see how we can get through to him. If only we could see what's going on in his mind."
"In his mind?" Zelda asks, before coming to a realization. "That's it! Ghor!"
"Ghor? I don't understand."
"That time we fought Ghor; I saw into his mind. That's how I knew that destroying him was not the only option. Samus, if I can get in close to Link, maybe I can enter his mind before he's lost forever!"
"That's…certainly thinking outside the box. But, how do we get you in close?"
Before they can plan anything, Link arrives with a partially damaged suit and punches Samus away before turning his attention to Zelda, pinning her to the ground while she uses her rapier and Master Sword to keep him at bay by crossing them over his chest.
"Link! Listen to me; you have to fight this! I know that you don't want to do this!" Zelda shouts as Link glares at her with murderous rage through the broken upper left part of his helmet, trying to get through her defenses. "You can't let this beat you; this is not who you are! Please, fight…" As she says this, Zelda's arms begin to give way and she shuts her eyes in anticipation of an attack…only to feel a hand stroking her face. Opening her eyes slightly, Zelda sees Link's exposed eye with a remorseful expression and tears streaming down it; leaving Zelda speechless as she has never seen Link do that before.
"Kill…me…" Link, in a strained voice, pleads with Zelda to end him before he can do anything. Before Zelda can retort, Samus arrives to pry Link off of her and toss him aside. As Samus gets Zelda back onto her feet, Link's helmet reforms itself and he rises, floating above the ground.
"Samus, Link's phazon is reaching critical; estimated 94%." Virginia reports.
"Zelda, I'm running out of options now…" Samus states in a quiet tone.
"I saw it; he's still fighting!" Zelda shouts in excitement. "We just have to weaken him enough for me to get closer!"
Unexpectedly, Link disperses the armor around his torso and the pair wait for any sudden attack from him. However, Link does something very particular; using the phazon and armor particles, he rips apart his Champion's Tunic, revealing the multitude of scars he endured throughout his life. Lastly, the phazon in his body decides to erase the scars, effectively regenerating the damaged tissue with new ones. As the armor covers his torso once more, the sword insignia from the tunic drops to the ground, allowing Link to stomp on it as if to tell Zelda and Samus he's gone. In spite of what is going through her mind at this act, Zelda stands firm with Samus beside her, ready to face Link once more and as if to rub it in their faces even further, a translucent layer of phazon covers Link's body, making him look almost otherworldly.
"I don't care how much strength you have; I will bring you back to your senses!" Zelda declares, pointing her rapier at him.
"If we have an advantage, it's that we have him outnumbered two to one." Samus states, locking on to Link.
"Make that three." From above, three Chozodium arrows strike Link, disrupting the phazon covering him as he drops to his knees. Afterwards, Teba hovers down to join Zelda and Samus. In retaliation, Link stretches out his right arm and fires a stream of phazon from it, only for an object to drop down and redirect it back at him.
"Four." Yunobo unfurls himself and deactivates Daruk's Protection, having been the one to redirect the blast.
As Link reels from the blast, he is struck by two other individuals, disrupting the phazon further.
"Five!" Sidon shouts, returning to Zelda's left side.
"Six!" Riju declares, standing at Zelda's right side.
Lastly, an unknown attacker zips by and hits Link at strategic points on his suit, before revealing themselves as Paya; shedding her usual garb and having a Sheikah stealth suit underneath as she joins the others. "Seven."
"You're…all here?" Zelda asks in surprise.
"You were right, Princess; we must face Link in this battle." Sidon states.
"We're gonna bring him back, no matter what!" Yunobo confidently shouts.
"He has done so much for us; it's time that we return the favor." Riju adds, swinging her Chozodium sword slowly.
"The fight on Vah Medoh isn't going to end this way." Teba states as he touches down on the ground.
"Master Link, we will save you!" Paya, swinging her Chozodium spear thrice in hand, declares to her mentor.
"I'd say we have the odds in our favor now." Samus adds, scanning the group and Link's current prowess. "Zelda?"
