Ode to the Fallen Hero (sequel to Fierce Deity, Awaken)

Here is the sequel that was also made last year, a bit better than the last, still not too proud of it. Shorter in terms of chapters, but more or less the same, as the chapters are now longer.

Like last time, I'll post chapters in doubles. Can't wait to get to the one I'm writing now

Keep in mind this is a direct sequel, little time has passed. As in a few hours.


Prologue



Situated in a part of the mysterious and holy Sacred Realm, Link and his alter ego battled, with one disadvantage to the hero. His alter ego had obtained the full power of the Fierce Deity. Taking his double's flaws and working with them, Link managed to infuriate him to the point of distraction, but failed to strike him down. Unable to escape the grasp of his dark self, he grabbed the Master Sword and pierced his own chest, also piercing the chest of his clone. Grasping his double so he is unable to escape and recover, the two of them bled to death. However, Link gasped his final breath first, so his double was happy that he had managed to at least surpass him, if only in seconds, in life.

Awaiting at the Temple of Time was Princess Zelda of Hyrule, and Kafei of the mysterious Termina, a land which, had Link not intervened, would have been non existent right now. Zelda attempted multiple times to penetrate the seal around the Sacred Realm which Link's dark self had erected, but to no avail, she could not even tell what was happening. Kafei prayed for Link, hoping he could one day repay him for saving his relationship with his girlfriend, now wife, and his life.

Unknown by all, except by the dark twin of Link, two men awaited in a mountainous region, watching the events in a dark mist. One, with darkened skin, the other, with armor which has never once been seen by mortal eyes. They are satisfied with the results of the battle, and now intend to move on with their plans.

What are these plans? Only these two men know.



Chapter 1: Realization


At the Temple of Time, six hours after Link and his dark self had departed for the Sacred Realm, Princess Zelda and Kafei still waited, realizing at long last, that the battle was over.

"The seal... it's weakening. But I can sense no living creatures in the Realm." Zelda said, placing her hands on the altar in front of the Door of Time. "I can sense two people... laying in pools of blood... their own blood..."

"God no... they're both dead?" Kafei asked, praying for that not to be the truth.

"I'm afraid so... I can tell already that the Master Sword had taken the life of Link's shadow... and himself." Zelda replied, looking as if she were in a state of depression. "I wish I could go there... but the seal is still much too strong to even go through... I'm lucky I can see into the realm." Zelda removed her hands from the altar, and turned around, looking at Kafei.

"So what are we supposed to do? Go back to our lives, and leave Link there to rot?" Kafei asked, infuriated and saddened. "He doesn't deserve that... a magnificent city named in his honor wouldn't even do him justice... he saved both of our lands twice each..." Kafei dropped his head and stared at the floor, attempting to hold back his tears. "Such a man deserves a proper burial, at the very least, but we can't even get to him!" he yelled.

Zelda walked to Kafei and placed her hand on his shoulder. "I know, Kafei. But I can promise, that as soon as the seal weakens enough, I shall gather the other sages and we will retrieve the Hero's body. I cannot tell how long that will take, but I will alert you immediately."

"Thank you... I wish I could stay for that... but my wife... she doesn't even know about anything that's going on... the last time I saw her was yesterday, all she knows is that Link and I pursued a criminal... this demon..." Kafei turned around, and slowly walked out of the Temple, leaving Zelda to lament alone.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

At the center of Hyrule Castle Town, Zelda stood on a stone column. People from all over the country had arrived, knowing this announcement was about the famed soldier Link. People in this time knew nothing of Link's past heroics, they only knew him as a humble soldier of Hyrule, the best Hyrule has ever seen.

"My people of Hyrule. I am most grieved to have to inform of the tragic passing of Sir Link, the finest soldier Hyrule has ever known." Zelda began, immediately followed by gasps and muttering, few people even wept immediately at this. "But do not think of this as a tragic day. This man had risked his life to challenge another man, a man who planned to turn this land into nothing but mayhem and chaos. Unfortunately, that risk was viable, and both men fell. I know what many are thinking. Some had seen Link, myself, and another run through town just yesterday."

At this, people looked at Kafei, who was at the foot of the stone column, another Keaton Mask on his back. He turned his head to the side, for him, it was difficult to be there. "But that is what we had done. We left to the Temple of Time, where Link met the enemy and challenged him to a one on one duel. Unfortunately, after several excruciating hours, they both died. Link was trapped by his foe, held there. He stabbed through his own chest, slicing through them both. I'm sure that Link had planned to eliminate this threat, no matter what the cost was to himself. Do not grieve for him, remember, without his brave sacrifice, without his death, we would be in mass chaos at this time."

People around the central part of town were still muttering about this, some unable to believe the truth. How could such a thing had happened, with nobody knowing about it? Nobody but Princess Zelda and Kafei knew the full truth, all others were forced to believe the small bit of truth they were given. Zelda had not lied at all, she merely withheld information to avoid panic. Nodoby in this day and age believed in such magic, they only knew of minor magic, not the ability to warp between dimensions, or combine one man's soul with a god's soul. Most knew of the Temple of Time, the Master Sword, and the Triforce, but few believed in the Master Sword, and not many believed in the Triforce anymore, believing it to simply be myth and legend.

'Damnit... damnit... damnit... why did he have to die... we were becoming friends... damn that shadow of his... I can't even bear to be here right now... I should just leave...'

Kafei slipped behind the stone column and squeezed by the crowd, walking past them to the gate separating the town and the castle. He didn't want to stay there, he knew that Link deserved better, not to die in some death, and not have people know the full truth of what happened, what Link prevented from happening, another incident like Termina, perhaps worse. Worse than death, slavery, a plague upon the land by a lunatic gaining the power of a fierce god from his own land.

Waiting for another hour, Kafei finally saw the princess surrounded by several high ranking soldiers. "Where did you go? I never noticed you leave." Zelda said, stopping in front of him.

"I.. just couldn't stay there. I needed to be in a quiet place for a bit, that's all." Kafei replied.

"Well, alright... the speech is over. We'll get you a horse ready, I know where Link traveled to, the entrance to Termina. I'll get a map and mark the spot. When you reach it, leave the horse behind, we'll have a soldier accompany you so that he can bring it back." Zelda said, walking past Kafei, who stood motionless.

Soon after, Zelda arrived again with two horses and a soldier. "Ready to go now?" She asked, handing Kafei the reigns of the white stallion.

"Yeah. Thanks for this... Princess. I hope that I'll be back soon. And I'll bring my wife, she might enjoy the sightseeing." Kafei said, hopping onto the horse. "And you would be?" he asked the soldier on the brown horse.

"My name is Kilan. I trained under Link for most of my time here. I looked up to him, much like a sibling does an older brother. He literally taught me everything I know about fighting today." the soldier replied, patting his horse on it's head. "And this is also his horse, Epona. Zelda thought it best that Link's most current pupil and Link's steed should accompany you on this small travel."

"Well, then let's get going. Goodbye, Princess Zelda. I hope to return as soon as I can." Kafei said, preparing to leave.

"Don't worry, I shall send word when it's time." Zelda replied, and Kafei rode off along with Kilan, without saying another word.

In silence they rode on, to the forest Link once traveled to reach Termina, though that journey wasn't entirely intended. It was about a four hour trip, riding full on with their horses. At long last, they reached a familiar tunnel, one that few people knew of.

"So... this is where Link once was, years ago." Kafei said, getting off his horse. He handed the reigns to Kilan, who also got off his horse. He tied the reigns to a thick tree branch. "What, you intend on following me?"

"I just want to see it... Termina. Just once. I had heard stories from Link, about how it was so familiar, but yet radically different from Hyrule. How machines far more advanced than our own are, yet are powered by similar methods, and such simply processes are taken to immense extremes. He told me of a temple devoted to the ocean, which was powered by water... a simple thought, yet difficult to create, that's what Link said." Kilan walked along with Kafei, and entered the cave.

Helping Kilan up some stones, up to the proceeding tunnel, Kafei thought something was amiss. Nothing seemed disturbed. To think, if this was the only known was to Termina from Hyrule, and Hyrule from Termina, wouldn't it be more traversed? Or was Termina a complete secret from Hyrule, and vice versa? He assumed that this was the case, he had never even known of a land called Hyrule until a few days previous.

"Wow... is this right?" Kafei asked, mostly himself, looking down at the seemingly bottomless pit. He pulled out the map, and looked over it. Written in the lower left corner was a sentence, saying 'leap of transversion'.

"That's Link's handwriting!" Kilan said, staring at it. "I'd recognize it anywhere! Ooh... that means we have to jump to get to Termina? That might hurt..."

"Yeah, but..." Kafei began, looking down. 'Damnit, Link... even in death, I trust you...' Kafei stepped forward, falling face first into the dark pit.

Kilan stared at him as he vanished into the blackness, in complete awe. "Oh my goddesses! He just walked into the pit!" he said, inching his way forward. "Well... I suppose I lived a good life... would've been nice for it to have been longer, though..." he said, walking off the edge.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Zelda stood in the Temple of Time at the altar, staring at the empty Pedestal of Time, the holding place of the absent Master Sword. She heard a quiet, high pitched noise behind her, followed by loud footsteps.

"Well? Who else is here?" the man asked, stepping beside the Princess.

"You're the second one here... you know, before I even sent the message along, she was already here..." Zelda replied, looking at the man, a massive Goron. "Darunia, you know, besides the sages, nobody must know what has happened."

"I know... so who's the other person here?" the Goron asked, looking around. Zelda just pointed to the Pedestal of Time, where a small girl was kneeling, silent, motionless, holding onto a pink ocarina. "Poor girl... didn't she know him from childhood?"

"Yes... she must be especially heartbroken." Zelda said, hearing another high pitched noise, and a sob.

"So... he's... really dead..." a woman said, walking up to the altar. She was a Zora, beautiful by any race's standards. "I can't believe it..."

"I just hope that everyone realizes, that once everyone does this, you will be unable to enter this realm again." Zelda said, and everyone nodded silently. "The Sacred Realm is beautiful, and you can all see what's going on here... only unable to really act, unless needed to. With no other life in the Sacred Realm, it is doomed to be a lonely place..."

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Landing with a soft thud on a Deku Flower, Kafei stood up and dusted himself off. "Great, a dark tunnel. Well, at least I'm still alive..." he said, walking forward, stopping when he heard another thud. He looked back and saw Kilan, laying face down. "You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah..." he said, slowly getting up. "Damn... that was scary... how am I going to get back up there?" he asked, looking up.

"No idea... well, might as well get going, we might find out how to send you back when we get back to the surface." Kafei said, turning around and walking to the door. As the door opened of it's own accord, Kafei heard another thud behind him... looking around, he saw a tall, muscular man stand. "Who would you be?" Kafei asked, putting one hand on his sword.

"My name is not important, Termanian." the man said, holding out his hand, his palm facing Kilan. "Answer me this. Where is the text of the Termina gods?"

"What? What the hell are you talking about... wait... the text... how the hell do you even know about it?" Kafei demanded, drawing his sword half way.

"That damned text you stole!" he yelled, his hand becoming engulfed in a purple mist.

"I don't have it! Who are you, anyway?!" he yelled, drawing his sword fully.

"I don't have to answer a lowly man such as yourself." he replied. He looked over at Kilan, who had also drawn his sword. "Well, then... come at me, boy!" he said, laughing. Kilan took the challenge, and charged forward, swinging his sword. However, the man caught it in his bare hand, and laughed again. He took Kilan by the throat with a single hand, and rose him off the ground. "Pitiful... is this how Hyrule trains its soldiers? To charge, head on, facing an enemy with unknown strengths? Laughable." He tightened his grip on Kilan, who was beginning to lose his breath.

"Damnit, let him go!" Kafei yelled, running forward, but too late. With a loud crack, the man let go of Kilan's neck, letting his body fall, limp, to the ground. "Son of a *****!" he shouted, stabbing at the man, who sidestepped it, and kicked Kafei in the chest, hard. Hitting the wall, he blacked out. As he fell to the ground, it revealed an indentation of his body in the wall.

"Whoops... cracked a few ribs, heh heh..." the man said, tossing Kafei over his shoulder, walking through the door.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

"Alright, everyone. Focus. We must break the seal fully. With out combined effort, we should be able to." Zelda said. Each sage was positioned around the Pedestal of Time, kneeling. They each bowed their heads, as if in prayer. A light shone from the Pedestal of Time, showing the Chamber of Sages, though parts of it were blackened. "That's it... we must destroy each part of the seal, or we can not enter..."

"No problem." the Goron grunted.

"We will try our hardest." a woman with red eyes said.

"For Link, I'd do this myself..." a young girl replied.

"I'm with her." the Zoran woman said.

"We'll break it, I give it an hour, tops." a woman with tanned skin remarked, smirking.

"Rauru, you ready over at your end?" Zelda asked aloud.

"Yes." a voice from nowhere answered.

"Alright, everyone, please try your hardest. And you know this will take longer than an hour... " Zelda said, glancing at the woman with tanned skin. Closing her eyes, everyone else doing the same. 'Such power from a single entity...' she thought to herself, trying to focus on the seal, yet in the back of her mind wondering about the Fierce Deity.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

A man in demonic armor stared into a dark mist, watching the tall man knock out Kafei. He glanced to his right and saw Zelda and the other Sages prepare to break the seal around the Sacred Realm. He slowly waved his hand around in the mist, the image changing to a desolate area, all that could be seen was sand, gusts of wind stirred up sand storms, stone pillars littered the area, most broken.

