Chapter Three – Firestorm
Link was pushing Epona hard. He knew if she turned too quickly, she would fall. His gut felt aflame with worry. He had run out of the bar before speaking to anyone. The guards had stepped out of his way.
Luckily his reputation went far with the army.
Rushing to Epona, he quickly donned his hero's tunic again. He knew from his time in the Goron Mines that the metal links would absorb a lot of heat and make the armour uncomfortable to wear but he also knew that the animals of the woods would be panicked and likely to run over him if they were scared enough.
He had seen the orange glow over the horizon, getting brighter as he drew nearer. He didn't recall seeing it on his way into Castle Town, so it must have started whilst he was at the bar.
Epona was breathing hard.
"Sorry girl. It won't be much longer" he said, maintaining her speed.
Off to his right side, he saw several military wagons with the royal crest emblazoned on the side as well as several riders escorting them. They were going as fast as they could but the wagons looked to be exceptionally heavy. Link realised they must have been carrying water for the fire. He hoped there would be enough to help.
As he maintained his speed, he was trying to calm his nerves. If the woods were burning, then there was a chance that it had not yet reached Ordon village. That, or he would be too late.
He shook his head hard, trying to rattle the thought away. Instead, he thought of how he could help.
He had his boomerang that had put out a burning wagon before, but for a forest fire, there was no guarantee that would work. All of his other items didn't seem to be immediately helpful.
He let out a frustrated yell. He needed advice first, so he slowed Epona's speed and turned her gently towards the military caravan. Hopefully, someone there would have a better idea of how to fight the blaze.
Within a few minutes, he was close enough to see the group of soldiers and one of the heavy caravans. He waved over to them and shouted to get their attention. One man, in another red sash, broke from the tight formation and shouted something indistinguishable to the other riders who did not deviate from their path.
The leader rode out to meet Link.
"Ho there, Master Link! Sergeant Hol, at your service". The rider looked more relaxed once he realised the hero of the Twilight crisis was there to assist.
"What do you need?" he asked.
Link needed to learn as much as possible in a very short amount of time.
"I don't know how to tackle forest fires. Ordon Village is likely in danger too. What do I do?"
Hol responded immediately.
"There needs to be an escape route first. We intend to use bombs, throwing them in an advancing straight line and then move down it. The blasts will remove any burnable fuel for the fire. Then, we soak the edges of this path with water, slowing or stopping the fire from advancing. From there, we head into the village and get everyone out, back along the safe path we made." He finished, a little breathless.
"Do you have bombs yourself?" he asked.
"Plenty. I have a boomerang that might be able to carve a path too" Link remarked.
"I don't understand, Mr Link. How can a boomerang fight a blaze?"
Hol's confusion was understandable.
"Watch"
Link withdrew his boomerang and threw it straight ahead of him. The wind picked up around it immediately as it flew straight ahead, causing a small hurricane in its path. It picked up leaves and stones with it, leaving dry and clear earth behind. Shortly after, it turned back and guided itself back to Link's outstretched hand.
"Marvelous!"
He looked impressed at the device, but his retort followed soon after.
"Afraid that will likely make the problem worse. Even if that is strong enough to take away the air that the fire needs, the edges of that little tornado will carry flames up the air current at the edges and then you've got a flaming tornado. It might work on isolated fires though, but I'd suggest destroying the fuel with your bombs, create a path that way." he concluded.
Link nodded.
"Thanks. I'm going to ride ahead. I have to get to the village if I can, it's my old home."
Hol nodded back.
"My troops and I will try to get there as quickly as we can. But the route out of the forest is the priority for us. If you get to them before we do, keep them calm and get them to walk back along any safe route you manage to make. Good luck!" he said as he waved to Link, steering his horse back to his formation.
Link spurred Epona hard once again, the slower pace had allowed her to catch her breath a little.
At such speed, he had already outstripped the caravan belonging to Hol. Now, the forest was finally in sight.