Acknowledging all that the others have stated, Zelda stands firm before making her statement, along with Link taking time to recover. "Very well, everyone listen; our goal is not to harm Link, but to wear him down enough for me to get in close and enter his mind. It's a lot for me to ask, but can you do this?"
In response, the others immediately arm themselves, ready to face their comrade. As this happens, Link is floating above the ground and the bioluminescent blue layer of phazon covers him once more.
"I'll go first!" Samus charges forward and dodges the phazon bursts from Link's hands, backfliping and somersaulting over them before landing a dropkick on his chest. Landing on her left hand, Samus maneuvers herself so that she's back on her feet and fires a hyper missile at Link's chest. Reeling from the impact, Link forms phazon blades on his arms and starts swinging them wildly at Samus, who dodges them while returning fire with phazon blasts, culminating in Link swinging a phazon stream from his arm at Samus which forces her to backflip over it. As she lands, Link immediately closes the distance between the two and holds Samus by the throat. "N-now!"
"Yunobo, let's go!" Sidon shouts before throwing an extra Chozodium spear at Link, making the latter release Samus.
"Right!" Yunobo curls up and rolls into Link while his phazon coating was briefly lowered, allowing Sidon thrust his spear into him and for Samus to finish the combo with a charged shot to Link's chest. Frustrated, Link jabs his arms into the ground and forms large phazon tentacles around him that spin wildly, forcing the others to back off.
"I got this!" Teba flies up high above the tentacles and shoots a barrage of arrows at Link, once again disrupting the phazon around him as the tentacles crumble away. "Sorry about this." Teba swoops down with Chozodium swords on his feet and slashes at Link's suit, damaging it significantly. As Link gets back up, he finds that the phazon coating is just barely covering him, indicating that it is receding.
"I don't think so!" Riju shouts, pointing her scimitar at Link which drops a lightning bolt on him that forces Link to his knees. "It's working, we need to keep it up!"
"Highness, stay here; we cannot risk you getting injured if we want your plan to work! I will join the others!" Paya states before running off, earning a silent nod from Zelda. Bypassing the others, Paya jabs Link's chest with the bottom of her spear before rapidly striking the phazon points covering his body, making them recede. "Everyone, together!"
With Link's phazon coating mostly depleted, Paya and the new Champion's take the opportunity to whittle away Link's suit while Samus offers phazon blasts to keep the coating down. After a long moment of having his suit broken in several places, Link finally refocuses and angrily retaliates; grabbing Yunobo and tossing him at Sidon, blasting Samus with a phazon stream from his chest, kicking Riju away and punching Teba down.
"Everyone!" Zelda shouts, indirectly grabbing Link's attention as he moves towards her as his phazon coating starts to return. Before he gets closer, a phazon blast stops him as Samus lands between Link and Zelda.
"Samus, your efforts to halt Link has made the phazon coursing through his body slow its advance. Be warned however, as it has not stopped; your time is still limited." Virginia reports.
"I've lost three compatriots to phazon corruption; I am not going to lose another." Samus declares before driving her left hand into a broken phazon tentacle, absorbing its energy to replenish her reserves as her weapon systems are fully armed. "Zelda, stay back!"
Link materializes phazon blades from his arms and swings the energy at Samus, who effortlessly dodges them and gets close. In close proximity, Link swiftly slashes at Samus, who counters a swipe with her arm cannon after finding an opening. Before she can shoot, Link moves to the side with lightning fast speed and lands a flurry rush on Samus with his blades before roundhouse kicking her away. Before she hits the ground, Samus morphs into a ball and rams into his chest before ricocheting off of it and unfurling afterwards.
"Samus, I have confirmed that Link's armor has been damaged and is protruding in areas." Virginia reports, bringing up a 3D image of Link's suit.
"And?"
"Remember that this new suit allows you access to the Hyper Grapple via the Grapple Voltage; despite not having Hypermode yourself, I can confirm with 87% accuracy that you can drain some of his phazon into your own reservoirs, lowering his own level in the process. You simply need to grapple onto those protrusions on his armor as an anchor."