"Well, then... I shall let him handle this for now." he said, walking into the mist.



Chapter 2: Funeral for the Hero


'It's dark... I can smell... earth... the air is damp... where am I?'

Kafei opened his eyes fully, not that it made a difference. He couldn't see a hint of light. He tried to move, but couldn't. He could feel something restraining him at his wrists and ankles. Metal bands connected by chain to the rock wall behind him. How... cliche. But effective at the very least. He thrust his arms forward, but to no avail; he was going nowhere.

'Damn... what the hell happened... as soon as I get back to my homeland this happens... and he killed Kilan, too...' Kafei thought, seeing a vision of Kilan's body hitting the floor, his head at an odd angle, his neck snapped. 'When is this all going to end... whenever I get involved with a strange guy stuff always happens... the imp, Link...'

How long was he down there? With no source of light, he couldn't tell the difference between night and day, he must have been there awhile, he was beginning to hunger. His thirst, however, stayed at bay. The air was so thick with water vapor it was a constant drink, though this also made him cold to the point of shivering uncontrollably every once in a while. He knew how the human body worked, to an extent. So long as the body had enough water, without food a healthy man could last weeks. But, in these conditions, the will to live might not last as long. 'Just have to wait and see...'

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

"We might have it soon... within the next dawn."

For the past two days, Zelda and the other Sages worked at removing the seal, and it was now beginning to reach noon. They took three breaks a day, one at six in the morning, one at six at night, and one at midnight. Nobody complained for working so hard, however, for they all remembered what happened before Link had been thrust back in time, and all felt that, in one way or another, they owed him, at the very least a proper burial.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

"Well, has he decided to give the information yet?"

"Hasn't said a word for three days."

Kafei lifted his head at this, almost growling. "What the hell's going on? Who the hell are you?" he asked, trying to focus in the complete darkness. "I want answers before I give any!"

"Curious boy..." a man said, and Kafei felt a hand grab his hair and lift it straight up, and another hand slam into his chest, slamming him into the wall behind him. "Oh, that's right... forgot about that." he said in a mocking tone, referring to Kafei's broken ribs. Kafei tried not to cry out in pain, he didn't want to seem weak. "Well, fine, you want a name? Perhaps an explanation as to why you're here?"

"Don't." another, more menacing voice, said.

"Let me handle it..." the other man said, loosening his grip on Kafei's head, letting it lower again. He still held his hand on Kafei's chest, though. "So, sound good?" he asked.

"It'd be nice..." Kafei said, with a slight chuckle. He wanted to make himself not seem as hurt as he was, attempting to make himself appear as a stubborn hero normally would. The problem was, his captors saw through this act.

"Yes, it would, boy... but, I'm not the type of person to reveal everything all at once. What if you were to escape? Unlikely, but possible. Anything's possible, from what I hear." the man said, laughing slightly. Kafei couldn't see him, but he could tell from his tone of voice that he was smiling, enjoying this. "But, I will say this, in a form of a question... does the phrase 'Four Giants' mean anything to you?"

"Yeah... they're the gods of Termina. Why?" Kafei asked. As he talked, he thought he heard voices coming from the back of his mind, though at this point, he considered them trivial at best.

"Oh, no reason... just ponder over it for a bit." the man replied, with a soft chuckle. As Kafei began to say something, the man brought his elbow over Kafei's head. "I don't care how many times I do that. It's always fun."

"You always over do it..."

"Killjoy."

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

"Alright. Ready?" Zelda asked, standing up. It was approaching dawn, and, just as she estimated, the seal had been released. The other sages also stood, approaching the Pedestal of Time. "But, just one moment please." Zelda walked to the center of the Pedestal of Time, and closed her eyes.

'Kafei... Kafei... where are you... where... finding people in another dimension is so much harder than I first imagined... ahh! Found him. Kafei, we've broken the seal, and are preparing to enter the Sacred Realm, and retrieve his body. This process might take another day or two, so you can make your way back here with Anju.'

Zelda opened her eyes, and looked around at the Sages. "You do know, of course, once you enter the Chamber of the Sages, there's slim chance you'll return to Hyrule, you're all lucky to have done it once." Everyone nodded at this, silent, focused on the task at hand. "Alright then. Follow me." she said, placing her hand on the Pedestal of Time, the indentation where the Master Sword once was glowing. The light grew brighter, eventually resembling a vortex of white light. One by one, each Sage entered.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

"You do realize, this could mean trouble? If they manage to retrieve it, I mean." a man said. "I think it best to move on now, rather than keep on trying at the boy."

"Fine." the man in armor replied, holding up a limp, unconscious Kafei by the four chains around his limbs. "On to the new B.O.S.?" he asked, waving his hand through the mist, revealing a desert area once more.

"Yes... you know, if I didn't know better, I'd say you're enjoying yourself." the taller man remarked, smiling.

"I just might be." the man in armor replied, walking through the mist.

"Knew it. I'll change him yet." the taller man said quietly, smirking.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

'Damn, damn, damn... what now... so hot...'

Kafei opened his eyes with difficulty, it was bright. Having been in darkness for so long, his eyes were sensitive. "W... where am I now?" Kafei asked, looking around. He rose to his feet, realizing that chains were only attached to his ankles now, his arms were free. He looked around more carefully, and noticed that it was bright, cloudless day. He saw sand dunes all around him, and he was attached to one of the many giant stone pillars. To his immediate right was a glass bottle filled with water, and another glass bottle with what looked like fruit and vegetables in it. "Not much, but I'll take what I can get..." Kafei said, opening the water bottle and chugging it, then eating almost all of his food in a few gulps.

"Enjoying it?" a voice said. Kafei dropped the bottle and looked around, and saw a man approaching straight ahead, as if he had just appeared there. "Well, get used to it. You're stuck here until you reveal where the documents are, or at least what happened to them."

"I don't... wait, you bastard!" Kafei yelled, realizing that it was the man who killed Kilan and captured him in the first place. "Where the hell am I now?"

"A warm place, obviously." he replied sarcastically. "You'll be here awhile, but, still unfortunate for you. It's never night here. Always scorching hot day time. Cooperate and I might get you some shade."

"Son of a *****, when I get free, I'll kill you!" Kafei yelled, pulling at his chains, only a few feet away from his attacker.

"If, if is the key word there." he said, laughing slightly, and extending his hand. "C'mon. Join. It'll be all the better for you. You get a better life than this, you're free to return to your wife. Just give us answers."

Kafei, slowly, extended his own hand, reaching for the man's hand. The look on his face was of a depressed man who had given up. He grabbed the man's hand, and pulled him closer, punching his face with his free hand. "Bastard. Like I'd ever." he said, letting go of the man's hand.

"Well, this one's still got some fight." the man said, his hand where Kafei had punched him. "Think about it. A few weeks out here, and you'll have a change of heart." He rushed forward and grabbed Kafei's collar, raising him off the ground. "Believe me. You'll crack within the month. If you decide you want to live that long." he tossed him to the ground and turned around. Kafei rose, and saw that nobody was there.

"Psycho bastard... I won't give him the pleasure of me joining or giving up." Kafei said, picking up a bottle and throwing it against the stone column behind him, shattering it. "I'll never..."

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Dawn, two days after the seal had been removed.

People from around Hyrule had gathered to honor the great soldier who's life was lost. The hero was to be buried in the front of the castle, so that any person could visit the grave. The crowd was staggering, well in the upper hundreds. This hero had made many friends from each part of Hyrule. The casket was raised above the deep hole in the ground, suspended by thin wires, giving the illusion of hovering. Just above the casket, on a raised wooden platform, stood the Princess, and several priests of the castle.

As the Princess began to speak, all noise around the grounds had nulled, a quiet tension building among the people. "My fellow Hyrulians. We are all here today, as friends, to honor the death of the greatest soldier Hyrule has ever seen, the hero of Hyrule, Link. I have known him for years, ever since he joined the rank of a soldier, and know him well. Link was a kind, caring man, a strong, sturdy knight. Many of you know him personally, I'm sure. He's been to every reach of Hyrule, from the desert wasteland, to the deadly mountains, to the dense forest. He never refused any duty that he had been assigned, never complained when a job had become difficult. Link was what many call, perfect in every way."

The crowd was silent, completely in tune to what was being said. Even the young children, who are usually so spirited, so wild, were as statues during the speech.

"But, if Link is perfect, then how could he have died? I will tell some details of the hero's final battle. He was clearly outmatched by an opponent stronger than he ever has been, or ever will, be. A single strike would have been the end of him. However, this hero managed to distract his foe long enough to pin themselves together with his own sword, causing them both to bleed to death. This may have been the only option, or only one would be alive, and I know which it would have been."

Outbreaks of cries and yells rose from the crowd, shocked at how their precious hero's final battle played out. A single strike, killing them both? Clearly they expected some epic battle, ending in a perfect ending blow, leaving them both drained of strength, and blood. But, some realized the great plan Link had managed to create. Unable to fight head on, he killed himself in an attempt to end the threat, which had worked. This, if no other word could describe it, was heroism.

"This Hylian... this Hyrulian... was an upstanding man, who deserved to live through this battle. However, he knew the risk he was taking when he made the accepting words to battle. He would have welcomed death with open arms, if he were to know that people, if only one, was benefiting from it. And not just one, but an entire country was to benefit from his sacrifice. What kind of creatures would we be if we did not acknowledge this death? We would be as traitors are."

Most people were now standing with their heads lowered, as if guilty. Perhaps they were guilty for never thanking the hero. Perhaps they were guilty for thinking he was always going to help. Perhaps they were guilty for not caring about him in the first place, only viewing him as an expendable soldier of the castle, a man that can be replaced. Others still held their heads high, proud that such a man had lived among them, proud to say they had known a virtuous man, and most of all, proud to have even known him at all.

"Still, I know that Link was not the greatest of the land. So why is he getting this 'special treatment', this grand burial? I will tell you. It is because he is a man befitting of one. He has saved so many lives in little more than five years, he has done so much for this land, that anything short of a funeral such as this would be an insult to his memory. Though, I knew that he would be against this, I know, and all of you do, as well, that he deserves this."

Mutters of agreement flow through the crowd, nodding heads giving the illusion of a small earthquake.

"And so, to finish this, I have a few final words. Link was a knight, he was a great fighter. But, he was a simple man. He was raised in the Kokiri Forest, he lived his life in travel for a long while. He was a simple man. He came to the castle and assisted us before he joined the ranks of a soldier, he assisted us after he joined the ranks of a soldier. He quickly rose through the ranks, becoming the best. Not because he wanted to. But because he simply did the right thing. He was a simple man. He didn't do what he did for glory. He did what he did because it was right. He didn't fight because he wanted to. He fought because he had to, to keep the peace. He didn't choose to die that day. He chose to help the people of this land, help them from a fierce man. And, for this simple man, it is time to be put to a final rest."

Zelda looked down at the casket of the hero, for the final time. The top knights cut the wires holding the casket up and slowly lowered them into the grave, many people watching beginning to weep over the fallen hero. As the casket finally hit the bottom of the pit, the leader of each race of beings of Hyrule helped to fill in the pit, each leader knowing Link in some way, though not how they used to. They know nothing of the forest becoming a dangerous place, the mountain had never become the lair of a dragon. The domain of the zoras had never frozen, the desert never become a flowing river of sand. However, Link had met each leader again, and become friends with each one, to an extent. This is why people from all over Hyrule had attended the hero's funeral. Because they wanted to.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

The sun was pounding down, hitting the man in ragged clothing. His hair was wild, his shirt thrown beside him, his pants ripped into shorts. The sand around him was hard from being stepped on so frequently, it was compressed almost into solid stone.

"Kafei, you're a mess." the tall, muscular man had appeared again, once more with a bottle of water, and a bottle of fruit and vegetables. He threw them to the ground beside Kafei, who didn't move from his sitting position, only glancing his eyes up. They weren't of a man who had gone insane. If anything, they were of a normal man, a man who was relaxing. "You know you can end this, just accept the offer."

For days, this man had made the same offer to Kafei. 'Take my hand and join me, you can see your wife again, leave this mess behind you. Just tell me where the documents are.' However, Kafei remained silent until the man left, and quietly ate and drank slowly. The land here was odd, it was constantly daylight. After the first 'night' of sleep, Kafei removed his shirt, and placed it over his eyes when he was about to sleep.

Kafei looked up and smirked at the man, a defiant look in his eyes. He grabbed the bottle of water and waved his hand, gesturing the man to leave. The man chuckled at this, and walked away, soon vanishing. He uncorked the bottle of water and drank some, also taking a bite of an apple. Nothing went through his mind, save the image of a single person, the only thing that kept him from breaking. Ironic, because if he were to break, he could see that person again.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

"Idiot. All he has to do is accept the offer, and he'd be free." the tall man said, stepping up beside the man in armor. The two were in a round, stone room, with two thrones in it, looking newly built. The thrones faced each other, a dark mist in between them, showing the image of Kafei in the desert, slowly eating his apple.