The sight left Link's mouth hanging a little. Great orange flames tore through the trees, setting fire to any stray branch it could reach. Wood cracked loudly under the intense heat. Smoke blanketed the way forward and stray embers were landing everywhere, causing smaller grass fires.
"Cut a path..." Link said to himself.
He withdrew his boomerang once again. He waited until Epona was close enough to the grass fires and threw it with all his strength.
The boomerang seemed to recognise his intentions as it kicked up a much more forceful wind.
It tore straight ahead and ripped grass out of the path in front of him, the huge updraft scattering the debris to the side of the gouged path. It was wider than he had expected too. The boomerang was carrying on further than Link had seen in the past, casting smoke aside easily. He smiled. Perhaps his fortune might be different this time.
Slowing Epona, he dismounted near the entrance to the forest that led to Ordon Village. He turned to Epona.
"As always, you never let me down" he said whilst stroking her ear. She snorted, proudly.
"Stay here. I'm probably going to be a while in there... Be safe."
Then he turned to the path before him. He was a reasonable distance from the flames, but the heat was still intense.
Remembering Hol's advice, he withdrew a bomb from his storage pouch. Looking ahead, he saw that several trees had fallen over the path. It looked like the perfect place to start.
Winding his arm back, he lit the fuse and threw the explosive with careful aim. Soaring through the air, it landed squarely in front of the burning fallen trees. The blast splintered the burning wood with a loud crack. It looked like the blast had snuffed some of the flames too. Embers nearby were pushed back. The path wasn't nearly clear enough yet though, so Link withdrew another bomb and repeated the same procedure.
After a few minutes of loud explosions, Link had managed to clear a path through the burning husks of the trees. The encroaching fire was still pushing forward. It seemed to be held back at the edges of the path. Quickly, Link moved down it. The heat was intense, far too intense. He moved back to the edge of the forest and readied his boomerang.
Taking a moment to compose himself, he manifested his hope and desperation and imagined his boomerang carving a wide enough path that would prevent the flames from threatening anyone who would walk along it. Swinging it with all of his strength again, the thought seemed to have an effect.
The Triforce in his hand glowed brightly for a moment, seeming to light his entire hand through the gauntlets he wore. A moment later, it was gone. However, the boomerang did something it never had before. As it flew from his hand, an enormous air current rose from it. Strong enough, that Link rose off the floor for a moment. Yelping with surprise, he regained his balance and watched as the boomerang tore straight ahead.
The powerful tornado appeared to be glowing slightly as it sucked in nearby flames. They were squashed out in the eye of the air current and raw earth was thrown out of the sides of it, piling up along the edges of the path.
Link's instincts were screaming at him. He put out his hand and closed his eyes. As he grasped through the air, he felt like there was something he could touch. Moving his hand over the strange spot in the air, he grabbed it. Eyes still shut, he felt he had grabbed his boomerang again, only this time, it wasn't staying still. An idea forming quickly, he tried to alter the path it took, curving more towards the direction of the path he remembered travelling so many times in the past.
He was partially successful. Opening his eyes again, the boomerang was still tearing through the woods somewhere that he couldn't see. But he saw the path it was taking as flames from the trees were being sucked into the vortex. Then, its energy waning, the boomerang ceased its path and returned through the wide path it had carved.
Link's hand clasped it as it ended up in front of him.
Eyes wide, he looked from the wonderful item to the path it had carved. It seemed to have done half of the work that the soldiers would need to do. He wasn't certain, but he felt that the goddesses had offered some help. He looked at his hand again. The Triforce was still visible over his glove, but it was no brighter than it usually was.
Gratitude welling up inside him, he kissed the feathered edge of the boomerang and whispered "Thank you..." to it.
Feeling a little embarrassed, he pressed on.
As he ran, he noticed how the torn path was not only wide but flatter than it had been in the past. He wasn't sure if he had seen his boomerang do that, but he was certain that his Triforce mark had never glowed so brightly before. He took his left gauntlet off and looked for any unusual signs on his hand, but found nothing out of the ordinary.