"Ah, I understand." Complying, Samus re-engages Link as he fires another stream from his chest, forcing her to slide beneath it before kicking up at his chest to halt it and firing a charged phazon shot at his head, dazing him. Taking Virginia's report into account, Samus uses her grapple beam to connect herself to Link before siphoning phazon from him. "You were right Virginia, his level is lowering albeit slowly! I've got an idea for the excess!" With her arm cannon, she fires a stream of excess phazon upwards, not allowing her levels to overload.
"Samus, I have concluded that this method is working. However, Link's phazon levels lower and rise as you siphon it. Unless his Hypermode deactivates, there will be no meaningful changes made to him." Virginia reports, bringing up Link's fluctuating vitals. As she says this, Link regains his composure and thrashing wildly to release himself from Samus's grapple beam, who struggles to keep the connection. Before he shoots a phazon stream from his arm, Link is struck by another lightning bolt that interrupts his attack; Riju arrives and grabs Link in a headlock. Soon after, Yunobo rolls in before grabbing Link by the left arm and tearing off his helmet. As Link readies to fire another blast from his right arm, Sidon slashes at it before restraining said arm. Teba swoops down and hits Link's legs at strategic points to get him to kneel down, helping Sidon to keep a grip on Link's arm afterwards.
"Princess, it's time!" Paya runs over to Zelda, pointing out that Link is restrained. "Follow behind me!"
"Understood!" Zelda acknowledges, welling the sealing power in her hands as they both rush towards Link. In response, Link fires a phazon stream from his chest, forcing Paya to hold her Chozodium spear forward to block it, slowing their progress. As Zelda tries to keep Paya from buckling, a slash hits Link on the chest that disrupts the phazon stream; Sooga had arrived to aid them with his remaining claymore.
"Hurry, Princess!"
Taking advantage of the attack, Paya rushes Zelda towards Link and she at last holds on to the sides of his head. As Link screams in rage, Zelda closes her eyes and concentrates while Paya and Sooga to her right and left respectively and Samus and the Champion's hold on to him. "Please, this has to work…"
--
Opening her eyes, Zelda finds herself inside of a strange chamber made of some kind of organic, blue material, bone like structures around the walls acting as pillars and phazon coursing like blood within the walls. To add to her curiosity, Zelda finds that she is wearing her white dress when she sealed Calamity Ganon, along with her hair being long once again. Focusing once again, Zelda gasps in horror as she sees Link on his knees; his arms brought up with blue chains a yoke around his neck with those same chains connected to the ground and a Dark Samus visor obscuring most of his expressionless face.
"Pathetic, isn't he…?" Startled, Zelda turns around to see Dark Samus standing several feet away from her. "I thought he would put up more of a fight, yet he was easily overwhelmed by the phazon… Now, he serves a new purpose…"
"Release him, NOW!" Zelda shouts in anger.
"Your petty mewling is of no use… If you came here to save him, then you have made a fatal error… You have idiotically let me inside of your mind…"
"No, you let me inside of yours!" Zelda retorts as she gathers power in her palms.
"And the outcome will be different how…?" Dark Samus retorts, before quickly firing off a salvo of phazon shots. In response, Zelda swipes her hand and a streak of her power emerges to block the attack before conjuring a fireball from her other hand and launching it at Dark Samus. Looking at where she threw the fireball, Zelda finds that Dark Samus had disappeared from that area and reappeared behind her. Before Dark Samus can strike her, Zelda uses Nayru's Love to block her attack before using Farore's Wind to teleport away. Dark Samus immediately rushes over to swing at Zelda with a phazite blade from her arm cannon, but Zelda uses her power from her right hand to counter it just as the blade connects. "Impressive…"
Tabantha
"Virginia, how is it looking?" Samus asks while siphoning phazon from a still motionless Link.
"The phazon level has slowed significantly. Maintain your grip on him." Virginia reports.