"Yes, he would. I don't need him to say anything. I just need to burrow a bit, and I'd find all I need." the man in armor replied, standing as still as a statue. "I wonder if he realizes that? No, I wouldn't think so. He knows nothing of either of us. But, I know one thing for certain. He's waiting us out, almost in an attempt to make us break before he does."

"No doubt about that." the tall man remarked, looking at the ragged man eat his food. "I still say we should just do it, regardless of his decision."

"I have already told you. That will not work. He needs to have doubts in his mind, weak spots in his mentality. He's still standing strong with his mind, he's silent. He's concentrating. He's blocking out all else. He's the opposite of a captive. If anything, he's acting as if this were a vacation. He sleeps easy, I've seen him bury himself in the sand and smile. He's relaxing." the man gave out a small sigh, irritated at this man's integrity. "But still... everyone cracks, sooner or later. It's not as if we have anything to wait for. It's all dependent on when he cooperates, nothing more."

Chapter 3: Impatience


The two men sat in their stone thrones, observing the ragged man asleep yet again. The man in armor was patient in his wait, assured that the ragged man would eventually crack under pressure. However, the other man didn't see it this way. He saw it as nine more days wasted waiting for a sane man to go insane.

"Tell me again. Why are we simply waiting here?" the man asked, gripping the arm rests of his throne tightly, the sturdy frame of the throne beginning to give.

"I have told you before. We must wait for his mentality to weaken, then I can enter the confines of his mind to release the truth that we desire. Don't become impatient. Impatience leads to rash decisions that usually cost the man, and the allies of the man, more than is bearable." the armored man said, seeing the cracks on the other man's throne.

"Damn that man... I know how to make a man buckle under pressure. Give me half a day with him and some sharp instruments..." the man replied, sneering at the thought of torture. "Please? Pretty please?" he asked, laughing almost hysterically.

"No, I already told you why. That would either make him resent us to the point of never losing his grip on the world around him, or he'd die from it. Both would be bad." the armored man said firmly, reasserting his earlier statement.

"You're no fun. Well, I guess, in due time, we'll get to have a good time. The people of this land are in for one hell of a time... just like last time, am I right?" he asked the armored man, relaxing his arms and laying back in his throne.

The armored man was silent for a moment, before answering. "Yes, they are in for one hell of a time. But more than just last time. We will utterly rule this land without a doubt, and, when we complete it, we will have them invade."

"Ha! That's what I want to hear! Murder and mayhem!" the man laughed aloud, almost manically. He stood up from his throne, and waved the image of Kafei away, showing an image of a large castle, one that was war-torn, and littered with skeletons. "I'm off to have some fun. It's boring here, you don't know how to hold a conversation." he said, walking through the mist. The man in armor waved the image, just catching the sound of a laugh and metal clanging, changing it back to Kafei. He was intent on finding out just what would make his mind waver the line of sanity.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

"Boo." a voice rang out in the desolate desert. Kafei lept to his feet, looking around. That was not the voice of either man he had spoken to before. "Above." the voice yelled out. Kafei looked up, and saw a man standing on the pillar, but not on top. The side, as if he was standing on the ground. Through the haze of the desert, it was hard to make out someone more than twenty feet away, but he could tell that someone was there. An armored man, slender. He could see the man raise put his arm out, and drop an object... a sword!

Kafei took this opportunity to his advantage. He kicked up his chains that bound him to the pillar and allowed them to be struck by the sword, freeing himself. He was left with about two feet of chain on each leg. Not a good thing, but better than being stuck in one location. Kafei looked at the sword, and nearly froze with shock. The Double Helix Blade.

Right in front of his eyes, the man dropped to the ground, landing with perfect posture, standing straight up. He grasped the Double Helix Blade and pulled it out of the ground, slinging it over his shoulder. The shoulder of the armored deity himself, the Fierce Deity. "You're in bad shape."

"Shut up, you sick bastard!" Kafei shouted, clenching his fists. "How are you still alive?!"

"You cannot kill a god, it is impossible. That man in green killed the shell. I am not him. But, you will wish it was." the deity began, raising his sword with a single hand, pointing it at Kafei's chest. "You have no hopes to live. You're better off listening." He slightly lowered his sword, his pupiless eyes staring at the ragged man before him.

"And what would that be?" Kafei asked, in an almost defiant tone. Over a week in the desert, and his attitude hasn't changed. Rather than a fear or anxiety rush through him, he felt only anger, fury, hatred.

"Well, it's more of a deal. I want you to deliver a simple message. Accept, and you're free. Deliver it, and I promise your well being. Try to escape after being let free, and I kill you where you stand."

The two men, one who should be dead, and one who is as good as dead, stood, one awaiting an answer, one contemplating the request.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

"Mother! How could you suggest such a thing?!" Anju spat out in disgust. Anju had spent over a week in agonizing depression, waiting for Kafei to return from his journey with Link. She and her mother had been arguing for almost the entire time. During the current argument, they were in the Inn, nobody was in the lobby. Anju was behind the counter, with her mother in front of it.

"I'm just saying, Anju, he may have used this chaos during the festival to get out of commitment..." her mother began, before a vase flew by her head, shattering against the wall.

"One more time." Anju began, glaring at her mother with utter hatred. "Just say it one more time." Her mother looked saddened at this, only wanting her daughter to be happy. She left without another word she left the Inn, close to tears, just as her daughter is.

'Without hesitation, the lovers remain loyal, throughout time, and beyond the heavens.'

This is a small excerpt from a love poem, one that Kafei had recited perfectly to Anju when they first became engaged. A perfect fitting for this moment in time, and Anju constantly sang the lyrics to herself in private. She knew, without a doubt, that Kafei wasn't going to abandon her, after years of loyalty to their marriage, she knew that he loved her too much to simply brush her aside.

Anju, though dutiful in her work, never let the thoughts of her true love slip the confines of her mind.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

"Think you can do that?" the Deity asked, slashing the chains at Kafei's ankles, fully removing the bonds that tie him to this strange land. The Deity sliced the air, and, in an act of godly power, ripped through the air, showing a castle.

"Yeah. I do this, and you leave me the hell out of this battle. This is between the higher ups, not mortals." Kafei said, walking forward. Now, he knew part of the truth, part of what was going on. "I'll tell her, and then you open a path directly to my own home. Got it?"

"Quite a mouth on you... I like your courage. I was not going to, but I might as well. Your attitude alone impresses me enough. Alright. The moment you wish to, toss this onto the ground with enough force to crack it." the Deity handed Kafei a small glass orb, which seemed to be filled with a fog of sorts. Kafei grabbed it and walked through the split in the air, vanishing.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

"Back already?" the man in armor asked, sitting upon his stone throne, gazing at the mist before him.

"Yeah. I got bored. Any signs of weakness yet?" the tall man asked, plopping down on his own throne, letting out a large sigh.

"No... none at all..." the man in armor replied, looking at the ragged man before him.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Kafei touched solid ground, and the first thought that flowed through his mind was of relief, no more sand beneath his feet. He looked up, and saw something that made his heart weigh heavy. He walked up to a stone slab, and dropped to his knees.

'Link, Hero of Hyrule and Beyond'


"I'm... so sorry, Link..." Kafei began, holding everything back. He rose to his feet, knowing he had something to do. He looked at Hyrule Castle, and saw several guards. He walked up to the front gates of the castle, and spoke to the nearest guard. "I need to speak to Princess Zelda. My name is Kafei, surely if you tell her that, she will allow me to see her." the guard merely stood there, looking at the man before him. Kafei wasn't thinking of it at the time, but he had no shirt, his pants were practically shorts, and he was filthy. "Now." Kafei said, louder, firmly. The guard behind the one he was talking to walked back into the castle, and it was a few minutes before the Princess could be seen.

"Oh my goddesses! Kafei? What happened to you!" she yelled as she saw him, running to him. Kafei held his hand up before Zelda hugged him, a stern look on his face.

"Zelda. We need to speak." he said, walking past her. He wanted to get this over with, he was simply sick of everything that has happened.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

"Zelda. The Fierce Deity is still alive." Kafei began immediately, as the guards closed the doors to the Throne Room. Zelda gasped at this, and immediately felt a chill run through her spine.

"But, Link killed him! I saw his rotting corpse! We sealed it in the Sacred Realm! There's no way that Link's Shadow-"

"His shadow is dead. This is the true Deity." Kafei interjected, causing Zelda to once again gasp. "He was to be a simple pawn in this whole thing, but as Link's Shadow died, he took over, and escaped the Sacred Realm with what power he had. After a week, he was strong enough to free me."

"Free you? What happened?" Zelda asked, now utterly lost.

"I spent the last week or so in a desert where the sun never set, where daytime was all the time. Two men held me captive. I only know what one of them look like. Link's apprentice was killed by one of them. That man was beastly, his snapped his neck like it was nothing, and broke several of my own ribs in a single attack. The man was tall, he had red hair, almost grey, black skin."

"No!" Zelda yelled, thinking of the worst already. "There's no way it could be him!"

"Who?" Kafei asked, curious as to who this man was. Was he surely a huge problem?

"G... Ganondorf..." Zelda stuttered, almost losing the will to stand on her own two legs. "But... he should be a normal man... no powers..."

"He could warp, and had strange black magic." Kafei said. "Seems more than a normal man."

"But he no longer has the power of the Triforce! He does not now, we made sure of this! The first wielders of the Triforce were myself, Ganondorf, and Link. Wisdom, Power, and Courage. But, we all lack the power of the goddesses! He should be dead, or hiding in the desert!"

"Well, I was in a desert, wasn't it?" Kafei asked, already mad at this. "So, this Ganondorf guy, is he that much of a big deal?"

"He took over most of Hyrule, overthrew our government, killed off hundreds of people, unleashed unspeakable evil monsters upon the land, and nearly became the ultimate creature of power. At least, he almost did, before Link stopped him..." Zelda replied, trailing off. "I sent Link back in time to stop the events from happening, which he did... Ganondorf was sent to prison, but escaped years later, he shouldn't have any memories of this happening..."

"This confuses the hell outta me." Kafei said, reaching into his pocket. "One more message from the Deity himself. He said to prepare for the four, south, north, west, and east. He'll be here soon enough to fight. He said that this doesn't involve us." Kafei grabbed the glass orb from his pocket, and threw it onto the ground, the fog within the orb grabbing him, pulling him into nothing, causing him to vanish into thin air.

Kafei hit solid ground again, this time feeling almost himself. He fell on a hard wooden surface... he looked up, seeing the familiar building he was in, a single clock on the wall, a beautiful woman at the counter...

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

"So, how is our guest doing?" the tall man asked... Ganondorf. He scoffed at the image of Kafei in the sand, who was beginning to show signs of weakness. He was muttering to himself constantly, about nothing in particular.

"I will go to him now..." the man in armor replied, walking into the mist. He stepped into the mist, and his next footstep hit the soft sand. He looked at the pitiful man in front of him, who gasped when he saw the man in armor. Kafei put his arms over his head and yelled in gibberish.

The man in armor... covered from head to toe in black armor, with purple streaks across parts of the armor. His helmet was almost demonic, with two white glowing eyes beyond the helmet where the eyes should be. A fearsome sight, surely it must have been.

"I feel no resistance... none at all... simple... too much so..." the man in armor began, walking up to Kafei and placing his hand on his head. "What... damn!" the man in armor yelled, as Kafei rose to his feet and grasped onto the armored man's chest. He said more things in gibberish, before exploding in a fireball. Almost as suddenly as the explosion rang out, it was over, the man standing as if nothing had happened. It seems that the exploding captive was more of a message than a trap. "Son of a *****... how did he... damn..."

"What happened?!" Ganondorf yelled as the man in armor walked back through the mist.

"That damned Shadow... did not do as well as intended." he replied, waving his hand through the mist, changing the image to another, one that looked like an infinite space, stars and planets lined up in an orderly fashion. "I will locate..."

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

"I know we are in for a fight of history! We will not go down easily! Many of you are not believing in the ancient stories of higher beings, but soon, your opinion will change!" Zelda yelled to her soldiers, outside of Hyrule Castle. Soon after Kafei vanished, she assembled an army of each of her knights, including trainees. "This will be written in the books of history, if we are to live! I have no doubts in my mind that we are in grave danger, but we must fight if we are to succeed!"

The soldiers gave cries of encouragement, hyped up for what was to come. They only knew of glory of the battle... not the punishments of it.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

"Whenever the time comes... I shall arive..."



Chapter 4: The Four Who Are There...


Dawn was approaching, a calmness enveloped the land of Hyrule. The lake to the south was like glass, the forest to the east without a single leaf moving. It wasn't the calm that was relaxing... it was like the calm before the storm. At Hyrule Castle, there were several hundred men and women, preparing. Princess Zelda had nothing but the words of a single man... but she was the most powerful sage, and felt that something was coming. Something unfamiliar to her, something not of Hyrule.

The sun rose, giving another day of light to the land. Zelda had ordered several soldiers to stand their ground around Hyrule Field, anticipating... something. With no idea what to expect, she was fully alert, awaiting any signs of abnormality. From atop her castle, she could see almost every part of Hyrule, from the forest to the desert, the lake to the mountain. She gazed upon each corner of the land for hours at a time, waiting for a single sign. She felt uneasy... just as she did about that single man years ago.