Slipping his hand back in, his mind was taking all sorts of guesses as to what happened. Powering up the boomerang was one thing, but he was most surprised by how his instincts had allowed him to act upon it as it was flying. It was like he was controlling the air currents that generated around it, steering it in one direction or another. Almost as if he was riding along with it as it tore a messy path through the forest.
Looking to his sides, he saw earth piled up along the sides. It would be easier for the soldiers to soak these with their water.
He soon reached the end of the boomerang's path. Ahead of him, the flames were beaten back but had begun to encroach again. In a wide clearing, the path split several ways. One would lead him to Ordon, another to the Temple of Time and the other leading through a cave system that went through to an area not too far from Ordon village. The caves would likely be a good escape path and save time from clearing one through the forest.
Flames still blazed ahead of him. Link wanted to try the same idea as before.
Setting himself a short distance away, he made sure he could see the path leading to the cave. Winding his arm back again, he tried to repeat the process as he remembered. He poured his emotions into an image in his mind's eye. He visualised the boomerang tearing a similar path as before, right up to the mouth of the cave. As he swung forward, he tried to imagine focusing his hopes and fears into the boomerang. The Triforce did not glow, but the boomerang still kicked up a larger wind than it usually did. As it tore through the air, flames were starved of the air they needed and died out. Unfortunately, a lot of grass and dead leaves were swept up in the breeze. They all caught fire in a tornado, getting drawn effortlessly into the eye of the vortex, spawning a twirling column of fire. As the boomerang moved, so did the fire. Nearby trees burst into flames. Luckily, they had mostly burned out from the original fire and did not last long.
The fuel for the fire was expended as the boomerang reached the end of its path, returning to Link. As he caught it, he thanked the goddesses that he didn't have a fire tornado returning to him.
Looking ahead, he saw that a smaller path had been carved on the way to the cave, ending by the rocky floor just in front of the large cave mouth.
Link wasted no time and ran hard, straight through the dark passage. He stopped to light several braziers to help light the way but made swift progress. Some minutes later, he emerged on the other side, in a very familiar clearing he had spent time in when he was younger. He and Ilia had taken Epona around the woods together several times, much to Mayor Bo's and Rusl's irritation.
The stray thought caused him to panic, so he ran towards Ordon Village as fast as he could.
The fire did not seem to be as bad this far into the woods. Looking around, he saw green and untouched trees. Though he could see a creeping orange haze shining through the thick woods.
He would not need his boomerang to press on further, so he kept running, sweat pouring off of him.
He arrived at the bridge crossing to Ordon Canyon, but something seemed off.
Sensing something strange in the air, he walked whilst looking around. Everything was very still. The trees were not swaying in the wind, so there was no familiar sound of leaves rustling. Getting to the other side, he decided to look into the village spring where he had escaped King Bulbin for the second time. Looking at the short waterfall, he gasped in surprise. The water had entirely stopped flowing. The splashes that should have been coming from the impact into the pool were utterly still in the air. The pool did not ripple with the gentle wind blowing over it. It was completely stopped in place. Looking around more, he noticed leaves suspended in the air, refusing to fall.
"What...?" he said quietly.
His mind went completely blank, devoid of any notion of what was going on.
Leaving the pool, he wanted to see the village even more now. As he moved down the passage that led to his old home, similar sights were everywhere. A wasp's nest at the side of his tree house had several wasps just remaining still, much like the leaves suspended in the air.
There was nobody in the clearing by his house, so he started to run down the next path into the village proper.
Arriving a few minutes later, his confusion multiplied. The entire population of the village was out and about but absolutely still. Though Ordon village was fairly small, it was usually lively enough during the day with the sounds of children playing or the adults working their crafts. Now, utter silence, not even a breeze overhead. He saw Colin standing still in the middle of swinging a fishing line out into the motionless river. Running to him, Link tried calling out to him.