"Everyone, don't let your guard down; even if Link is still, he could move at any time." Sidon states as the other nod in acknowledgement.
"Is anything actually happening though? These two are like a pair if statues." Riju asks.
"And the outcome will be different how…?" Dark Samus retorts, before quickly firing off a salvo of phazon shots. In response, Zelda swipes her hand and a streak of her power emerges to block the attack before conjuring a fireball from her other hand and launching it at Dark Samus. Looking at where she threw the fireball, Zelda finds that Dark Samus had disappeared from that area and reappeared behind her. Before Dark Samus can strike her, Zelda uses Nayru's Love to block her attack before using Farore's Wind to teleport away. Dark Samus immediately rushes over to swing at Zelda with a phazite blade from her arm cannon, but Zelda uses her power from her right hand to counter it just as the blade connects. "Impressive…"
"I don't even remember how long we've been standing here; everyone else is just waiting for anything." Yunobo states, looking at the Allied Forces surrounding them from afar.
"It doesn't matter, keep holding on." Teba adds, advising everyone to keep their guard up.
Back at the inner fight, Zelda has begun to show signs of fatigue while Dark Samus stands tall, no doubt the phazon allowing her to continue the fight unhindered.
"Why do you continue to fight, when you know that there is no hope…?" Dark Samus asks, looming over Zelda.
"You're wrong; there is always hope!" Zelda retorts before blasting Dark Samus with her sealing power, only for the latter to overpower it with a phazon blast that sends Zelda backwards.
"Not when it's placed in a weakling like your champion…" Dark Samus floats over to where Zelda landed. "I find it amusing; he wished to save everyone, yet he could not save himself… Now he serves a new purpose; he exists only to carry forth my will… Accept it, he is mine…"
"He is still fighting you; you will not break him!" Zelda shouts before conjuring her own bow of light and bombards Dark Samus with arrows. In response, Dark Samus teleports behind her and blasts Zelda in the back.
"Then I will just have to give him more incentive…" Dark Samus floats up and raises her left hand, transferring more phazon into the restrained Link as he groans in discomfort.
"No!" Zelda shouts in shock.
Back at Tabantha, the phazon in Link's body goes out of control and he begins to stir.
"What's going on?!" Sidon shouts, struggling to keep his grip on Link.
"Warning, warning; phazon levels have become dangerously high. It has jumped from low 70s to borderline 90% and rising." Virginia reports, setting off alarms inside of the suit.
"Damn it! Virginia, increase the suits output!" Samus orders as the cannon starts firing out even more phazon.
"No!" Zelda shouts in shock.
"Everyone, I think we're in trouble!" Riju shouts, pointing out to various areas on Link's suit being covered in phazon once more.
"Don't let go!" Teba orders while keeping his grip on Link.
"Princess, hurry…" Paya silently asks, watching as the phazon creeps across Link's body.
Back in Link's mind, Zelda is now facing a losing battle against Dark Samus as she struggles to remain standing.
"Do you understand now…? You may be able to resist, but you cannot prevail against this power…"
"It…is not over. Not yet…" Zelda breathlessly retorts.
"Your stance convinces me otherwise…"
"You will not win!" Zelda shouts as she uses what remains of her strength to bombard Dark Samus with all of her magic. As the dust clears, Zelda is horrified to see that Dark Samus has grown six, almost organic, tentacles from her back and used them to keep her magic at bay before retracting them. Before Zelda can figure out a method of retaliation, Dark Samus punches her in the abdomen and knocking her down afterwards.
"N-no..." Zelda wearily exclaims, dragging herself on the floor.
"I believe I have indulged you long enough; do you yield...?"
Ignoring Dark Samus, Zelda continues to crawl towards Link until she hears him talk.
"Hylia, I'm sorry... I did wrong, I know." Link states just above a whisper, clearly remorseful of his actions as of now. "I let this poison get to my head and I deserve whatever comes to me. Just please, spare Zelda and everyone else... I'll take everything you bring down on me, just let her survive this, I beg you..."