'There's nothing so far... but I can feel something... when I try to sense something on a country wide scale, I feel a sort of pressure... as if... something's trying to burrow it's way in...'

This pressure she feels are emanating from six different spots... but from the six, she feels two main points, both from Hyrule Field. The minor ones are in Gerudo Desert, Lake Hylia, Kokiri Forest, and Death Mountain. The pressure from the desert was sharp, as if a needle, the one from the forest was as if a blade were slicing through. In the lake, it was simply a pushing force, as was the mountain. In the field, however, the pressure... was simply that. As if it were simply moving slowly, with no force at all. This, however, made the princess more worried than anything, as the pressure was building, rather than staying the same, as the other four.

'Wait... there's only five points of pressure now... what's going on...?'

Zelda located the point that the pressure had stopped, it was at the desert. She looked over there, but saw nothing. However, the daily sand storms had started up again, and vision was poor. However, she could feel one thing... size and strength, two beings, almost intertwined into one single mass.

Thinking about this, she dropped to her knees... as did the guards around her. The land shook, followed by a monstrous roar, chilling every spine within earshot, which must have been the entire land of Hyrule.

"Princess! What in the name of the goddesses was that?" the guard nearest to her asked as he helped her up. "That was the roar of a might beast, no doubt. A demon..."

"I'm afraid... it might be much worse." Zelda began, before she felt yet another pressure point relinquish, and heard another roar from the mountain. As she swiveled her head over in that direction, she felt more pressure leave, and heard war cries in the forest, followed by another pressure release and another roar from the lake. Then, the two final ones... vanished as well.

Zelda had seen the event unfold before her. Calm... then each of the beings that arrived had bellowed a mighty roar, and two small tornadoes had formed in Hyrule Field, quickly dissipating, leaving two beings. A man in armor, and a tall man... the unknown man and Ganondorf. She could see Ganondorf raise his arm and point it at the princess.

"Princess of Hyrule! Hear me!" he yelled, his voice seemingly magnified. "This day, your land shall fall, and Hyrule shall be ours to control!"

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

"Anju... thank you."

Kafei was sitting in a chair in the upper part of the inn, just having gotten washed up and fed a (semi) decent meal from Anju. He had not yet explained what had happened, and didn't know how he would even tell the story. However, Anju didn't seem to care... she only cared that her love was back and safe. She hadn't even questioned him when he appeared out of a fog, that suddenly appeared inside the main lobby of the inn. She only lept over the counter and embraced him.

"Kafei, please rest. I know just by looking at you, you've had a terrible time." Anju walked to the door, and just before shutting it, looked back at him. "We'll talk later, after you've had some sleep..."

Kafei watched her close the door, and smiled slightly. It was nice to be back... but he still felt odd. He simply walked over to a bed, and laid down, almost instantly passing out.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

"Princess! Reports of a demonic swordsman in the forest, he's slaughtered dozens of Kokiri!"

"Reports of a metal beast in the mountains, m'lady! The Gorons are attempting to fend it off!"

"Reports of a large demon fish in the lake, Princess! Zoras are trying to subdue it!"

"Reports of towering snakes in the desert, Princess Zelda! We have no way to defend against it!"

These four creatures and two men were the cause of the pressure in the land, they had somehow burrowed their way from one dimension to another; Hyrule. The two men in the field simply stood, waiting. They seemed to take in the enjoyment of the chaos around them, the soldiers simply bypassed them in attempts to reach the other four areas to assist against the demonic monsters.

"How are we to battle such creatures?" Zelda asked aloud, trying to formulate a plan. 'If the gorons are to dive off the cliff side, into the metal beast... but that might kill them... the Zoras could... no... Kokiri... Gerudo... everyone's going to get wiped out...'

"Don't worry. This is not your fight. This is between me... and him."

Zelda turned around to see one man, and it was not a soldier. It was a man in white armor... the Fierce Deity. "Who are you? Link's Shadow is dead... are you the true spirit of the mask?"

"I'm not obliged to answer to a mere human." the Deity replied, walking forward. "There. See that man in armor? Beside the man called Ganondorf? He's the real threat here. If you know what's good for you, call back your soldiers, and defend the castle. In fact, have each race do the same. Barricade everyone within their walls, and wait for this to be over."

Without a sign of it, the Deity simply vanished in front of Zelda's eyes, off to another location...

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

In the forest, the children like Kokiri fled from a tall swordsman, who had tribalesque tattoos around his body, and a giant longsword. He spoke no words, but chanted menacingly while attacking.

Near the pass from Kokiri Village to the Deku Tree, three Kokiri stood, the center one wearing chainmail and wielding a sword... the Kokiri Sword. "Mido, are you sure about this?" one Kokiri asked, wielding a sort of rod.

"We're not gonna let this guy get rid of us this easily. If we're gonna die, we're gonna go out in style!" Mido replied, grabbing his shield and strapping it onto his right arm. The Kokiri to his left pulled back the string to her bow, and let a shot go, straight at the swordsman. The shot made contact, but with such little force that it pulled the arrow from it's own flesh and chanted again, running towards the three. The archer fled in fear, leaving Mido and the other Kokiri alone. The Kokiri with the rod stood, almost trembling in fear, but Mido stood strong. "C'mon, don't be afraid. We'll get the job done."

The swordsman charged at the two, taking a swipe at the Kokiri standing next to Mido, who barely managed to block with his rod. However, the pure force behind the swing caused him to fly into the air, and land on the ground, limp. The swordsman began chanting again, and turned his attention to Mido. "Bring it! You're just a tall guy with a sword!" he yelled, taking a defensive stance. The swordsman swung at Mido, who rose his shield, blocking it. He counterattacked with the Kokiri Sword, but missed, leaving an opening.

The swordsman punched at Mido, and sent him flying into the cliff wall. He rose his sword, and brought it down on the defenseless Kokiri child.

Clang!

"You will cause no more harm here, Odolwa." The Deity stood, his sword the only blockade for Mido's choice of life and death. "He has corrupted you...you're true form has been lost to the nature of your surroundings... I will restore you..." the Deity lifted his sword, Odolwa's blade unable to force itself down. When the Deity rose it to head level, he flung the tip of his sword upward, putting Odolwa off balance. He slabbed Odolwa in the chest, and caused a surge of energy to create a small explosion at the tip of the blade, killing Odolwa... a mask fell at the Deity's feet, who picked up the mask, and vanished, leaving a confused Kokiri in his wake.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

"Get it in the pass, Goro!" a Goron yelled to several Gorons. They were on a cliff, looking down at a mountain pass, where the giant metal goat was. "We'll all roll over the side and crush it, Goro!" The Gorons prepared to do so, before a sudden gust stirred up some dust, and a man stood before them as it settled. "Where did you come from, Goro?" the Goron asked the man.

The Deity did not respond, but instead lept down into the mountain pass, and stabbed downward with his sword, lodging it into the metal monster's back. It roared, and bucked, but could not remove him. "Goht... I shall return you to normal. Soon, you will-" the Deity began, but stopped as the mechanical Goht slammed it's back into a wall, removing the Deity from its back. "Ow." the Deity started, sarcastically. He watched the mechanical monster run through the mountain pass, away from Kakariko, thankfully, but towards Goron City. He looked up at the Gorons, and smirked slightly. He pointed at the Gorons, which caught their attention, pointed toward the mechanical monster, and made a motion by pounding his fist into his hand, which the lead Goron understood, and walked off with a few of his men.

Running towards the beast, he saw the Gorons an the cliff above it, and roll off, slamming into the creature, making it fall to the ground. The Deity lept onto it's back, and grabbed his sword, leaving a huge, gaping hole in Goht's back. He flipped over it's head, and sliced through it, the beast exploded, and left a single mask in its place. He smirked at the Gorons, who all started to chatter in excitement for defeating the beast, but, as soon as the Deity appeared, he vanished again.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

"Damnit, get out of the water!" a Zora yelled, swimming towards shore, but to no avail, he was soon within the grasp of the giant fish's mouth, and was shortly crushed and eaten. All the other Zoras took heed of this, and swam to any land they could, some not making it.

"Son of a *****..." another Zora began, catching his breath as he hit land, gasping for air. "Such a beast... how can we-" he started, but the gargantuan fish breached the water, and landed onto the Zora, crushing him. It flopped its way back into the water, leaving a bloody trail behind it.

"My goddesses... Nayru, save us..." another Zora prayed, standing a good distance away from the water. His prayers were answered... in a rush of water, the Deity stood, half submerged in water, the water around his sword bubbling.

"Gyorg... guardian of the sea. You too, huh... well, soon, you'll be freed from his corruption." the Deity began, walking into the water, watching the fish swim around the lake, and stop, sensing new prey. The fish charged at the Deity full speed, but it's speed and force was it's immediate demise. It rammed head on into the Deity's blade, killing itself. Once more, the body vanished and left a mask where it died. The Deity grabbed it, and vanished once more.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

In the desert, everything was calm, quiet when the Deity arrived. He gazed around the land, and saw several female bodies and horses around, dead. He looked at the ground, and saw unnatural inclines and declines in the sand, something was under the ground. "Twinmold..." he said quietly to himself, before a massive hole opened beneath him, revealing a red snake like creature with three eyes and fangs, which slammed into the Deity, and brought him into the air. The Deity flipped over to the top of the spinal column of the beast, and saw another snake, blue, emerge from the sand, and fly towards the Deity. He lept from the current snake and free fell towards the other one, and swung his blade upward as he approached it, slicing the skull in half, killing it.

"That's not the real Guardian, though..." The Deity looked around, and saw the massive creature flying above him. It stopped, and charged head on into the Deity, who side stepped it easily, letting the creature fall into the sand and swim away for a small distance, before emerging only it's head, and swimming towards the Deity, who rose his sword. "Twinmold, join the other Guardians. Corruption is over." he said, his sword glowing. When the creature was only a few hundred feet away, the Deity swung his sword, sending a burst of energy towards it, exploding on contact, leaving the creature's skull in fragments. Soon after, the body disintegrated, leaving a mask behind.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

"What's going on? They're all dead." Ganondorf said, clenching his fist. They were still in the field, with hundreds of bodies around them.

"Damn... he's alive..." the man in armor began, turning his head towards the desert.

"Who? Link?!" Ganondorf yelled, slamming his sword into the ground in fury.

"No... the other one... the higher being..." the man in armor replied, walking slightly, before stopping. "And... here he is."

The Deity stood before him, his sword pointed towards the man in armor, the four masks strapped behind his back. He scowled at the man in armor. "Damn you. You did it again, corrupting the four guardians of the land. We finish this now. We didn't get to last time, neither of us were in the right condition. But now, as the first time, let's battle. Majora. You die now, and if I die as well, I welcome it. But you are not walking away from this battle."

The man in armor stood silent for a moment before speaking. "Fine then, Deity. We have had this conflict for an eternity. Let's finish this, then. But you're mistaken..." he began, removing his blackened helmet. His head was blank... hair, no nose. A small mouth, and a single, large eyeball taking up most of the face. "You will die, not me."

Chapter 5: Battle of Two Gods


"Majora, you will die here. If I am to die, my only hope is that you go first." the Deity said, swinging his sword over his shoulder. He smirked slightly, as if enjoying the impending battle. "How long... was it since we, not others, have clashed?"

"Too long... but this is the final time we see each other breath." Majora replied, swinging his arms in a windmill fashion. With a puff of purple smoke, two long tendrils emerged from his forearms. They were almost twenty feet in length, and dragged on the ground. They were purple, with small bursts of electricity flowing through them every few seconds.

Ganondorf simply stood to the side, interested in seeing these two beings battle each other. The fight between two gods, one insane, the other fierce. However, the insane one seemed all too calm. He was cold, calculative. He didn't seem like the insane beast that Link had faced years earlier.

"Well then, enough relishing the memories of long past events. We settle things like we always wanted to." The Deity swung his sword around his head, and slashed vertically with it, letting the tip touch the ground. He cracked his neck, and smiled at the other godly being opposite of him, who also seemed to enjoy this. The two immediately charged forward, almost eliminating the need for walking, looking as though they were barely touching the ground, only slightly tapping the ground with their feet to stay above the ground.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

In the Temple of Time, Princess Zelda ran across the entrance room, past the altar, into the room of the Pedestal of Time. She slammed her hands upon the pedestal, and vanished, leaving no trace of her being behind.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Majora swung a tendril at the Deity, and wrapped it around his sword. The Deity responded by spinning around, forcing Majora to move closer. Majora swung another tendril at the Deity, wrapping him around his sword arm. The Deity grabbed both tendrils with his free hand and ripped them off, the tendrils turning into a mist, and reassembling to Majora, as if nothing happened.

Majora intertwined his tendrils, forming a single, longer, more solid spike. He lifted it with both of his arms, and stabbed at the Deity with it, who blocked with his sword. It pushed him back several feet, before he twisted his sword and snapped the tip of the spike, causing it to revert to two single tendrils again.

