Prologue:


The dawn sun was just beginning to rise over the east horizon. Dewdrops covered almost every available space on the lush green grass that covered Hyrule Field. The slowly rising sun, combined with the dew, made the field a giant rainbow. Too bad that is not where our story began.

A cloaked figure moved stealthily through the winding halls of the Dark Temple. He had heard a few days earlier that Ganondorf had escaped from the Secret Realm and was using the temple as a hide out. The Sheikah had taught him every secret of this temple when he was young. He knew the main chamber was just behind the doors in front of him. He pushed open the large wooden doors and walked into the main chamber.

“Ganondorf!” shouted the cloaked man. Ganondorf materialized in the room with a sickening, sinister laugh.

“Who are you?” asked Ganondorf. ”I was expecting that meddling Link. Maybe, you’ll at least make decent target practice.” Ganondorf fired an energy ball at the man. A lightning-quick slash from the man’s sword sent the ball back at Ganondorf.

“I came for what’s rightfully mine,” said the man.

“And what would that be?” Ganondorf asked.

“The Triforce of Power of course,” said the man.

“Over my dead body,” Ganondorf mocked.

“No, all I have to do is cut off your right hand,” said the man. The man quickly slashed at Ganondorf, cleanly taking off his right hand.

“See” the man held up his hand; the Triforce of Power appeared on it. Ganondorf looked at his bleeding wrist. It began throbbing and a new hand exploded from his wrist.

“So, you have finally obtained the Triforce of Power,” said a voice from the shadows behind Ganondorf. “I give my praise.”

“Scythe,” said the man in obvious disgust.

“I am honored you remember me guardian,” said Scythe as he stepped put of the shadows. His long, flowing, raven-black cloak entirely covered his body while one fleshless hand griped his five-foot long scythe.

“How could I forget you?” said the man. ”Your smell alone nearly killed me. It’s obvious I’m outnumbered, so I’ll be going now.” He raised his hands to the air. Two flames spiraled around him, and when they subsided, he was gone.

Chapter 1: The Wedding

Malon looked out over the stretching fields of Hyrule. She loved this time of morning; it reminded her of Link. She loved thinking of Link, but the thought reminded her that Link was marrying Zelda today and that depressed her. It was a terrible tug-of-war on her very soul; a thought that brought her joy also brought her depression and pain. She sighed and shut her window. She walked down the stairs slowly as if each step caused her pain. She opened the door to the “hallway” between the house and the stables. As she walked out flames erupted from the ground in front of her and spiraled around each other. Malon shielded her face with her arms from the intense heat and light of the flames. The flames subsided around a human form. It was a man wearing a gray colored tunic and a cloak that shadowed his entire face with the exception of his bottom lip and chin.

“Wh…who are you?” Malon asked the man. The hood of his cloaked moved upward. Malon didn’t need to see the man’s eyes to know he was staring coldly at her.

“Who I am is no concern of yours,” said the man. “The only thing you need or deserve to know is that if I don’t find another hero to help me Ganondorf and Scythe will destroy this world and every thing in it. I may have taken back the Triforce of Power, but I can’t fight them both alone.”

“How did you get the Triforce away from Ganondorf?” asked Malon.

“Not that it matters to you,” said the man, ”but since I was destined to have it, all I had to do was cut off Ganondorf’s right hand.

“Do you have anyone in mind to ask for help?” Malon asked, debating whether she should tell him about Link.

“Not that this is any closer to being your business than it was when I got here…,” began the man. Malon having heard enough, tried to slap him, but the man caught her wrist before she even saw his hand move.

“Look, I’m not trying to be mean,” said the man, ”but when you have the fate of Hyrule resting entirely on your back, it’s really easy to get stressed. To answer your question, as matter of fact…”

“I do,” said Link,” that’s all I have to say, but I feel like I have to recite the entire history of Hyrule by memory.” Link was dressed in a black tunic that had been altered to look like a tuxedo. Darunia sat in the in the corner of the room half asleep, due to the early morning wedding and the repetitiveness of Link’s worries.

“Don’t worry Link,” said Darunia letting out a monstrous yawn. “Your biggest worry should be that the minister will fall asleep during the ceremony.”

“It’s not that early,” said Link.

“Not all of us are used to staying up nine or ten days in a row,” said Darunia yawning again.

“I can stay up longer than ten days,” protested Link”

“That’s my point,” said Darunia. “You don’t need nearly enough sleep as other people.” The gossip stones outside told each other and Link, one of the few people able to hear them, it was seven in the morning.