He knelt a little, noting how much he had grown in the space of a year. Colin didn't seem to be breathing but looked like he didn't have a care in the world.
Link tried tapping his shoulder but felt incredible resistance. Curious, he tried to bend the fishing rod at the tip and met the same inexplicable force. Wanting to explore a rough idea he had, he decided to step onto the surface of the water. It was solid. It felt like stepping on dense rock and there was no disturbance to the water at all.
Standing back on the grass, he looked at Colin again. He hadn't realised how much had missed him during his venture to find Midna. It hurt Link to not be able to even greet him. For the first time in a long time, he started feeling homesick.
Why was the village frozen? In all of his adventures with Midna, this had never happened before. He had never heard of it in any stories either.
He soon realised that standing around wouldn't help to fix anything, so he looked around more and hoped to find any possible clue.
He walked past the villagers he had known for most of his life. Talo and Beth looked like they had been basking in the sun before they were frozen in place. Malo stood behind a well-made stand and looked like he had been trying to sell jars of honey to Fado.
He came up to Mayor Bo's house. The mayor himself had been frozen in place as he was walking out of his house. Luckily, there was a sizeable gap that Link could get through...where Ilia was likely to be.
Link took a deep breath. He was sure she had been frozen too, but his nerves were still frayed. She had loved him dearly for a long time, yet he had fallen hard for Midna during their adventures. He had thought about Ilia a lot but had never considered her in the same way she considered him. The idea was alien... He had always had some goats to herd, something to play with the children but on reflection, he had never really taken time to try and understand how people thought or felt. He mostly followed his instincts when talking to people, but no instinct had made him want any more from Ilia. Guilt began to weigh down on him, but he focused on trying to find out what had happened to the village first.
He stepped past the mayor and into his home.
There she was... sitting in a chair happily and in her arms, a baby.
Link stood still, staring in wonder and disbelief. Minutes seemed to pass. Ilia had been pregnant...which meant...
"Oh, goddesses..." Link uttered breathlessly.
He recalled the drunken night he had spent with her. There was no other possibility, he was the father. Everyone in Ordon knew how much Ilia loved him. He knew himself of course, but this was his child and he had no idea about any of this.
"Wait a moment..." he said as he recalled what he could.
He remembered Ilia having asked about what name he would have given a child. Despite carrying it alone for nine months, Ilia had still decided he would be better off searching for Midna, whilst she raised it herself.
"Ilia...I would never have abandoned my own child..." he said to the still woman, shaken from the shock.
His mouth hanging open and his mind swimming, he walked closer to get a better look. She had been feeding the baby as time had frozen around her. Link silently asked for forgiveness for looking whilst she was vulnerable.
The baby looked utterly peaceful as it was feeding. Its eyes were only just open and it was wrapped in fresh cotton blankets. The head was so tiny... was he that tiny once? He couldn't tell if it was a boy or a girl.
"What's your name?" he muttered, his eyes watering in amazement.
A world of possibility unfolded in his mind. What did the baby like? Did they have the goddesses watching over them as he did? Could they eat Ordon's goat cheese?
An urge welled in Link. He wanted to know everything about how to be a parent and try holding it himself. He cursed himself for not having the insight to realise Ilia was pregnant whilst he went off searching for a way to the Twilight Realm. Though he still wanted Midna with all of his heart, he would not be a father who abandoned his child. Determination welled up in him once again.
He would find a way to unfreeze time and return the village to normal. Then, he would spend as long as he could begging Ilia for forgiveness.
He sat there, staring for a while. He burned the image of Ilia and the baby into his mind. The baby had blond hair. Their face looked like Ilia's, the shape a mirror of her own. Their eyes were a radiant blue. Looking into a mirror mounted on a wall, he saw they looked similar to his own eyes. Without expecting it, pride welled up in him. The baby had his eyes! A sense of wonder settled over him, giving him butterflies in his stomach.