It was the Deity's turn to be on the offensive. He swung his sword two times, forming an X pattern. In the air, as though etched into nothing, was a bright X mark. The Deity stabbed at it, which flew towards Majora. It slammed into him, slicing his skin, which produced thick, purple blood. The wounds healed up instantly, however, and he retaliated by thrusting his tendrils into the ground. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, at the feet of the Deity, the tendrils emerged, managing to catch ahold of his feet. From the side of the Deity, Ganondorf ran forward, his fist enveloped in purple mist. He wound his arm back, intending to strike, but a tendril caught him in the chest, causing him to be sent backwards upwards of fifty feet.

"Ganondorf. Do not interfere. This is not a battle for mortals." Majora said, wrapping his tendril around the Deity's leg again. He lifted him off the ground, and swung him in a large circle, pounding him into the ground, leaving an indentation where he crashed. The Deity tossed his sword aside for a moment, and grabbed the tendrils. A white light flowed through them, and made them turn back to mist, all the way back to Majora's forearms. The Deity rose to his feet, and grabbed the hilt of his sword, swinging it in a circular motion, sending a rippling shockwave towards Majora, who almost doubled over in pain at this, but quickly recovered. He reformed his tendrils, and dug his feet into the ground. Suddenly, several more tendrils emerged from his spinal cord, chest, and shoulders. They were like a demonic beast, with each tendril to kill a single victim... except they were all focused on one.

The mass of tendrils, all at once, stabbed at the Deity, who managed to skillfully dodge them, almost as if he were dancing. He swiveled his feet, gracefully switched from his left to right foot, even flipped onto his hands and back to his feet, all while gaining distance and keeping ahold of his sword. When he reached Majora, he swung his sword horizontally, but Majora grabbed the sword with his bare hands, and forcibly wrenched it from the Deity's hands, and tossed it aside, before grabbing him with several dozen tendrils, while swiftly squeezing the life from the Deity garbed in white armor.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Princess Zelda looked among the others, all who remained silent. They nodded in agreement, and out of the Chamber of the Sages, to the outer portion of the Sacred Realm. She ran out, and gazed upon the splendor of the untouched realm, before resuming her self assigned mission.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

"How does it feel... to be restrained against your will... this is nothing compared to what I have had to endure..." Majora squeezed slowly, savoring the feel of taking his enemy's life, inch by inch. The Deity clawed at the tendrils, trying to break free. "No use... without that sword of yours, as long as you cannot move, you are unable to defend." Majora toyed with the Deity even more, swaying him side to side, before stepping up his attack plan. He forced spare tendrils to stab at the Deity, tearing into his armor, burrowing into his skin.

"D... damn you to hell, Majora! I will not surrender!" the Deity yelled out in pain, not letting himself give in to the pain, continuing to claw and tear at the tendrils, glaring down upon his enemy, who was smiling with glee, his single eye focused on his prey. The joy he felt was almost overpowering, his hatred released from his being as he became overcome with emotions of happiness.

"Majora, you bastard..." Ganondorf began, stepping up beside hi, clutching his chest. "that hurt like hell... I know you want to savor the moment, but a simple 'hey, I want this to myself' is just as efficient as slamming me into the ground."

"I apologize. I was too absorbed into the moment. Forgive me for that..." Majora replied, returning to his calm self, while still toying with the Deity. Several tendrils pierced through his body completely, blood dripping from the entry wounds. But still, the Deity fought with every last bit of strength he had left. His sword lay not twenty feet from him, still glowing with a divine light. "And now, for you, my old acquaintance. I bid you, a farewell." Majora gave a slight bow, and whipped each tendril outward... tearing the Deity apart. In a scream and a burst of white light, the sword vanished, leaving five masks to hit the ground.

"About time. That guy really got on my nerves. How did he manage to create a body of his own, though...?" Ganondorf pondered this for a moment, snatching each of the five masks up, and crushing all but the Deity's. "What about this one?"

"Leave it... I will extract his spirit, and leave just an empty shell. To live, without living... is a hell unto itself." Majora shed each of his tendrils, save for one, which grabbed the Deity's Mask from Ganondorf. The tendril vanished in a plume of smoke, and Majora grabbed it in midair, staring at the expression on the mask. Fury... hatred... vengeance... these belonged to the fierce god himself.

"So, are we to go back to the Stone Tower, and leave the mask in the desert until we do further study of it?" Ganondorf asked, looking back at the castle. "Or better yet... you go on ahead, and I burn the castle to the ground."

"Better yet, you die."

A single arrow whizzed by Ganondorf's chest, barely missing contact, the arrow bursting in an explosion of white light as it hit the ground. "What the hell... what... you... L... AURGH!" Ganondorf screamed in pain, grasping his head, feeling pain as if an explosion had gone off inside of his skull.

Images flew past his eyes... a burning village... a decaying town... a torn down castle... released demons... slaughtered villagers... a frozen domain... captive creatures... tortured forest... a young man, with a glowing left hand... his own demise.

"Ganondorf, what is going on?" Majora asked, almost as if it were a demand to know.

He came back to his senses, and gazed at the back of his hand, which had a burning pain... a golden triangle.

"Next shot won't miss!" a voice yelled out, and another arrow shot through the air, directly at Ganondorf's chest. Still in minor shock, Ganondorf slowly raised his hand, and caught the arrow before it touched his chest, and dropped it to the ground.

"Is... this what I've... the power... these memories... they are not false... they are mine... I am... I possess... the power... the power... the power... the POWER!" he screamed, laughing maniacally, letting his eyes gaze upon the man across the field, the man who possessed the power to shoot pure light.

Across that field, the young man stood, a bow in his hand, a sword sheathed on his back, a shield above it. On his left hand also bore a glowing triangle, except it looked different, slightly cracked. The man drew another arrow and released it, and once again Ganondorf caught it with no hesitation.

"How are you still alive..." Ganondorf began, drawing his own sword, not hesitating in the slightest.



Chapter 6: Second Death


"Well, are you going to answer me, boy?" Ganondorf snarled, snapping the arrow in his hand. "Or are you just going to keep shooting arrows, like last time?"

"So you do remember. It's a shame." Link walked forward, dropping his bow and drawing his sword. He grasped his shield tightly in his right hand, his sword in his left. The sun shone down, showing that Link was filthy, his clothes ragged, torn, tattered, almost decaying. However, his body looked the opposite, completely perfect, in a way. Except for the obvious hole in his chest, which was obvious due to the wind blowing, and his tunic going through the hole. No blood was showing, however, but bone clearly was.

"Heh... I think I understand. The Princess clearly didn't trust this other god, and felt it best to have you finish everything up. But I don't think she wanted me to regain my past... or current... memories. I suppose that no person is truly balanced enough to use the Triforce... But now, regardless, it seems that once again, we, the chosen, must duel. Majora, this time, you stay out of my way." Ganondorf brandished his sword before him, and Majora nodded, still grasping hold of the Deity's Mask. "Well, then, Link, Hero of Time. Prepare yourself."

Ganondorf swung his sword, and three purple orbs appeared, each rocketing forward at Link, who ducked the first, sidestepped the second, and sliced at the third, which exploded into a purple mist, obscuring sight. Link performed a magic spin attack, clearing the mist, revealing Ganondorf charging forward. Meeting blades, they held each other back, not allowing themselves to move a single step backwards, not allowing the other to take a step forwards.

'Interesting... is this the power of the goddesses of Hyrule?' Majora wondered to himself, looking on with curiosity. He watched on as Ganondorf take a hand off his sword and punch Link, pushing him back, before Link retaliated with a quick flurry of stabs, making Ganondorf keep a distance. 'Such power... I wonder... what would happen...'

"Boy, you fight with deadly intent, more so than our last battle!" Ganondorf yelled with a laugh, as Link stopped his flurry of attacks. "But now, I wonder, we have both evolved our skills even further, who will be the victor?" Ganondorf tossed his sword aside, which momentarily confused Link, before he rose his hands, a purple mist enveloping them. "No doubt that you're curious, this is the result of years with a god!" he swiped his hands forward, streaks of purple mist flying towards Link. He brought up his sword to block, but they simply passed through them, hitting his torso and arms, cutting them severely... but no blood emerged. "Heh, so, you really are... dead."

"Immortal, actually..." Link replied, showing his Triforce mark on the back of his left hand, which is shown to have even more marks along it, even edges of it chipping away, as if it were a solid object, and not a tattoo. "I have until this mark vanishes to kill you and him, until I continue my eternal rest. And in that time, I also have a new ability..." Link dropped his Master Sword, and kicked it aside. He extended his arm, and light poured from his palm, forming a sword, almost identical to the Master Sword, except the hilt was a crystal blue, the blade a pure white. "The power of light, more powerful than the Master Sword could ever be."

'How interesting... are they... catalysts for power?'

"Well then, boy, bring it! I'll go all out!" Ganondorf tossed his arms up in the air, and several electrified orbs appeared, several dozen of them. He thrust his arms forward, each orb pushed forward towards Link, who simply stood there, his sword extended directly forward. As the orbs approached, Link swung his sword upward, and in a sort of divine show of might, each orb vanished with a cackling sound, leaving Ganondorf both frustrated and amused. "Well, that used to work... I think it best not to underestimate you anymore... if you're so strong, then fight me when I'm at my best!"

Ganondorf grabbed his sword, a wide grin on his face. He knelt down on one knee, and closed his eyes for a split moment, before opening them again, revealing yellow eyes, with no pupils. He laughed maniacally, his skin hardening, thickening, the bone in his skull jutting outwards, creating horns, his limbs extending, his muscles becoming enormous, the sword in his hand splitting down the center and reforming into two, longer, larger blades, one in each hand. He smiled once again, revealing long, sharp fangs, two small tusks on the edges of his mouth. He roared, and showed a long tail whipping around behind him. Apparently he unable to speak in this form, the form given to him by the Goddess of Power.

'This is the true power... of the goddesses? Amazing... even my power isn't this great... I can sense tremendous power flowing through every fiber of his being...'

"Damn, not good!" Link said to himself, but more about the mark on his hand than Ganon. The mark of the Triforce of Courage was dwindling away, less than half it's normal size. His time was running out. He needed to finish this quickly, or all of this would be mean nothing. Majora, a god of unknown power. Ganon, a man blessed by the gods, also containing unknown power. Leaving either one alive is a loss.

Ganon charged forward on his two massive legs, swinging his swords around rapidly, not allowing any room for a direct attack to him, doing so would result in being chopped up. Instead of running, Link dropped to a single knee, and put his sword behind his back, the sword beginning to shine even brighter. As Ganon approached within fifteen feet, Link rose to his feet, and turned around. "Hiya!" he yelled, swinging his sword with both hands, the blade being extended by light, penetrating Ganon's defense and offense, striking his side. Now a wound was where the light had touched, a wound that was not bleeding, but looked as though it were severely burned. It must have hurt immensely, because Ganon roared fiercely at this.

'Enough of this nonsense... it's time to finish this.' Majora stepped forward, tendrils once again emerging from his body. Ganon stared at him, snarling, wanting to be left alone. "Well, you see... you're terrible inefficient. Wouldn't it be more beneficial for the both of us if I were to assume control?" Majora asked, placing his hand at his chin, beginning to yell.

"No... he's... not... a mask!" Link said quietly to himself, staring on, unable to move from the shock of this realization. Majora lifted upwards, a black mist emerging from behind the mask of the creature, enveloping everything in darkness, nothing, not even the sun, could be seen. Link could only hear a rapping whipping sound, roaring, and silence. He spun his sword around, clearing the mist, revealing the horrid truth.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

A lone man with a black cloak walked through a dense forest, with a single bag strapped over his back. He had a large hood obscuring his face. He looked onward, seeing the haze of the sun beyond the treetops. He was approaching his destination. Suddenly, a large gust stirred up, almost removing the man's hood, had he not grabbed it to prevent it, but not before revealing something.

A red eye...

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Ganondorf stood in his human form, his arms limp at his side. His sword lie, forgotten, behind him. However, the real threat wasn't Ganondorf, but the mask that was on his face. Majora's Mask. "Heh, heh... I can feel it... his mentality is weak. I can easily assume control." He said in an strange voice, a combination of a normal voice, and a demonic one. He turned his head, revealing a gruesome sight, several purple tendrils were burrowed into Ganondorf's skull, throbbing. Majora made Ganondorf's body move completely as if it were his own, and looked a small distance back, where he was standing before... there was a body.

The body was of a man, who wore blue clothing all around his body. His head was bald, but there was no mistaking who that man was.

"The... the Mask Salesman?" Link asked in disbelief, looking at the dead man lie limp before him. His head had several holes in it from behind, just as Ganondorf did now. "So, this is how you obtained a body... you controlled the man who had your mask... and took over completely, reforming your own body."

"And just think, he had nowhere near this much power in him." Majora said, raising Ganondorf's fist. "He was clueless... I hid my power, since that day you defeated me. For two years, until I finally struck in his sleep. I attached myself to his head, and he was helpless. Just like that imp, he was my puppet. Not the best, but compared to being a simple mask, it was paradise. From that day, I eventually regained my power, little by little. I even found this one wandering the desert in this land, almost dead... we joined, each having a single man to hate. You."

"And with the prospect of killing me, you came up with a plan, solely for killing me... what about the Deity?" Link asked.