While Dark Samus looks at this scene with disinterest, Zelda continues to crawl over to Link and after reaching him, gets to her knees and cups his face.
"No, you do not deserve such harshness. You've done more for us than you seem to realize; we owe you so much already. I know you will overcome this overwhelming situation. You have to supersede this; because Samus needs you. Paya needs you. Our new champions need you. And, also..." After saying what she needed to say, Zelda whispers into his left ear. "So, please; come back to me..." Gearing herself up, Zelda shuts her eyes and head-butts the visor obscuring Link's face. After this, apparently pointless action, Dark Samus back hands the side of her head and then picks Zelda up by the back of it.
"Are you finished...?" Dark Samus then begins having phazon creep onto her, making Zelda scream. Eventually, the visor over Link's left eye begins to crack and fall off, allowing Link to see the scene unfold. With memories of Hyrule flooding his mind and regaining a semblance of self, Link grabs his chains and starts pulling the ones on his neck by trying to stand up. After a long while and with a mighty shout, Link breaks his chains and uses them to bat Dark Samus away. The phazon disappears from Zelda and Link grabs her as she falls. Zelda opens her eyes and sees Link smiling down at her.
"You...did it."
"I couldn't let you down like this, I'm here for you now." Link gently answers, stroking the left side of Zelda's face, much to her relief.
After getting back up and seeing now that Link is much more trouble than he's worth, Dark Samus has had enough.
"Very well, you will perish together..." Dark Samus fires a massive stream of phazon that covers them both. As the dust clears, Dark Samus is surprised to see a transparent projection of Samus shielding Link and Zelda from the blast, along with the Leviathan Seed interior being replaced by the lush fields of Hyrule. "What is this…?"
Link expression changes to one of determination as he glares at Dark Samus, gently setting Zelda down as he stands up. "My power. You may have all that phazon, but my strength is that I never give up. Zelda, Samus and the others reminded me of that and I am done letting you control me." Link declares as he walks over to Dark Samus.
"Silence…" Incensed, Dark Samus fires a shot of phazon at Link, only for a transparent projection of Paya standing between them to block it. Startled, Dark Samus continues her barrage, only for more projections to block all attacks (Samus, Paya, Teba, Yunobo, Sidon, Riju and it repeats). At last, Link has all the projections surround her while he's face to face with Dark Samus.
"This is the very last time that I will tell you this…" On call, each of the projections land heavy blows on Dark Samus. "Stay. Far. Away. From. My. MIND!" Brought to her knees, Dark Samus looks up at Link, who flexes his right hand and forms the Master Sword before bringing it down, shattering Dark Samus as a stream of phazon erupts from her while she screams.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!"
Tabantha
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!" Link shouts as if eclipsing Dark Samus, much to his allies shock, as his phazon retreats back in his body and the suit returns to its original (albeit damaged) state. At the same moment, Zelda opens her eyes and a golden stream of light exits them and passes through Link's head. At its conclusion, both of them collapse in exhaustion (Zelda is grabbed by Paya and Link supported by Samus). Gasping awake, Link looks around before closing his eyes in remorse over his actions, until the others look at him with smiles on their faces. Afterwards, Samus retracts her helmet and smiles at him as well.
"Don't worry, we've got you." Samus interjects before Link can say anything. "It's over."
"Yeah, your plan worked like a charm; we took back all of Tabantha." Sidon ecstatically states.
"The remaining enemy forces have retreated and all the wounded are being tended to." Teba adds.
"And it looks like the crowd is breaking apart." Yunobo points to the Allied Forces surrounding them as they slowly return to their places.
"And you gave us quite the scare, Link." Riju states, standing in front of Link with her arms on her hips. "Please, don't pull a stunt like that again."
Looking at their partially unkempt appearances, Link stands firm and addresses the new Champion's. "Everyone, you stood up to me in my madness and never backed down. I now know that you are prepared to defend your homelands and all of Hyrule; you are all worthy of the title Champion. Thank you, all of you." Link bows his head in respect to the new Champion's, much to their appreciation. "Teba, I think we should make it official."