“Okay, it’s time for the wedding. I just have to get through the next hour and my worries will be over,” Link said as he turned to the door of his dressing room. He hesitated before turning the knob and walking out into the main hall of the temple. It was decorated in bows, ribbons, and lace; and in the center of it all was a wedding cake big enough to feed everyone in Hyrule and Termina. Link walked to the front of the temple and waited for what seemed like forever for Zelda to walk down the aisle. Then the wedding march began to play, and Zelda began coming down the aisle wearing a beautiful snow-white wedding dress and carrying a bouquet of the most breathtaking flowers Hyrule had to offer.

Zelda was only part way down the aisle when the ground before her erupted into flames. The flames spiraled around each other, forming a strait column of fire. Link had seen fires before, and he knew they didn’t act like this, at least not naturally. He pulled out his ocarina and played the Song of Time. The Door of Time slid open. Link used his Longshot to pull his trusted blade, the Master Sword, to him. The flames died down to reveal two forms. One was Malon and the other was wearing a hooded cloak that concealed his identity. Link could feel the magic of the Triforce of Courage emanating from his hand, and that only happened when he was using spells or when all three parts were close together.

“Ganondorf,” Link spat out the name of his mortal enemy as if it were a curse word.

“Sorry, you’ve mistaken me for someone else. But you at least had the right part of the Triforce,” said the man laughing, the Triforce of Power glowing intensely on the back of his hand. “I’ve been looking for you Link.”

“Why?” asked Link lowering his sword slightly but still keeping it in attack position.

“Originally, I was going to ask for help, but when Malon told me you were getting married today, I had another reason for coming. After all, what kind of man would I be…” he said taking off his hood, revealing his face, which was nearly identical to Link’s,” if I missed my only brother’s wedding.” The man’s few differences from Link were all easily caused by lifestyle. His hair was a little longer and straighter than Link’s and he had a straight scar across his right cheek. Even with these differences, it was obvious the men were twins.

“If you are who you say you are, prove it,” Link said. Link had known since he was a child that he had a brother, the Deku tree had told him and given him a locket that had proven it. Still, this could be a trick.

“You’ve a right to be suspicious,” said the man. He took a small object from his pocket and tossed it to Link. It was an enchanted locket that showed twin boys growing up in flashes. At the end of the cycle, one side was of Link, the other was of the man before him. It was identical to the one the Deku tree had given Link as a child.

“You really are my brother,” said Link, his voice cracking slightly. “I have so many questions, but we’ll start with two. What’s your name and why did you wait so long to find me?”

“My name is Zinc, and as we both have important destinies, I couldn’t risk looking for you. I came now because Ganondorf and my arch-nemesis Scythe have formed an alliance that neither of us can stop alone. And, if I know Scythe, and I do, his general Darkania won’t be far behind so we’ll need even more help,” explained the man.

“Zinc?” inquired Zelda.

“Dad had a thing for rhymes,” said Zinc.

“Why are we just standing around? If Ganondorf is back something bad is bound to happen soon,” said Link.

“Link do you happen to have the Fierce Deity’s mask?” said Zinc. “We’re bound to need its magic.”

“Yeah but will it work outside of Termina?” asked Link.

“Of course,” said Zinc.” It’s a mask manifested with magic that will work anywhere like Din’s Fire or my Lightning Storm and the Fierce Entity’s mask.”

Link pulled out his ocarina and played Epona’s Song. “We’ll cover more ground on horseback,” he said as his trusty steed rushed to his side.

“I have something better than a horse,” Zinc said. “Midnight, Starfire, come to me.” Two horses appeared on the horizon and ran to Zinc with unimaginable speed. But, these were not normal horses; they had wings. One was amber-gold and the other was solid black.

“Pegasi,” said Malon completely awe-stricken, “but I thought they were only a myth.”

“No, they’re just nearly impossible to catch,” said Zinc, “I’ve even got some unicorns and unicorn-pegasus hybrids at home. Of course all of the hybrids are just babies so their horns haven’t grown in yet.”

“Why did you call two of them?” asked Zelda. “Link has Epona.”

“Since they can fly a pegasus can travel much faster than a horse can. I need to get some things from my castle anyway,” said Zinc. “We can only get there by flying.”

“You live in a castle?” asked Malon.

“Yeah,” said Zinc. “It used to belong to Queen Shandi, of the Sheikah. She left it to me when she died.” Impa was shocked into attention when she heard this.

“You know the Sheikah race?” asked Impa. “How many of us are left?”