"Your shadow, was interesting... he had said many times he yearned to be his own person... but I think you want to know the true way of how he escaped your shadow. Ganondorf... he summoned him, like last time. However, the interesting thing was, he kept all memories, as you and the princess did. We used this to our advantage, as well as his ability to become your shadow at any given time. He donned the Fierce Deity's Mask to become his own person, but the problem was, being only a shadow, he only obtained a normal body at first. Eventually, more power was unlocked, until the full power was unlocked... as much as a mortal could unlock, anyway. That's when you killed him... death will come to those befitting of it. He was weak... you, however, are not. This is why I must kill you. This land, all lands, will belong to a single god."

Majora grabbed the sword behind him, which morphed into a completely different weapon. It was a weapon with a hilt and a blade, but also with a long whip connecting the two. Such an odd weapon, what could the use of it be, with no power for thrusting, or slashing? Link would soon find out.

Majora swung the weapon around his head until it resembled the motion of a rapidly spinning windmill, and directed it towards Link. Link slashed at the blade of the weapon, but missed, the whip of the weapon wrapping around Link's arms and chest, binding his upper body movement. As the whip encompassed him more, the blade came closer. Within moments, the blade made contact, slicing through Link's stomach, leaving a gash across it, though no blood moved out of the wound.

"Soon... too soon... it's fading..." Link saw his hand, which was almost devoid of any marks at all, showing a small fraction of the Triforce of Courage. He had to act fast, before he died a second death. He may have been revived because of the Triforce, but the power only lasts so long on a man who's dead already.

"I don't think you'll be seeing this through." Majora scoffed, pulling the hilt of his weapon, tightening the grip, making the blade of the weapon dig deeper. Link couldn't bleed, but he could still feel pain to an extent. Had he had full feeling, he probably would have blacked out by now. He struggled, but to no avail.

'Wait... if I'm a chosen man of the goddesses... maybe...' Link began, thinking rapidly. He closed his eyes, looking as though he accepted death.

"Nice choice. There's no way you can escape... what are you doing?" Majora demanded, watching Link chant silently to himself. A green light surrounded Link's body, quickly spinning orbs of green light spun around him, making a loud screeching noise. "What?" Majora yelled, as his weapon dropped to the ground, no longer with Link to wrap around. Link reappeared behind Majora, his sword against Majora's throat.

"Farore's Wind." Link whispered, trembling. He used up alot of his strength doing that, but he hoped he had enough left. He drew back his sword, prepared to strike. Thrusting his sword forward, Majora yelled, preparing to lose... but it didn't happen.

The sword was no longer in Link's hand, it vanished as he held it, the Triforce of Courage faded completely from Link's hand. "No... damnit... so close..." he stuttered, trembling uncontrollable, as if he were in the harsh snowhead mountains again. He fell to the ground, limp, barely able to see.

"It seems... that the man chosen by the gods is no match for a god." Majora said, staring down at him. Majora watch one, as the Hero of Time's eyes became grey once more, his skin pale, his hair almost a bleached white. The last breath escaped him, as the hero died a second death. With a wicked laugh, Majora picked up the hero, and tossed him against the body of the mask salesman. "I'll dispose of them later... first, it is time for the castle."

"Almost too easy... well, I guess it's to be expected." Majora laughed aloud, continuing his work, savoring it. He could have had everyone killed where they stand that very second, but he wanted people to know his powers. Already possessing great power by himself without a body, having one multiplied it, and having the body of a sorcerer, blessed by the gods no less, makes him all the more powerful.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

'With thy last breath, divide these two.'

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Majora continued, killing more soldiers as he stood still, almost statue like, only having his tendrils move, his arms crossed, as if posing. He turned his head, and saw something troubling to him. A mist of yellowish white light rushed forth from the Temple of Time, moving along the ground as if it were alive, sparkling with what looked like miniature stars. He turned his attention away from the soldiers, and positioned his tendrils, preparing for the unknown.

The mist suddenly expended, surrounding him, circling him rapidly. It began to tighten around him, he began to feel odd, as if a fire was burning him. He quickly realized the truth, and expelled a dark mist from his mask, which almost immediately blotted out the light, however by doing this, it weakened him, causing almost every tendril to recede into his spine once more, leaving less than ten left.

"Damn that Princess... but no more, she failed." Majora looked around, seeing that his dark mist not only blocked the light, but reduced everyone around him to decaying piles of flesh. "whoops... heh heh. Well, I think I proved my point. I wonder... off to Kakariko, then."

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

"My god, what the hell happened here...?"

The man in the black cloak walked up to the battlefield of the duel between two divine beings, the ground was completely barren of grass, blood littered the field. But, most of all, the body of a deceased hero lay next to the body of an unknown man.

"Link, I thought you were dead... you were dead... so how are you even here?" the mask asked aloud, as if expecting an answer. "Who's this man?" he observed the two of them. Apart from being bald and having large, round scars on his head, the unknown man was apparently uninjured (apart from being dead). Link, on the other hand, had several gaping holes in his body, several bones were through his skin, his skin was pale, his hair was almost a bleached white, his eyes almost transparent. But... his skin, it was warm, as if just recently alive! "What in the name of the gods happened here...?"

Beside the two bodies lay another object, a mask.

"The Fierce Deity's Mask!" the man yelled, running to it and swiping it, looking over it. It looked like a normal mask. He put it on out of curiosity. Nothing. He contemplated what to do for a moment, as his eyes gazed over the fallen hero...

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Kakariko Village looked like a nightmare. A single man, with hundreds of tendrils emerged from his spinal cord, stood at the center of town, making a speech. Each exit from the town was blocked by tendrils emerging from the ground and cliff walls, preventing anyone from leaving. Everyone was in an uproar, but so far Majora refrained from killing anyone.

"Yes, Castle Town is nothing more than a graveyard. You partially have your fair princess to thank for that." Majora said, smirking behind his mask, having full control of Ganondorf's body, it was as if Ganondorf's body was his own, simply with a mask on. "She opposed me, and I let out my power go all out. Everyone around me dying was slight side effect..."

"Monster! You're a demon that deserves to be slain!" a young man yelled out, stepping forward out of fury. A mistake. Without any warning, several tendrils whipped at him, immediately taking him and picking him up, pulling him towards Majora. "Let go of me, damnit!" the man yelled, punching at the tendrils grasping him.

"You have spirit, boy... but I wonder... how much will you have as your breath escapes you, and you are helpless to move at all, watching everyone stand still, afraid to move, for fear of their own death?" Majora chuckled at this, slamming the young man onto the ground, pulling a tendril around his throat tight. "So, boy, where's your spirit now?" he asked, as the boy gasped for breath. As Majora said, nobody came to the boy's aid, even as a deafening snap filled the air, the boy giving up his struggle at last. "Now, do you all finally realize what an opportunity this is? I am the new god of this and all lands. Struggle, and you will die. Resist, and you will die. Fight, and you will die. Join me, and you will live. With these parting words, I bid you farewell." Majora gave a slight bow, and, as a plume of purple mist emerged from his body, each tendril vanished as he did, leaving the entire town as it was before, minus one man.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Removing a small piece of paper from his pocket, the man in the black cloak read from it, holding the mask in his hand as he did so. He stood over the fallen hero, reading the paper.

'Incantation... life... death... rebirth...'

The man tossed the mask onto the fallen hero, and began to read aloud from the paper.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

"Now do you understand? Must I make an example at every place I am at?" Majora scoffed, a Goron skewered with his tendrils, hanging in midair. The Goron attempted to roll into Majora, but was far too slow for this new god. In a instant, tendrils rose from the ground and the Goron practically killed himself. "Now, you know that a new god has stood up to claim divine rights. With these parting words, I bid you farewell..." Majora said, as he once again vanished in a plume of smoke.

Around him, the demonic man saw everything fly by him at incredible speeds, but not as if he were simply moving through it, but as if time had frozen, and he was moving. He witnessed as birds were motionless in mid flight, as the water splashing among the rocks in the river were frozen, like ice, a man standing over his fallen enemy...

"What?!" Majora screamed, as he saw the whole scene vanish behind him... he couldn't stop suddenly, or he risked injuring himself. He made a point in which to appear already, even for him, it was hard to stop. He appeared moments later at a desert area, then immediately left, leaving several Gerudo around him confused and worried.

He stopped with a roar, causing the man to fling around, his hood falling from his head, revealing shoulder length blue hair...

"Damned boy, I'll send you to hell!" Majora yelled, a single tendril emerging from his extended hand, aimed at Kafei's head.

"Hmmph... foolish. Maybe I will... but not before I finish." Kafei muttered to himself, drawing a small knife from his sleeve, and slitting his own wrist, allowing the blood to fall upon the Fierce Deity's Mask. "So, Majora, you fancy yourself a god of this day and age... you've got some competition left. You'll soon die as a mortal, a simp-"

No more words escaped his lips, the dark tendril piercing his skull, swiftly slamming him onto the ground, motionless. The tendril retracted into Majora's palm, and he soon chuckled at this. Soon die as a mortal? He thought this as foolishness. He walked up to his newest victim, and kicked his body onto the fallen hero's body, smiling widely behind the mask as he did so. "Foolish young boy, gods never die, gods never fall. It is the pathetic race of mortals that do such things a god would never be able to dream of doing, it is out of our reach... well, most of us." Majora scoffed, looking at the Fierce Deity's Mask, which was bloody and dirty from the battle. "Mortals are so interesting... but so bothersome." Majora focused slightly, and, before vanishing once more to the desert, grabbed the Fierce Deity's Mask.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

"Inexcusable. He may have been traitorous, but he is not a mere puppet to be used."

"Have it your way then, mortals. Come at me with any number of your own. They will all die."

A spear came flying at Majora from the left, who swiftly caught it and flung it around, throwing it at the original thrower, skewering her through the chest. A flurry of arrows rained down on him, who covered himself from above with several dozen tendrils, which caught each one. He swung them around, dislodging each one. The women around him still continued, not caring about surviving, merely winning.

Several foot soldiers charged up to him, swords drawn. Majora mocked them by retracting each tendril, and making only four emerge from his left forearm, which pointed inwards, creating a large spike two feet long from his hand. One of them arrived first, sword swinging rapidly. Majora met her with a swift thrust into her abdomen, and tossed her aside, awaiting the next one.

"Well, your kind certainly are more energetic than the others." Majora said calmly, continuing to block and counterattack. One by one, they all fell before him, leaving only a few, plus their leader, who dropped her sword in a sign of surrender, before everyone else did the same. "You may be violent, but you are not completely idiotic."

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Water rushed around him, several Zoras surrounded him, all with some sort of weapon, be it spears, swords, even bare fists. Atop the waterfall within the domain, Majora stood, to his back the tunnel was filled with Zoran soldiers, below was another group, all with spears pointed upwards. If he were to fall, he would be skewered.

"Leave, and we won't kill you!" the closest Zora exclaimed, pointing a spear at Majora's throat, mere inches away. "You invaded our territory, slaughtered a great deal of us, but now you are at the end of your rope. Surrender."

Majora acted as though he were nervous, afraid. As he wanted to. He had led them to believe that he was anxious, terrified at the prospect of dying. They had no idea the power he had. He head kept his immense strength at bay, only using a simple sword to kill. Why not have a little bit of fun before conquering? Simply killing and warning isn't the only thing he wanted to do. He may be a serious god, but he still wanted to have some entertainment.

"Well, after careful consideration... I will just kill all I see fit." Majora allowed himself to fall backwards, over the waterfall, as dozens of tendrils emerged from his spine and arms, latching onto several rock formations around the waterfall, and began to mercilessly slice, thrust, and whip at all Zoras below him, leaving the water a thick red color, before he finished and traveled over to the King himself. "Consider this a warning. Do nothing against me." he simply said, before vanishing once more.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

"Don't think so!" Mido shouted, his Kokiri Sword poised to attack the man before him, several dozen Kokiri surrounding Majora. Many were equipped with bows, some with spears, and only Mido with the sword. They were at the center of their small village, Majora standing, staring at the kiddish appearance of the man before him, who was obviously older than he appeared.

"That wasn't a request. It was a statement." Majora replied, several tendrils emerging from his spine, moments before the sound of arrows being pulled back, ready to be fired. "You have one of two options. Surrender before you fight, or your entire race dies. Simple choice, I suggest you make the correct one."

"Oh, I already have." Mido answered, brandishing his sword, signalling the archers around Majora to release their bow strings, every arrow expertly landing a blow on Majora's body. A mild cheer came from the group, before they noticed that Majora hadn't budged from this attack. He had each of his tendrils pick arrows out of his skin, and tossed them to the ground, without his main body moving at all. "Demon, I don't care. You'll still fall to my sword!" Mido yelled, charging forward, slicing in an upward arc, cutting across Majora's chest, which drew no blood, even a hint of reaction from Majora himself.

"Demon? Haven't I already said this? I am not a demon, boy." Majora swung a tendril at Mido, swiping his sword from him, and positioning it toward his chest. "I am a god." Majora thrust the blade forward, piercing Mido's chest, and continued to push until Mido hit the ground, and was pinned to it by the sword. Mido struggled for a moment before he fell silent, with all the Kokiri around him looking terrified. A few tossed spears at Majora, but he caught them, and soon all dropped their weapons. "As I thought. I'll be back, don't concern yourself about that." Majora said, vanishing once more.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

"Nowhere to go now... I've already taken care of Termina in my other body. What to do now, except rule over this land and Termina as the new God? Anyone who stands before me will fall. Anyone who raises a weapon against me will fall. Anyone who does not join me will fall."