A moment later, he felt panic creep over him. He had no idea how to be a dad. He questioned everything he had learned in his life. He knew babies needed changing but he had no idea how to do it. What if he held them too hard? Would they be able to eat any type of food? What kind of role model would he be?
The feeling of panic turned into dread. He wished all of his friends were beside him. He closed his eyes and pictured them all. He saw Rusl, standing with a hand on his shoulder whilst beaming proudly. Then there was Renado, the shaman. He stood with an open book, keen to show Link some information about babies. The children were all there too, telling him what to do and helping fetch things.
The thoughts soothed him somewhat. He allowed to mental picture to take hold of him as it slowly began to eat away at his insecurities. He then imagined Midna. She was not upset, she held his face in her hands, tears of happiness streaming down her smiling face.
His heart felt like it was burning. He missed her dearly, but the image in his mind erased all sense of doubt. His stomach settled and his slightly quickened breathing returned to normal.
Resolve came back to him. Despite the village being frozen in time, there was still a huge forest fire outside. Perhaps the village would be spared in its strange state, but he didn't feel like taking any risks whilst his loved ones were in it. As he paced around, thinking of every concept he could muster, he saw the mayor's home had been freshly decorated and a new room had been installed for the baby. Desperation was mounting in him again. He didn't like having such little control over a situation.
Recalling how he had somehow empowered his boomerang, he tried thinking of how he had triggered it. He remembered a sense of dread as he rode into the burning forest. It wasn't only dread, he recalled some feeling in his gut that was ironclad. It didn't feel like a key to the power of his Triforce piece, but it felt like a state of being.
"The village..." he said aloud.
He recalled that his determination to save the village seemed to have something to do with the feeling. It had amplified itself alongside his sense of dread.
"Right... let's start small." Looking around, he saw a small rattle near Ilia's chair.
He cleared his mind as best as he could with several breathing exercises. Moments later, he felt calm settle over him. He wanted to break whatever magic was causing this. He wanted everyone to be able to go on with their lives. He wanted to spend time with his baby.
Focusing his eyes, he let his emotions fill him. It felt like it would consume his body. Fear of the unknown, desperation from impotence and above all the sense that he would do everything in his power to break this magic. He mentally focused as he tried to combine all three feelings into a cohesive whole in his stomach.
He touched his left hand to the baby's rattle and did his best to let his feelings manifest through the Triforce emblem on his hand.
As he imagined shifting his emotional strength up his arm, the Triforce resonated slightly. Looking over, he saw the golden glow through his glove brighten a little. Despite having no idea what he was doing, this limited success encouraged him and further amplified what he was feeling. In turn, the Triforce grew brighter still. It felt as if it was responding to his desire.
He felt as if he was close to exploding as he allowed his feelings to rush through him unchecked.
Trying to focus, he allowed the curious sensation to overtake his entire being. As a rush of determination overwhelmed him, he felt an enormous rush of power radiate from his hand. It glowed far more brightly than he had imagined. A golden sphere began to radiate from his hand and rapidly expanded outwards.
Within seconds, the sphere had rushed through the walls of Bo's home. As it continued, Link felt his consciousness begin to fade. Fighting back with all the mental strength he could, he tried to hold on as the golden sphere radiated further, hopefully to the edges of the village. His vision grew dim as he fought with every fibre of his being to sustain himself. Suddenly, the rush of power from his hand ceased. His emotions spent and his vision near black, the last thing he recalled hearing was "Link?!".
Then he fell to the floor, as his body surrendered its last ounce of energy.
Link eventually became self-aware again. He didn't think he was dead...there was a sense of feeling he couldn't explain. As energy came back to him, he opened his eyes.
He had been returned to the sacred realm. The bright figures of the goddesses were nowhere to be seen, but he saw a familiar clearing where he had spoken to the Hero of Time in the past, during his battle with Ganon.
Curious, he walked ahead. Sitting on a tree stump was the Hero of Time once again. He played a cheerful song on a green Ocarina. As Link walked up, his ancestor stopped playing and looked over at him.