"But first." Samus cuts in and points to Zelda, who is just coming to.
"Zelda!" Everyone makes way for Link to get over to Zelda. "Are you alright?"
"Uh, yes." Zelda answers while holding her head in discomfort. "But, what about you?"
"I…am at a loss. I did awful things." Link states in a somber tone. "I should've been stronger than that."
"Link…"
"But, I owe you my life. You are the one who saved me from that darkness and I will never forget this. Also, I know I should have told you about my corruption, but…"
Before Link can continue, Zelda hushes him. "It doesn't matter anymore. We stopped your rampage and that is all that matters. We will fix this some way, I will not lose you to it. I promise."
"I apologize for the interruption, but I took the liberty of scanning Link for his Corruption." Virginia states.
"Oh? And what did you see?" Samus asks.
"His phazon level is 99.5%. However, it has shown no signs of progression; it appears to have stopped."
"Stopped?" Link and Zelda ask at the same time.
"Precisely. I do not know the exact cause, but I am inclined to think that Zelda had something to do with it. Her presence in Link's mind may have acted as something equivalent to a barrier. Regardless, I recommend against any action that involves the usage of Hypermode as it could bring about the remaining 0.5% and you could be lost. Link, do not activate Hypermode again."
Taking these words into account, Link looks at everyone present before exhaling. "I won't linger on this now; whatever comes my way, I will confront it head on with my own abilities." Link then places his hands on Zelda's shoulders. "Come. We need to anoint Teba together, while I still have the strength left."
"Are you sure?" Zelda asks, worried about Link's health.
"We can do this later, you don't have to push yourself." Teba cuts in.
"No, we need our new Champion's now. I can still handle this much. Please, let's go."
Deciding that discussing this matter further would be pointless, Zelda nods and pulls out the Sheikah Slate. "Purah, can you hear me?"
"Zellie! What happened? I thought the fighting ended a while back; what have you all been doing all this time?" Purah asks, clearly worried by their tardiness.
"Ah, that…we just had a small setback." Zelda answers, not wanting to mention what happened earlier. "Anyway, we need to return to Vah Medoh; can you prepare four of the Guardian Skywatchers to bring several others as well?"
"Ah, that's right; this is the last of the new Champion's. You want the other's present as well, don't you? Alrighty; I can have four of them attached to a board with fences so they can join you up top."
"Perfect. Link and I will use the slate to teleport up to Vah Medoh and Teba can carry Samus. Get this done quickly, please."
"You got it!" Purah happily answers before severing the connection as Zelda puts the Sheikah Slate away.
"Ah yes." Zelda kneels down and picks up the Master Sword up off the ground. "Here, it's time you held it again."
At this, Link freezes as the sword is handed back to him; worries about what he did to it previously. Cautiously, Link reaches out and grabs the Master Sword, relieved that he didn't alter or corrupt the blade again before sheathing it. "Zelda, about earlier-"
"I said we're not going to dwell on it anymore. As you said, we have an anointment to complete." Zelda cuts in, bringing out the slate once more.
"Alright." Saying nothing more, Link joins Zelda and she teleports them both up to Vah Medoh.
Divine Beast Vah Medoh
Materializing on top of the Divine Beast, Link and Zelda breathe deeply before taking in the view of a barrier-less sky, until a certain voice calls out to them.
"Well well, here we are once again, eh?" The two turn around to see the spiritual form of Revali addressing them. "Saving my Divine Beast for last as well, I thought you were better than that, heh."
"Revali!" Zelda excitedly shouts. "It's good to see you again!"
"I would assume so; I was your best Champion after all. But, I suppose Link will have to do, given all that's- what?!"
Revali is cut off and surprised by Zelda unexpectedly hugging him. "Revali, even if we need new Champion's, understand that all four of you are irreplaceable. I'm sorry that we couldn't do anything before…"
Though initially surprised, Revali clears his throat before continuing. "Uh, there now, Princess; you should carry yourself with a bit more grace. You know, for everyone else's sake."