Majora appeared at a familiar desert area, and deposited the Fierce Deity's Mask onto a stone platform, laughing slightly as he vanished once more.



Chapter 8: New God



"Damn it all! This is so frustrating!" The great Goron Darunia screamed into the air, every other sage around him jumping. "How the hell can we save our lands if we can't do anything?"

The sages stood in a grassy field overlooking an ancient looking castle; the location of the Chamber of Sages. It was a beautiful place, meadows of flowers, small streams of water, a golden light seemed to fill the sky. The castle looked vague, mysterious, rather than frightening. Each sage stood, with a motionless woman in the center of them.

"Zelda's attempt failed, and she died for it. We have to accept this, and try to figure out another way." Impa said, holding back tears. She had cared for Zelda for many years, seeing her fall trying to stop a maniac, and fail, was heart breaking.

"Ohh, if I could get out of this realm, his head would be ripped off!" Darunia yelled, punching the air in fury, rage overpowering him. "Punch to the head, that'd knock it clean off..."

"Cool it, Darunia." Nabooru slapped the back of his head, settling him. "Fantasizing about knocking a guy's head off isn't going to do anything." She said, and Ruto agreed. "But I have to agree, it's frustrating... as long as there's no need to save our own portion of land, we can't affect it. Majora's studied up, he knows that as long as he leaves the land alone, and only injures, rather than kills, people, he's immune to us. He beats them to within an inch of death and leaves them alone."

"Terrible..."Saria commented, sitting down, gazing across the endless fields.

"So, remind me again why Zelda didn't just wish that those two died?" Ruto asked, pouting slightly.

"Because, that wouldn't have worked. Directly killing someone is a taboo with this power, so she had to separate the Triforce, and hope that Link could kill both of them. So close..." Impa replied. "After that failed, she tried to separate the two using her own inner magic, which failed... a meaningless death."

The sages fell silent, trying to think of a solution, before Rauru spoke up.

"Please consider this before responding. The Hero of Time is not truly dead... not all of him."

"Ohh, no, nononononono." Ruto yelled out, walking up to him, glaring. "We sealed him for a reason. If we were to revive him, he might be more than cranky!"

"Well, only one way to find out... he cannot truly harm us as he is now, without the power of the Deity." Rauru replied, beginning to walk towards the Chamber of Sages. Darunia ran up to him and grabbed his shoulder.

"Hey, you sure about this?" Darunia asked, genuine concern in his voice.

Rauru didn't show any sign of emotion, confidence or otherwise. "We can only hope..." Rauru, Darunia and Saria left to the Chamber of Sages, the other sages remaining where they were. Was it because they didn't feel this plan was acceptable, or had they simply given up?

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~


"Shall we do a full resurrection? Or simply a minor one, to make him talk?"

"Can I break his legs if he gets too jumpy?"

"..."

"What?"


The three sages stood on their respective platforms, and stood silent. As they did so, a large blue crystal fell slowly from the ceiling. It was vibrant, shining, as if the sun were glaring through a diamond. As the crystal hit the floor, something seemed to move from within it, a shadowy being.

"Get up." Rauru said, walking up to the crystal, the other sages doing the same. "Or would you rather stay sealed in this realm for all of eternity?

"Geez... I was dead, what the hell happened...?" the man within the crystal asked, slowly getting up. His features were obscured, only giving a faint outline of the man inside. "Oh, you three... I know you. Sage of Forest, Fire, Light. How's it going?" he asked in a mocking tone. "Fill me in, will ya?"

"Yes. You're allies, Ganondorf and Majora, have combined into one being, and rule over the lands of Hyrule and Termina. They have for almost two months now." Rauru replied.

"That long?" the man asked, an almost sincere tone in his voice. "Geez... I think I went on a power trip there... can't say I regret it though."

"Shut up, you bastard." Saria spoke up.

"Hey, short stuff, shut the hell up. I was speaking with the big man." the man said insultingly.

"What? Let him out, Darunia, knock his frickin' head off!" Saria yelled, Darunia chuckling at this, before Rauru glared at both of them, and they fell silent."..sorry."

"So, you want me to help, right? Fight Majora and save the day, be the big hero my light counterpart always was. Well, what's the reward for this little task?"

"We allow you to live the way you want. Outside, in the real world. All we ask you to do, is to save Hyrule and Termina." Rauru answered.

"Phht. Like Link? Pathetic. Running around, being the big hero, and look where that got him. Died twice."

"How do you know about that? You were dead when that happened!" Saria asked.

"Well, what do you think I am? His shadow. When I came back to life, I saw everything that happened to him, as if it were a memory. Useful, to say the least. I might have noticed something about Majora's weakness... but, you know..." he began, stretching out. "Maybe some extra leg room would help me remember what exactly that was..."

No sooner did he finish did the crystal prison he was contained in shatter, dropping him to his feet, each shard of the crystal vanishing as if it were never there. The man within the prison was exacly like Link... except each part of his skin and clothing was a dark grey to black color, his eyes a bright red. He had no weapons with him.

"Yay." he said happily, walking up to Rauru. "Listen, right now, all I want to do is kill Majora. I can't help but feel that he planned for me to die. He wanted me to finish off Link, and that was all he planned for me. So, any ideas on how a simple shadow can go to Hyrule and fight?"

"You will soon find out." Rauru tossed a small medallion to the shadow, who glanced at it and pocketed it.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Majora walked through his new home, suppressing his laughter. He had done it. He had won. He had become the new god of Hyrule. His new castle was Hyrule Castle, he decided to leave it as is, and have that be his own sanctuary. He had gathered people from across Hyrule and Termina to keep his castle in perfect condition, with any unsatisfactory results punished harshly, sometimes in death.

Majora strolled up to the Throne Room, which had a single throne now, which faced the large window facing the massive field below him. The town beside the castle was still in ruins, the people he gathered for his castle lived inside the castle itself.

The sun began to set, giving the entirety of Hyrule a feeling of fantasy around it, the sun shining off Lake Hylia, the shadow of Death Mountain cast through most of the field. Majora savored this feeling, and enjoyed simply sitting and watching the end of the day, and the rise of each morning.

"And so ends another brilliant day of rule..." Majora stared at the beauty of Hyrule, and admired it. For his life, he knew only bloodshed, violence, being controlled by a weak mortal, or being sealed within a mask. Simply savoring his land is magnificent. "Fantastic... lovely... breathtaking, dare I say it. Though, I guess I don't breathe... heh heh..."

For nearly an hour, past the hour of twilight, he sat, the Throne Room barred off from the rest of the castle. Anyone who disturbed him was likely to be slaughtered on the spot. Majora stepped up to the window, still admiring the land. For so long, he had never had the opportunity to look at anything with such splendor.

"Nice, isn't it?"

Majora tensed up at this voice behind him. He slowly turned around, and saw a man sitting in his throne. "You... you died in the Sacred Realm."

"Back, man. And let me tell you. I'm kinda more than pissed off right now!" he yelled, leaping off the throne and kicking Majora in the chest, making him stumble backwards to the window. "You used me to get Link out of the way, you never intended to let me live anyway, did you?"

"Honestly? It could have gone either way. If you lived, you would have been at my side. You died... not much consequence there. The only thing I regret at the moment is not making sure you stayed that way." Majora replied, a tendril emerging from each of his forearms. "But, why not join me now? Become the hand of god, rule at my side. You are more than capable. Become the divine might of this land, ordered around by no man, not even me. Be your own man, not the mere shadow of another."

"Seems nice... but not sure if I want to do it... gimme some of that power, and we'll see." the shadowy man replied, letting himself fall back into the throne.

"Heh... you could only wish. You either accept the deal, or die at my hands. Which is it?" Majora walked up to the hero's double, and extended his hand. The shadow contemplated it for a moment, before grabbing it.

"Sorry, sages, but being a god is better than being a mortal." he said, reaching into his pocket, and tossing out a small medallion through the window. Majora surely smiled at this, because the mask itself seemed to move upwards. "I mean, what's better than living in this land?"

"Ruling it." Majora finished, relieved. "Well, then... you need a body all your own."

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

"Son of a *****!" Darunia yelled, watching this event unfold in the Chamber of Sages. "That lying bastard! We offered freedom, and he threw it away!"

"Can't say I blame him that much... I'm not very happy, but still... compare living as a mortal and living as a god. An insane man would choose mortality." Saria said, seeming calm at all this. She seemed to be slightly unstable emotionally since Link had died, mood swings were common with her.

"I can't say I didn't imagine this happening... but, still... this is all planned." Rauru replied, smirking. Darunia walked up to the old man, looking confused.

"What did you plan, Rauru?" he asked, glancing at the image of Link's Shadow and Majora.

"Do you know... what Kafei did moments before he died?" Rauru asked, and Darunia shook his head. "Well, soon enough, you will see."


'Kafei, moments before his death, performed an incantation, and a ritualistic sacrifice of his own blood... I can only pray that he had done what I think he had.'

Chapter 9: Two Sides of the Same Coin


In a dark canyon of Ikana, there was a tower built for an unknown reason. Was it to belittle the gods? To say, we mortals can reach the heavens as well? Was this the reason that the tower inverts itself into the confines of the earth, possibly to hell to teach mortals that they cannot tread on the land of gods? Nobody knows, few this day even know of the tower. This tower, was once the resting place of a patient god, awaiting his turn to strike, to conquer this land and one other. This is the location Majora brought the shadow of the former hero in an instant after accepting Majora's offer of immortality of a god.

Into the confines of the tower they went, until they entered an immense room, a desert area. The resting place of Twinmold, the place where Majora and Ganondorf once kept Kafei. Everything comes full circle, as now the Fierce Deity was trapped in this room. Majora pointed at the mask, and the shadow knew at once what Majora intended, his words becoming a god was not truly that, but siphoning the power out of one. 'Good enough' the shadow thought to himself, smiling widely. The two landed on the central platform, the mask at his feet. The shadow grabbed it and looked at Majora. "You sure this spirit won't end up possessing my own body?" he asked.

"I highly doubt it. He's angry with me, I wouldn't want him to be revived on his own terms. You'll be the catalyst of his power, and the controls of his actions. Using his own body, you'll join me, and control these two lands as partners. You will not be him, however. You will be better. The Shadow God of this land."

"I like the sound of that... Shadow God. You rule over the day, I the night." the hero's shadow placed the mask to his face, instantly bonding against it.

"Unfortunately, as last time, your transformation will be gradual, creating a full body, unlocking more of his powers as time goes on." Majora said, watching the shadow of Link turn into exactly that, Link. "I surmise that after a day, you will... what..."

The new Link's eyes lost their pupils, a dumbfounded look on the Link's face was seen, as if he himself was lost in his own mind. His eyes glowed a bright white, his face contorting, markings becoming visible. His hair quickly turned into a shade of greyish white, his clothes hardening into pure white armor, contrasting Majora's blackened armor. He rose his arm, and his signature Double Helix Blade appeared.

"Damn you... Deity..." Majora whispered, holding out his arms, his face beginning to contort. "Damned Kafei... how did he..." he uttered, his mask completely sinking into Ganondorf's head, his two eyes becoming one large red eye, a purple mist surrounding him, as if it were aura of his inner being. "Deity... this is a full on possession... you're supposed to be unable to do this. The same happened six years ago... with that child. How can the seals be bypassed this simply?"

The Deity slammed his sword into the ground, as if he had trouble standing up, he leaned against it. He seemed slightly disoriented, but decided to answer anyway. "That child allowed me to take over his body... rather than want to take over my own. He allowed it to kill you..."

"Damned Shadow! He wanted this?"

"No... heh heh... recall those old documents in Ikana... I stole them. In between transformations, I gained control of the shadow's new body, and took that chance to steal those papers, and hide it in a safe location... at Castle Ikana."

"Son of a *****... bit by bit, you planned this..."

"As I went along, yes." the Deity said, proud of himself, pulling his sword from the ground, swinging it over his shoulder. "Since you want to know the full story, why not... we have an eternity to battle in this room. I freed Kafei from this room, when he was held captive, and slipped a sheet of paper into his pocket, which he would undoubtedly find. I guess he did find it, seeing as how I'm here right now. The document fully details the process of full body possession of a bodiless spirit... the sacrifice was the shadow of the hero. That shadow is tied to myself, I die, he dies. We are one in the same, there is no longer a mask to remove. Unlike you."

"Bastard!" Majora screamed, two black tendrils emerging from his forearms, immediately whipping them at the Deity, who simply grabbed them with a single hand.

"Think about it. You're possessing Ganondorf, and thus, your powers are still separated. When I merged with the hero's shadow, I gained much more than powers... knowledge. I don't think I have to unleash them, though... you're in a weakened state. pitiful, really, how much trouble I seemed to have with you before." the Deity gloated, pulling on the tendrils, slowly dragging Majora closer, who was almost in a state of shock. He was the god of two lands, how could he be stopped so easily? He was fully transformed... was it Ganondorf's malice towards him that prevented their power from becoming one? "Majora, this is where you die, and I become the god of only one land again, how it should be. Just like last time, you strived to become the god, except now your goals are not only Termina, but Hyrule as well. That is why there are four guardians of our land. Because that is all that is needed. We are far too powerful to simply rule over a land. Hyrule has three goddesses that do nothing, there are not even any guardians! And Hyrule was in a state of peace! Look at what gods do! We bring destruction, malice, hatred, bloodshed in our names!"