"Welcome, once again."
"Uh... thanks?" Link stammered. Looking around, he saw nothing different, nor any kind of clue as to why he was here.
"Why...am I back here? Did I die?"
His ancestor chuckled.
"No no, you're fine. Try not to worry about that. But I wanted to speak to you, so I thought I would grab a hold of your spirit whilst you had rendered yourself unconscious."
He pocketed his Ocarina and stood.
"It would seem you've been tapping into the power of the Triforce of courage. And with no instruction! It took me a lot longer to figure it out." he said, smiling.
"Wait..you know how to use it? Does it always wear you out? Can it be used for any task? What if..."
His ancestor held up his hand, asking for a moment.
"Relax! I'll explain what I can, but I'm afraid you must act once again. Evil, sadly, moves to threaten the land. We-" he gestured aimlessly around himself "-need you to eradicate this grave threat."
Links eyes went wide. He had already defeated Ganon and narrowly escaped with his life.
"What do you mean?" he asked earnestly.
"What do you think happens when each incarnation of Ganon dies? Do you believe evil is gone from the world entirely?" he asked.
Link furrowed his brow as he pondered what the Hero of Time had meant.
"Well no, there's more than one person in the world after all. But what is this specific threat then?"
With a slight smile, the ancient hero continued.
"True. A great font of evil is removed, but you cannot stop everyone from having independent thoughts. Nayru would despise such a world."
The hero took up a serious look.
"It is time you learned more of the nature of this repeating disaster. Ganon himself is not actually at fault you see, despite all he has done."
The sentence hung in the air whilst Link tried to process what he had said. Ganon was not at fault? For corrupting an entire race of people? Or throwing the world into chaos?
Taking a throne for himself?
"I find that hard to believe..." Link said, a little bitterly.
"As did I once", nodded the Hero, "However, Ganondorf's story is not of him, but of a greater evil we know as 'Demise'."
Link furrowed his brow again but remained silent and listened to everything. He was unlikely to learn such things anywhere else in the realms after all.
"Aeons ago, a great evil rose from under the earth. It laid waste to the world in a bid to control it for its own ends. Without peer, countless people of all races perished in the fight against it. Our forebear, who made the Master Sword what it is, fought this evil himself.
Though he nearly perished, he was ultimately successful in defeating it. But not before Demise cursed him with his last breath. It cursed him and the realm itself.
According to our ancestor, Demise's curse would cause an incarnation of his hatred to manifest and haunt our descendants for all eternity. Namely, Ganondorf, who has no choice in being made into this abomination"
Links eyes went wide again and so did his mouth. The horror he had been through was bound to repeat itself at some point? Dread engulfed him once more. Other people would have to suffer what he did?
"Why...? Was this Demise really so petty as to curse the entire world for all time?"
Link was incredulous. He had a hard time believing that the world was bound to repeat such a crisis. Why was this allowed? Did the goddesses just sit idly by and allow this curse to continue? Anger welled up in him once again. He wanted to know why the creators of life itself deigned to allow such a travesty to occur.
"The goddesses do nothing to stop this?!"
The ancient hero did not stop Link's irritation. There was wisdom in his gaze and Link managed to see it in his anger.
As he settled, the Ancient Hero spoke again.
"I know your frustration, believe me. I've had longer than you to think about this, even ask the goddesses about it."
The hero of time sighed, his frustration showing.
"The goddesses are sadly, unable to act on this curse. Please understand, Demise was unfathomably powerful. He was able to cast this far-reaching curse as he was dying. Through his intentions in the way he cast the curse, he engineered it so that the movements and uprising of his wrath, Ganondorf, would be near impossible to predict and find... until it was too late."
The hero allowed the words to sink in for Link. He stood there, listening to every word.
"By that, I mean the goddesses certainly want to stop this cycle of destruction. But once Ganondorf has 'awakened', he instantly gains his piece of the Triforce. The unholy magic of Demise prevents direct intervention of the goddesses.