“Two and that’s including you. After Queen Shandi died the Sheikah left the hidden valley and just kind of dropped out of existence,” said Zinc.

“Why do we need to go by your castle anyway?” asked Link

“I need to get some of the weapons I left there for safe keeping,” answered Zinc, “like the Fierce Entity’s Mask and the Shield of Reflections.”

“All right let’s go,” said Link. The brothers mounted the pegasi and took to the skies.

Chapter 2: Pike

Pike walked out the front door of a large castle and stepped not onto earth but what is best described as a solidified cloud. Her waist-length, silvery blonde hair was tossed over her right shoulder. Pike was a beautiful Hylain woman. She was 18, had perfect skin, and brilliant green eyes. Unlike most Hylain women, she did not wear dresses, they restricted her movement too much; instead she wore some of Zinc’s old tunics. And, although she had altered them to show off her figure, she was often criticized for wearing men’s clothing. Pike had one major flaw; she was extremely competitive with other women. She watched the baby unicorns and baby pegasi playing in the pasture Zinc somehow grew without soil. She new some of the baby pegasi were, in fact, hybrids, but since their horns had yet to grow out, she didn’t know which ones.

“Sunsphere come to me,” she called. One of the grazing unicorns raised its head and walked over to her. It was a yellowish mare with a white star beneath her horn. Of all the unicorns here, this one was, by far, her favorite.
Just as Pike began softly stroking the mane of the beautiful unicorn, she heard a sound behind her. As she turned around, she saw Zinc standing there with the pegasi he had called down and another man.

“Who’s he?” Pike asked.

“What ever happened to ‘Oh, hi Zinc, glad your home?’” asked Zinc. “This is my brother, Link, the legendary Hero of Time”

“Oh yeah, so you’re the guy that beat Ganon about a year back,” said Pike.

“Yeah, well I don’t really like to brag, but…” began Link.

“You realize that you just got lucky, right?” interrupted Pike.

Link was simply shocked at hearing this. “You call defeating a 20 foot pig monster, lucky?”

“Well, yeah,” said Pike with a slight shrug. “If it had been Zinc, Ganon wouldn’t have been able to come back.”

“Pike you are so biased,” said Zinc.

“So, what’s your point?” asked Pike.

“My point is… oh, never mind,” said Zinc. “I don’t have the time to teach you manners. I just came to get my weapons and scrolls.”

“You never spend time with me anymore,” said Pike. “You’re always on a quest or fighting with Scythe.”

“If you want to come with us, get a pegasus and be ready when I get back outside with my stuff,” said Zinc. He went inside the castle.

Link looked around. “So what’s with this cloud?”

“I’d tell you, but I really have no idea myself,” said Pike. “Zinc told me once, but it was kind of technical. I really didn’t understand it that well.”

Zinc came out carrying a magic pouch, that Link was sure was filled with various weapons and magical items, and a blue shield with a shiny gold surface.

“What’s the difference between the Shield of Reflections and my Mirror Shield?” asked Link.

“Well, basically any energy that hits the Shield of Reflections is converted into light energy before it is reflected,” said Zinc. The three of them mounted their pegasi and left for Hyrule Castle.

Meanwhile back at the castle, Zelda was getting restless. “Shouldn’t they be back by now, Impa?” she asked impatiently.

“I don’t know, princess,” said Impa. “There are so many possible variables. We don’t know how far away Zinc’s castle is; they could have stopped to rescue someone.”

“You are, of course, right Impa, as always,” said Zelda. “I just wish they would get back soon. I miss Link.”

“That’s pathetic,” said a voice from behind Zelda.

“Pike, could you be nice to somebody for once?” asked Zinc.

“I’m nice to you, aren’t I,” said Pike

“Other than me.”

“I’ll take it into consideration.”

“Who’s she?” asked Zelda

“Her name is Pike,” said Zinc. “She’s my girlfriend.”

“Princess Zelda!” Ruto burst into the room franticly. “Rauru called for a meeting of the sages. He said all eleven sages have to be there.”

“Eleven, but I thought there were only seven sages,” said Link.

“I know some sages you guys probably don’t,” said Zinc

“Name someone,” said Link. “I rescued the sages from the clutches of Ganondorf. I know them all.”

“Pike,” said Zinc. “She’s the Sage of Wind.”

“She’s a sage?” asked Link.

“Yeah, I am,” said Pike. “Got a problem with it?"

“Let’s go,” said Impa. “If something’s is so important that we need all eleven sages, then we don’t have time to waste with petty bickering.”