"You're one to talk... we were almost alike when Termina first began. We challenged each other for power!"

"And what a fool I was for that. Looks like you're still the same though." The Deity used all his strength to thrust his arm back, Majora dragging across the ground towards him, the Deity's sword extended. "I cannot help you now. I have given far too many chances." the Deity thrust his sword forward, piercing Majora's chest.

"Urgh... damn you, Deity... you say I'm pathetic..." Majora began, placing his right hand on the sword's blade. "But at least I have a name." he pushed the sword out of his chest, and whipped his left tendril at the Deity' roping it around his neck and tightening.

"Majora... I do not have a name because there is no need. You want self satisfaction, you want people to worship you. I want none of that. I only want to protect my own land, but now I want to do two other things." the Deity began, as the tendril tightened around his neck. "Save Hyrule." he swung his blade upwards, slicing Majora's tendrils, freeing himself. "And kill you, instead of sealing you like the sympathetic fool I was." he swung his sword in a horizontal arc, slicing across Majora's stomach, drawing blood.

'Not good...' Majora thought to himself, seeing a surge of blood pour from his wound. "Well, Deity, if I recall, you only sealed me because you failed to kill me."

"Not so. I didn't have the heart to kill you. But now, after all this, I think my feelings of brotherhood have faded. As of now, I vow to see your corpse lie in a pool of your fresh blood."

"Fine then. I will not take this lightly, then." Majora said, as dozens of tendrils emerged from his spinal cord, and forearms. The tendrils on his forearms compacted around his hands to form small, dense spikes, each one at least half a foot long. His tendrils from his spine slammed into the ground, lifting Majora, creating a pseudo monster, an illusion of a creature with dozens of legs, dozens of arms, and a central body. His body floated fifty feet above the ground, dangling in midair. "Try and defeat me up here... I can replace as many tendrils as you chop."

"Don't need to." the Deity yelled up to him, leaping into the air, almost flying. He lept straight at him, holding his blade sideways, making contact with Majora's side, drawing more blood, before landing on the sand below. "You'll not win this battle, Majora. I could ask you to simply give up, but I know from experience what a futile attempt that is."

"You're right, it is pointless. But, I don't intend on losing this battle, so don't talk down to me like that!" Majora screamed, lifting up several of his tendrils, and thrusting them towards the Deity. The Deity stood, defiant of Majora. He lifted his hand, catching the first of many, before twisting his body full circle, bringing the mighty dark god down to the sand below him. "Damn you... I WON'T LOSE!" he yelled, charging at the Deity directly, stabbing him in the stomach with both of his spiked hands. The Deity wasn't expecting such a bold move. Not proof that he was losing, but proof that Majora was panicking.

Majora twisted his hands, digging them in deeper, but still, drew not a drop of blood. "Majora." the Deity began, grabbing both of Majora's arms. "I am not going to fall to you. I am a true god, and you, only half a god." The Deity let go of Majora, and kicked him, knocking him loose.

"You're so pathetic..." Majora began, looking down at the ground. "Losing as if you had no chance... let me show you..." Dozens... no, hundreds of tendrils emerged from Majora's spinal cord, all immediately whipping at the Deity. With such speed, it was almost impossible to block each one, many impaling the Deity. "Majora, you're so weak."

"What the hell?" the Deity yelled out, looking at Majora rise to his feet.

"I'll show you what a god can truly do!" Majora yelled, standing up, showing his face. It was different, instead of a single eye, there were two eyes, both red. "Deity! Allow me to fight you!"

"Ganondorf!?" the Deity gasped. "How are you in control?"

"I need to reveal nothing to you!" he yelled in response, charging forward, punching the Deity several times in the stomach and chest, before kicking him back several feet, knocking him loose of the tendrils. "In the end, Majora was too weak! I wouldn't dare let him lose to you in my body!"

"Damn, this is not what I expected." The Deity said, lifting his sword. He brandished it around him rapidly, slicing all the tendrils around him to shreds.

"Majora could not use my power, because I forbade it. Now, I will unleash it all on you!" Ganondorf removed the tendrils from his hands, letting them move freely. He swiped at the air towards Majora, a ball of yellow electricity shooting towards him, hitting his chest, knocking him back slightly. "More!" he yelled, swiping both hands towards the Deity, fifty balls of electricity appearing, all striking the Deity directly, nearly dropping him to his feet, blood tricking from some of his wounds. "Now, I am in full control of both of us by will alone! We're on equal terms now, Deity!"

'****... I didn't think this would happen. Was Ganondorf planning this the moment he got his memories back, or... did he simply take control when he was about to die?'

"Now, let us fight in a duel." Ganondorf said, withdrawing his tendrils, and holding out his own hand, a black sword engraved with Hyrulian text appearing. Such power was unimaginable for him before he was blessed with the power of two gods.

The Deity nodded slightly, and walked forward with his own sword in hand. "Fine then, Ganondorf. We'll fight until one falls." Ganondorf vanished completely, no purple mist, only to reappear beside the Deity, his sword inches from the Deity's head, the Deity barely able to block in time. Almost a quick victory. The Deity repelled Ganondorf by thrusting his blade outwards, and swiped at Ganondorf, who vanished once more, and reappeared behind the Deity, who ducked below the head shot. Ganondorf took advantage of the fact that he could warp instantly, and tried to end this fight quickly. He knew too well that, if left too long, his opponents could attempt to unleash a hidden skill or trick.

"Afraid, Ganondorf? You seem to be using Majora's power more than your own."

"Majora's power is now my own. I'm not borrowing from him, I now possess that power for myself."

Ganondorf vanished once more, the Deity performing a spin slash... but Ganondorf wasn't there. "Death comes, to those who are deserving of it." Ganondorf said, and the Deity looked up, seeing Ganondorf's blade thrusting at his face. The Deity swung his sword up, managing to divert the path of his sword just enough so that it only scraped part of his face, rather than go through it. As Ganondorf hit the ground, he vanished once more.

Rather than strike, he simply kept reappearing and disappearing around the Deity, who stood, ready to block. He knew what Ganondorf was doing. He was trying to disorient him enough so that when the Deity was confused, even slightly, he would win this battle.

He saw a glint of steel approach from his left, and lifted his own sword to defend... except there was nothing there. He instead felt cold steel enter the right side of his stomach, and feel it ripped out of him, hearing Ganondorf laugh. "Fine then, I guess I'll just have to fight differently..." the Deity commented, watching Ganondorf use his last tactic. He waited until he saw a glint of steel to his left again, and, instead of parrying it, allowed the sword to enter him, grabbing the hilt of the blade as it did. "Gotcha." he said, taking his own sword, and stabbing Ganondorf with it, through his own stomach, multiple times, before Ganondorf let go of his sword and vanished again.

"No use... I felt your magic... I'll use it so you experience defeat." the Deity crushed the sword, and kept a fragment with him, lodging it deep within one of his own wounds, and vanished.

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Ganondorf appeared at another desert, his own. Gerudo Desert, where rivers of sand could pull anyone careless enough under. He saw the Spirit Temple just off in the distance. He smiled slightly, and walked forward, before jumping off to the side, evading a deadly blow with a sword. The Deity stood in front of him. "How the hell did you follow me?"

"Your sword..." the Deity began, pointing at his chest, where he contained a fragment of it. "Did you know... that gods of the same land are connected spiritually? After recently being in the same place, you can follow them, no matter where they are, even if you yourself cannot warp. So, you cannot go off and lick your wounds. We fight. To the death." the Deity swung his sword again, scraping against Ganondorf's chest. He vanished once more, and the Deity soon followed suit, soon smelling fresh, cool air, seeing a beautiful scene as he reappeared, and felt a fist connect to his head, sending him backwards a few steps.

"Hyrule Castle... twice my own, I find this a suitable place to be my winning site." Ganondorf rose his hands, black mist enveloping them, rather than his usual purple. "Goddess of Power, Din! Give me your blessing, and your strength!" he yelled to the sky, his hand suddenly giving off pure red mist, a fiery display of power. His teeth were almost fang like, his eyes yellow. But, he remained human in form. "Die, Deity!" he yelled, punching him in the chest, a surge of heat going through his body, his nerves screaming in pain.

The Deity staggered slightly, but regained his composure. "Well, guess I can't say no to it now..." he began, and Ganon stopped. "I'll have to borrow it for a bit..."

"What are you going on about?" Ganon demanded in a deep, demonic voice, his eyes darkening once more, as if fighting to keep control.

"What is Link's Shadow, but an extension of Link himself?" he asked, and Ganon immediately knew what he meant. "That's right..."

The Deity vanished in a flash of green light, and reappeared behind Majora, placing his hand on his skull, a sphere of flames surrounding both of them, Ganon screaming. Ganon turned around and swung at him, but a blue flash prevented it.

“Damn you!” Ganon screamed, pounding on the blue shield, cracking away at the power of a goddess, before piercing through. “I'll send you where I should have sent this demon god!” he laughed maliciously, struggling to get his right arm through the cracked piece of the magical shield, grabbing for the Deity, who merely looked on, his hand extended forward.

“Do you really think I'd just let you get me like this?” the Deity asked, a mocking tone to his voice. Whipping his other arm around, the blue shield's cracks began to meld together, fixing itself, before traveling up Ganon's arm, encasing him to his neck, part of his torso. “You never imagined it could be used like this, did you?” he asked, drawing his blade closer to Ganon's chest. “This blade will purge that god of you, and you of this land.”

“Not before I rule the land!” Ganon grimaced, tensing his trapped arm. As his other arm's purple glow diminished, it strengthened in his encased arm. The Deity, seeing what was happening, swiftly slid his blade toward Ganon's chest... before a powerful arm shrouded in purple mist smacked it away, the blue crystal shield shattering, the timing appearing to be that his arm escaped before he broke the casing. “You'll die here!” Ganon screamed, his right arm whipping toward the Deity's chest, the god blocking with his sword, barely avoiding a swipe from that purple mist. Ganondorf on his own was merely a small challenge, but mixed with a god, potentially deadly.

Ganon, seeing a moment of slowed reaction, used his quite normal arm to grab at the sword, but was unable to wrench it free from the Deity's grasp. Simply with a reaction, the Deity swung upwards with his blade, arcing it, slicing into Ganon's normal left arm, garnering a pleasant scream to the god's ears as Ganon lept back slightly. Grasping his injured normal arm, the Deity saw an opening, and took advantage. Pulling his sword backwards, he swung forwards, a saw-like beam of energy shooting towards Ganon, causing him to stumble backwards, only to be met with a swift kick to the chest from a quick deity.

Towering over the fallen sorcerer god hybrid, the Deity rose his sword, and plunged it into Ganon's chest, who writhed in pain. "End of the fight, Majora, Ganondorf." he said, reaching down to Ganon's chin and ripping upwards, Ganon screaming in pain, the mask ripping off. What was left was a pitiful man, gushing blood from his chest, his head full of scars, his eyes completely red. He was dead. "Majora, you're not going to damage any land after today." he said as he grasped the hilt of his sword, and sliced the mask in half, the fragments disintegrating, blue whisps of flames surrounding it momentarily, before leaving nothing in its wake.

"NO!" Ganondorf yelled, grabbing onto the Deity's ankle. "I WON'T LOSE TO YOU!" he tried to climb up his leg, but failed, falling to the ground.

"I've had enough of you." the Deity said, plunging his sword into Ganondorf's chest once more, killing him for the last time.



~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~




~Epilogue~

The Fierce Deity, having slain both Ganondorf and Majora, left the lands as they were, announcing that the threat was null and void, to continue life. He completely incinerated Majora's Mask, and tossed Ganondorf's body into the rivers of sand in Gerudo Desert.

The leader of the Sages, Zelda, had died in attempts of seperating Majora and Ganondorf. The Deity, knowing the importance of the sages, revived her easily, though her powers would not be seen again until the next generation of her lineage. The other sages were contempt with this outcome.

The Hero of Time, Link, had a private burial, as did Kafei. The Deity, feeling pity for the mortals, personally brought his wife. Before leaving, Kafei told her that he would die. It didn't prepare her enough for seeing his corpse, his broken skull.

The Mask Salesman was buried, but nobody ever knew his role in all of this.

Saying his final farewells, he left to Termina, and brought each of the four Guardians back to power.


Underneath clocktown, in the border between this dimension and Hyrule, he gazed down into the bottomless pits, the pits that even he did not know led to.

"Majora, you and I have caused people so much pain. Without Gods or Goddesses, lands are safe. Without us, people would have lived. I won't let that happen anymore."

With that, he tossed himself over the side of the platform, into the pit below, towards the unknown. This was not his domain, nor anyone else's. For him, it was either his final crusade, or another thing to do.

Another good story. Keep it up!

I really like this story. But are we going to see Link again?

Again, it was amazing! That's all that I can say about it. Absolutely amazing!