"Yes, you're right." Zelda smiles, wiping her left eyelid.
"Anyway, Link; I see you have improved your skills. I suppose my absence was the incentive to get stronger, otherwise I'd have left you in the dust."
Saying nothing, Link walks up to Revali and gently pats his shoulder while smiling. "It's good to see you again too, Revail."
"Hmm. Well anyway, let's get down to business; you are all in need of a brand new Champion for Vah Medoh."
"And here is the candidate!" Samus declares as Teba swoops up and down onto the Divine Beast with her on his back. Not long after, the others arrive on a platform pulled by four Guardian Skywatchers that drops them off.
"Ah, I see you also brought an entourage for my moment. You shouldn't have." Revali states in a haughty tone. "Well, who is the lucky Rito?"
"That would be me." Teba approaches Revali and bows slightly. "It is truly an honor to meet you; I never believed I would get the chance."
"Ah, finally; someone who can appreciate my greatness. You really are fit to be my successor. Pray tell; is it my ability or overall strength with Vah Medoh that you appreciate?"
"Well…I was actually inspired by the idea that our Master Revali maintained a sense of duty to the Rito and all of Hyrule. Were you really this…exuberant?" Teba asks with an air of apprehension.
"E-exuberant?! I'll have you know that the Princess came to me in her hour of greatest need!" Revali exclaims in indignation. "Do you have the slightest idea what would happen if she and Hyrule had no air support?!"
"I do, but that's also why there were three other Divine Beasts. You all worked in tandem with neither one having an upper hand over the other, save for the environment. As it should be." Teba states calmly while Link tries not to laugh, gesturing to Zelda that they should move along with the anointing.
"Well then, you clearly think you know better than me; having faced that flying monster with nary but my bow and that new metal from the past. Rallying the other Rito and races into uniting against this blight. Obviously, you think you are right for the job."
"Revali, does that mean then?" Zelda asks, expectant.
"Yes, yes; he's perfect for my successor. Go ahead and speak your part." Revali dismissively answers.
"Very well then." Zelda stands in front of Revali and Teba before making her announcement. "Proud Revali, I anoint Teba, warrior of the Rito as the new Champion of Divine Beast Vah Medoh."
"As you command, Princess. Or should I say, my Queen." Revali gracefully bows and a blue sash materializes that extends from Teba's left shoulder to his right hip with the symbol of Vah Medoh on it. Link, Paya and the other Champions raise their weapons for Teba and he responds by holding up the Great Eagle Bow as Vah Medoh proudly screeches.
"Well now, I see that everything is all squared away here, but don't fret; I will reside within Vah Medoh for the time being in case I am needed." Revali turns away and makes for the main control unit. "Link, try very hard not to disappoint me, will you?"
"Come on, Revali; when have I ever?" Link confidently remarks.
"Hmm, fair point. Then make sure it stays that way. Til next time." Revali smiles as he disappears into Vah Medoh. Now alone, Zelda makes her announcement.
"My friends, we have succeeded in our endeavor; the four new Champion's have at last been gathered. It was a long road and the fruits of our labor have also been collected; all of the Sheikah Towers have been freed from this barrier. Now, we only have one final target to locate; the Leviathan Seed. I must ask you all for your strength one last time. The end is upon us."
Saying nothing, everyone raises their weapons; silently pledging their allegiance to Zelda for their last strike.
Meanwhile, at the top of Hebra Peak, Ganondorf observes Vah Medoh with an indiscernible expression…
Four hours later
After the battle, the Rito have begun the long process of repairing all the damage done to the village with help from the other races after the majority of them went back to their own lands to protect them. From the entrance to Rito Village, Paya had remained to overlook the progress.
"Paya?" Impa walked up behind Paya to address her.
"Grandmother? I thought you returned to Kakariko Village."
"Not yet, I wanted to see that everything was going uninterrupted. Is everything alright?"
