The sound of drums greets Link’s ears as he enters the Temple, drums and the weird echo of a long distant choir. Link sat back and let the music flow through him into an awareness of all that within the room. Mounting the steps with infinite caution, his sword drawn and at the ready, Link turned left and entered the room he had seen what felt like an age ago. In front of him stood a door so wide that four could comfortably walk through abreast. Jumping lightly across to the door Link stood and looked at it, full in the knowledge that he may die, and then who would protect Zelda? He entered.
In the centre of the chamber, coiled and with the firelight flickering off his scaled hide, Volvagia awaited.
Volvagia had long hair of fire but on that body you could see the charred and scarred marks from his last battle with Link. The sinuous body looked contorted and bent, evidence of badly set broken bones. The scales seemed dimmer, almost as if a silver mist covered them, obscuring their vibrant colours.
The rest of the differences in Volvagia paled into insignificance against the changes in his eyes. The deep crystalline eyes seemed almost bloodshot but with a flush of golden yellow. Those emotionless eyes which had hidden everything and shown nothing now had a raw emotion burning through them. Pain.
As Link looked into those eyes he felt his soul flutter, his heart leap in sympathy. He felt an overwhelming sadness which caused him to realise that, in his heart of hearts, he could not do this to the fire serpent again.
Link knew also that he could not just give up so he drew his sword to defend himself. The sword hummed as it left its sheathe and with despair, Link held up the sword.
“Master”….
The words vibrated through his head that Link fell to his knees and, as his sword clattered at his feet, he pushed his hands against his ears, hoping that it would lessen the sound.
It didn’t.
As crystal eyes met sapphire ones, the words “heal me” swept through Link’s mind. Immediately images flashed through his mind…
“Now you have found that which was stolen from you I can return you to your true form. As I have promised…” The mask salesman seemed to light up in sadistic glee and jumped to the organ that filled the chamber in the Clock Tower. As he began to play and the sad melody swept over and through Link, he could feel the deku shrub, the hideously confining and humiliation deku shrub retreat into a vortex leading to …a mask. The mask clattered at Link’s feet. “This tune will free any soul from corruption and pain. Do not forget this…”
Link looked at Volvagia in despair. “My ocarina… Zelda has it…” Link’s voice drifted off for he began to feel decidedly strange. The power raced through his blood, the light was killing him, pain was swallowing him whole. He could hear the organ of the mask salesman, or was he imagining it? The faint music took form in the air and he could feel the tiger that was the music that was…
Time.
The music surrounded Link in a nimbus of light that grew brighter and brighter until Link shut his eyes to block out the blinding light but they then flicked open of their own accord because the light was in his eyes too.
Link screamed. He shook violently as the music seared his blood. The power needed an outlet, a channel, a path. Link suddenly knew what to do. With unwavering certainty Link laid his palm against that scaly side, which should have burnt him alive. He held his hand there for a second (or hour, he really couldn’t tell) and finally felt the power break down any barriers between them, and in that instant Link became Volvagia, an understanding forged by the magic, a bridge so strong that nothing would ever break it, a connection that made Link live Volvagia’s life from his moment of becoming to this pain-stricken beast which lay before him
An explosion took place, blasting Link to the other side of the room. Stunned, Link pushed himself to his feet.
“What was that?”