“Impa’s right,” said Zelda. “Everyone, gather around. I’ll teleport us to the Chamber of Sages.” The six of them teleported to the Chamber of Sages.

Chapter 3: A Meeting of Sages

“So why is it we’re here with four rejects, that Ganondorf didn’t even bother to lock up?” asked Darunia.

“Maybe, he didn’t lock us up because he was afraid of us,” said Dax, the mighty Sage of Thunder. Dax was a massive, muscular Hylain. He stood well over a head taller than Link. He rarely ever wore a shirt and his pants were made of a blue, cotton-like fabric. He had waist-length brown hair and golden-brown eyes. His voice was strong and loud. It was no wonder fate had made him the Sage of Thunder.

“Yeah, why do you think there are only four sages in our group,” said Elexus, Dax’s younger sister and the Sage of Earth. She was the second youngest of the sages, but only because Saria doesn’t age. Elexus had short earthy-blonde hair and soft blue eyes. Like Pike, Elexus preferred altered men’s clothing to dresses. She was kind, soft-spoken and amazingly intelligent for her age.

“Like you know anything,” said Nabooru. “You’re what? Eight?”

“I’m eleven, thank you very much,” said Elexus. Sthil, the Sage of Metal, made several gestures with his hands. Sthil was a middle-aged Sheikah. He had black hair that was gray at the temples and cool gray eyes. When he was young, Sthil had a terrible accident that left his vocal cords scared beyond repair, leaving him effectively mute.

“What’s with him?” asked Ruto.

“Its Hylain sign language,” said Elexus. “He said that since where all sages we should put our differences aside and save the world.”

“Sages of Hyrule,” said Rauru. “I have gathered you all here to discuss two matters of such importance that the fate of all Hyrule hangs in the balance. The first of these matters is, of course, the alliance between Ganondorf and Scythe.”

“Zinc and I can handle them, no problem,” said Link.

Zinc shook his head. “I know Scythe better than anyone else does; he wouldn’t try something unless he had an ace up his sleeve.”

“Indeed,” said Rauru. “The third magical mask, along with its vessel may be needed to win this fight.”

“What magical masks?” asked Link.

“The three magical masks created by the Goddesses to protect the worlds,” said Zinc. “You know the Fierce Deity’s mask.”

“Oh those magical masks,” said Link. “But who is the third mask’s vessel?”

“Link, think about it,” said Zinc, “the third person is probably related to us, or was about to be, has great magical skills, and has a piece of the Triforce.”

“Zelda!” exclaimed Link.

“Praise Nayru, he can think,” said Zinc. “Rauru, you said there were two matters of great importance.”

“Indeed I did,” said Rauru. “The other matter is, I will die soon. A new Sage of Light will need to be found before we can fight Ganondorf and Scythe.”

“So, our order of priority is find a new Sage of Light, find the Fierce Angel’s Mask, and kill and Scythe,” said Zinc. “Sounds like fun. Let’s go”

“How do we find a new Sage of Light,” asked Link.

“Did you ever pay attention to Hylain myth?” asked Zinc.

“No, not really,” said Link

“We’ll go see the Great Fairy of Destiny,” said Zinc.

“Where do we find her?” asked Link.

“She’s in a hidden part of the Ice Cave,” said Zinc. “Zelda, you should probably come with us.”

“Can I come?” asked Pike.

“I think it would be best if you stayed here with the other sages,” said Zinc.

“But Zelda’s a sage,” Pike protested.

“You can’t come this time,” said Zinc.

“I’ll be nice,” said Pike.

“Listen Pike, I’m not going to say no again,” said Zinc.

“So… can I come?”

“Link,” said Zinc.

“No,” said Link.

“That’s not fair, you just had someone else say no for you,” said Pike.

“So, I didn’t say it,” said Zinc.

“Fine, I’ll stay,” said Pike. “But you owe me when this whole thing is over.”

“We should get going,” said Link. “The more time we spend down here, the more daylight we lose.”

“Link’s right,” said Zinc. “The sooner we get started, the sooner we can get finished.”

“First, I need to change into normal clothes,” said Link. “This tuxedo is killing me. Oh and Darunia, the minister didn’t fall asleep.”

Zinc gave his brother a questioning stare. “What are talking about?”

“It’s an inside joke,” said Link. “Zel, can you teleport us back to the castle?”

“What kind of question is that?” asked Zelda. “Of course, I can.” Zelda used her magic to teleport herself, Link, and Zinc to Hyrule Castle.