"For the moment, it is; the Rito have nearly completed their repairs in time for sunset. The other's are making good time too. Ah, and Sooga and his men left a while back. The only thing I heard from them was we haven't found his body, then they left without another word."
"I see. Now, do you believe that they're any kind of danger to us?"
"If I'm being honest, I don't believe so; they helped us get to Vah Medoh to let the rest of the forces inside. Also, when Master Link lost himself for a moment, Sooga helped Princess Zelda to get close enough to aid him. I may be too optimistic, but I don't see him or his Yiga as a threat."
"Well, I will trust your judgement; I simply advise you to take caution." Impa states and Paya nods in response. "Now, where are the Princess and Link?"
'The last time I heard, Master Link was in his tent near the stable; I think something was on his mind."
In his tent, Link had deactivated his suit to look at his chest in the mirror; the fact that his scars have completely disappeared was of very little relief to him. The phazon in his body had taken control of him once more and it haunted him to know that he was this close to causing irreversible damage to all.
"Link, are you there- oh! I apologize." Zelda entered his tent, but quickly averted her gaze at Link being shirtless.
'The last time I heard, Master Link was in his tent near the stable; I think something was on his mind."
"Oh, it's alright; at least I didn't lose you." Zelda comments meekly. "Are you alright though?"
"I don't know. All of my scars are gone. I know I should probably be happy to see that my skin is back to normal, but I don't feel fine with it; these scars were a reminder of what I've done to get to this point. It's like Dark Samus was trying to erase everything that I am, I was going to disappear…"
"Enough of that talk; she did not succeed. You are here and this is where you stay. Never forget that." Zelda firmly declares. "You will not go anywhere unless I command it. Am I understood?"
Thinking it through, Link sighs before smiling slightly. "I understand, thank you Zelda."
Nodding, Zelda pulls out something from her bag. "Now, I know it's not the same as the tunic, but I found this in the stable; I figure it was better than walking around without a shirt."
Zelda then hands Link a simple green shirt and he immediately puts it on. "Thank you. Well, uh, how does it look?"
"Hmm, I think green actually suits you. No, it really does."
"Hmm. Well, I should get ready; I'm doing a final perimeter sweep with Samus before we head back to the castle. You should probably get ready for the ride back."
"Very well. I'll leave you both to it." Zelda concludes by moving towards the entrance to the tent.
"Zelda, there is one more thing I wanted to ask." At Link's request, Zelda stops to hear him out. "when you helped me get out from Dark Samus's grip, you whispered something to me; what did you say? I don't remember what it was."
"Oh, I just said…that I am thankful that I'll always have you."
"Ah. Well, I feel the same way. Zelda, thank you for saving me, I swear I will not let you down again. You have my word on it." Link declares as he stands upright.
"I will hold you to that then." Zelda smiles to Link before leaving. Unbeknownst to Link, Zelda's smile sours as she walks away…
Breathing lightly, Link activates his suit and equips his weapons, taking the time to look over the Master Sword, slowly raking his left palm over the blade. "I'm sorry…"
"Link?" Samus walks in, wearing her regular Power Suit, and addresses him. "It's time for our last patrol, do you need a minute?"
"Uh, no; I'm ready." Link answers, sheathing the Master Sword. "I just finished getting my suit up."
"You know, you had a rough day today. I can handle it myself and you can just rest."
"No, that's fine; I want to do this. It will make me feel better, let's just go."
"Right, you know what's best. Well, come on; we've got several checkpoints to take a look at." With that, Samus walks out of the tent and, after a minute, Link follows her without another word.
To be continued
Author's Note
First off, I want to apologize to everyone waiting for this chapter; I recently moved back to the States from Bolivia and I've been getting settled in for a while. But, now I'm back and ready to give you all more chapters. I won't say what the chapter after this one is, I will give a hint for Avatar: The Last Airbender fans by saying that it's "The Crossroads of Destiny" chapter. So if you know, you know… Alright, guys/girls, take care and expect me once again.