Before he comes to power, the goddesses send agents, the Sheikah, to try and find the newest incarnation. They have never been successful, again thanks to the potent magic of Demise. Agents of the goddesses who come close to finding the incarnation are suddenly killed or misdirected at best. At worst, they are captured and tortured for information."
This time, the hero held out an upturned hand and closed his eyes. His hand began to glow brightly. An ornate silver tray loaded with two glasses of water and fruits materialised in his hand.
Placing the tray on a tree stump, he gestured for Link to take some.
He took one of the glasses and drank deeply. The water was pure and clean, refreshing every sensation in his body. It did little to satisfy his curiosity though.
As he finished the water, the glass refilled itself. Link, however, was more interested in what his ancestor had to say.
"This is why you, I and countless others are chosen by the goddesses. In the event they cannot break the curse of Demise, they need chosen heroes to thwart the incarnation whilst they run damage control. I mean things like the kind old Lady Impaz conveniently holding onto a book of Sky Language or dear friends of the Hero being spared death. Remember how your Ilia only lost her memories? If she had been someone else's friend, she would have died at the hands of those wretched Bulbins."
The hero sipped on his own glass of water and ate a fresh apple. Spirits it seemed, were still able to eat and drink if they chose.
Link was grateful for each break in his ancestor's explanation. It was enough to allow him to process what was being said.
So Ilia would likely have died if she hadn't been Links' oldest friend?
He had also thought it was pretty convenient that several pieces of critical information were essentially placed in his path during his adventure. He recalled the Clawshot in the sunken lakebed temple had just happened to be exactly what he needed at that time.
If someone else had been looking, they may have found it, but without destiny on their side, it would likely have taken them much longer.
Gratitude took its place in him. Strangely, in return, he felt a warm sense of acceptance from all around him. The goddesses appeared to be listening in.
The old hero spoke again.
"I know you have felt alone and alienated during your adventure, even with your beloved Midna at your side. But I assure you, they do not sit idly by whilst the world comes to ruin. Din, most of all as her piece of the Triforce is the one forcibly linked to this curse."
The hero smiled, and finally, Link did too. Relief washed over him as he felt closer to the goddesses than he ever had.
"That was...fascinating to hear. Thank you." Link said with a polite bow.
But he still had some questions.
"You still haven't mentioned this new evil you want me to destroy. Is it related to Demise?"
The old hero smiled again.
"Yes. Specifically, the spirit of his weapon called Ghirahim. It manifests as an...eccentric being. Make no mistake though, Ghirahim is utterly deadly. And now, he moves to corrupt the temple of time. He seeks the Triforce of Power in a bid to bring Ganondorf back to life."
Links paranoia grew. Resurrect Ganon? There was a real possibility that he would have to fight him again?
The old hero easily noticed the change in Link.
"Now you know the danger we need you to thwart, and why I had to explain Demise to you. But worry not. Don't forget, you already have a piece of the Triforce. This puts you at an advantage. Yet you don't know how to properly use it. That's why we're here now."
Standing, the old hero gestured for Link to follow him.
They walked for a time through the sacred realm. There wasn't very much here, but the place radiated a soft golden light. Walking through seemed to relieve tension and doubt. Link felt grateful once again, he knew his emotions would have gotten the better of him had he learned about Demise in Hyrule.
Sometime later, the two arrived at a grand marble palace. It seemed to materialise out of nowhere. Link's wide eyes took in all of the detail he could. It appeared to be a training ground, similar to the one where he had learned swordsmanship from the old hero during his adventure.
Standing in the familiar central courtyard, the old hero turned to him.
"You had the right idea you know. Manifesting your feelings and allowing them to overtake you. Then, before you allow them to spiral out of control, you manifest that raw emotion into your piece of the Triforce. This draws upon the strength of the goddesses, and can assist you with a particular task."
Link nodded, eager to learn more. He began to wonder why his second attempt had utterly drained him, but then the old hero continued.
"You own the Triforce of Courage like I once did. Thus, tasks that require great courage, like riding into a burning forest to save the village within? It costs you nothing. You see, the goddesses knew this relic to be incredibly powerful, yet they tried to limit them to the aspects they represent." he explained.
"Trying to break through a stop in time to free the trapped villagers? That's an act of wisdom, of which Princess Zelda would have been the right choice. Each piece of the Triforce allows its power to be used by a different individual aspect like power, but at the cost of all of your energy and willpower. The idea is to prevent misuse."
It made sense, Link thought. That way, if the need was great, a great deed could still be done but only when utterly needed.
"Luckily, part of the goddess's work in the past has managed to prevent the Triforce of Power from creating anything other than acts of power. A small limit on Ganon, but useful nonetheless. He may grow great armies or summon incredible strength. But giving those armies the courage to face any foe? Impossible. So he is restricted to using the weak-minded who respect power."
Link stayed quiet throughout the explanation. He tried imaging scenarios which would require courage. There were plenty of times when he was scared himself. Yet he had pushed on, despite the dangers or horrors in his way. Certainly, the fire in Faron Woods had scared him too, but this time, the Triforce itself had helped him through.
He felt proud of himself. He was also pleased that Ganon had been restricted in some small way from using the full power of the Triforce.
"Now...in order to manifest great feats through the Triforce of Courage, you'll need a clear mind. Follow along with me."
The old hero then instructed Link on how maintaining a more softened posture, it allowed him to relax and manifest his rawest feelings more easily. The two worked together for some time. As Link practised, he rapidly picked up the nuances. Eventually, he adopted the posture and felt as if he could feel all of the nerves in his body were primed, ready for a rush of sensation.
The old hero noticed and smiled. He then suggested ways to direct his manifested feelings through the Triforce emblem on his hand. As long as his desire required courage, he wouldn't suffer for it.
Eager to try something, Link raised his hand only for the old hero to grab his arm firmly.
"Don't." he said whilst shaking his head slightly. "The Triforce is not some device you can use for any convenience. It is divine power. It will know if you do not have need of it and it will ruin you for trying. Another fail-safe." Then, he released Link's hand.
Link felt embarrassed. He slouched a little
"Sorry".
The old hero smiled warmly.
"Don't be. I understand the thrill of trying something new. I once found a pair of boots that allowed me to hover over large gaps. Too bad the effect didn't last very long."
Link's eyes went wide in surprise. Hovering boots? Link couldn't think of any situation where they would be useful if their effect was so short-lived. But the old hero was right, he had an urge to try them himself.
The old hero saw the curiosity brimming in him.
"Once we have peace again, perhaps you would like to try them yourself?"
As he finished speaking, he extended his left hand out. Ornate looking winged boots materialised in the palm of his hand.
Link smiled and nodded. He had to know what it felt like to hover, if only briefly.
However, he was all too aware of the first point his forebear had made.
"Listen, thank you for telling me this. It's good to know the goddesses are doing things to try and thwart this ancient curse. But what can you tell me of Ghirahim? He seeks the Triforce of power?"
The old hero nodded.
"Then how does he plan to find it? You and I got lucky" he said as pointed to his left hand. "But to find the artefact?"
The old hero was quick to assist.
"You go to the Temple of Time, gateway to the Sacred Realm. Prevent Ghirahim from completing his spell and a security measure of the Triforce of power will activate, shattering it into pieces and scattering them to the winds".
He then gestured around him aimlessly.
"This place will never allow demons or their associated spirits in. But, thanks to the curse of Demise, he may stand on the border and channel it out by using dark magic. The kind of magic that can defy holy power."
Link was already planning. He rapidly ran through battle plans and improvised moves. A few minutes passed as he went into deep thought. The old hero didn't seem to mind. Link imagined he would have thought through encounters like this himself.
Soon enough though, he realised that thinking was getting him nowhere. He would have to go and face the spirit of Ganondorf's sword.