When they got to the castle, Link went inside to change his clothes. He came back dressed in his standard green tunic and carrying his various weapons and items.

“Should we go see the Great Fairy of Destiny first or find the Fierce Angel’s mask?” asked Link.

“The Great Fairy,” said Zinc. “She’ll let us ask one question each. One of us can ask where the Fierce Angel’s mask is.”

“Sounds like a plan,” said Link. “But I’ve been to the Ice Cave before, and I never saw a Great Fairy fountain.”

“It’s hidden; you have to know where it is,” said Zinc, “and if I’m right we have to fight some kind of a guardian.”

“We’ll be able to kill this guardian, right?” asked Link.

“We should be able to,” said Zinc.

“Good,” said Link. He unsheathed his sword and wiped it clean on his tunic.

“I wish you wouldn’t do that, Link,” said Zelda. “All your tunics are blood stained. I’ve had them washed repeatedly.

Link shrugged his shoulders. “Oh, well.”

Chapter 4: The Great Fairy of Destiny

The trio arrived just outside of the Ice Cave. They went in.

“It’s really cold in here,” complained Zelda.

“What did you expect? The cave is made of ice,” said Zinc. They walked deeper into the Ice Cave, until they reached a large room with a chest high pillar of ice.

“This is it,” said Zinc.

Link looked around the room. “I don’t see anything,” he said.

“Just watch,” said Zinc. He unsheathed his sword and jabbed it in the side of the ice pillar. He turned the ice pillar a full revolution, stopped, and pulled out the sword. The pillar began to rise and when it finished had revealed a staircase. The trio walked down the staircase. They came into a large room with a fairy fountain at the opposite side of the room.

“What happened to that guardian?” asked Link. A huge ax swung down narrowly missing Zinc.

“You had to say something, didn’t you Link,” said Zinc. He held his sword and shield at the ready. Link did the same. The owner of the ax was a giant re-dead covered in armor from head to toe.

“Those who seek the wisdom of the Great Fairy must contend with the Re-dead King!” shouted the monster in a dry, raspy voice.

“Zelda, take cover!” shouted Link. He slashed at the monster, but the sword bounced harmlessly of the armor. “This could be interesting.”

“Link, use the Fierce Deity’s mask!” yelled Zinc. Zinc put on the Fierce Entity’s mask, and Link put on the Fierce Deity’s mask. In a flash of power, the two were transformed. Their strength, speed, stamina, and senses all increased tenfold. The masks joined with their flesh, and the tattoos became their own. The tattoos Zinc received from the Fierce Entity’s mask consisted of two blue arrow-markings facing inward, one on both cheeks, and two thick red lines opening up across the forehead. Their hair, eyes, and clothes became a pure white. They each now held a massive double helix sword.

“I’d say we just evened the odds a bit,” said Oni-Link. “Let’s send this monster to its final resting place.” The Re-dead King swung his battle-ax. Oni-Link blocked the blow with his sword and slashed at the monster. The sword easily cut through the armor and flesh of the monster’s stomach. For a moment, the Re-dead King buckled under the pain. Oni-Zinc used that moment to deliver his own slash decapitating the monster and ending its life.

“That was easy,” said Oni-Link. He put his hands to his face and the power returned to the shape of a mask. He took it off. Zinc did the same.

“All clear, Princess,” said Link. Zelda came out of hiding. Link went to the altar of the fairy fountain and played Zelda’s Lullaby on his ocarina. The Great Fairy rose out of the clear water.

“I am the Great Fairy of Destiny. Those who have slain my guardian may each ask one and only one question, so ask and receive your answer.”

“Who is to be the new sage of light?” asked Zinc.

“Malon of Lon Lon Ranch,” said the Great Fairy.

”Where is the Fierce Angel’s mask?” asked Link.

“Deep in the Unnamed Temple,” answered the Fairy.

“What are Ganondorf and Scythe planning?” asked Zelda.

“They are planning to resurrect the dark god, Khimena,” said the Great Fairy of Destiny. She returned to the depths of the fountain.

“Well that’s great, we have to deal with Ganondorf, Scythe and the return of a dark god,” said Link.

“Let’s get out of here and go get Malon,” said Zinc.

Malon was sitting in her room looking out her window. She thought about all the things that had happened today. Mostly, she thought about the fact the Link had a brother just as handsome and heroic as he was, even though Zinc had yelled at her earlier that morning.

“If I can’t have Link, I’ll settle for someone just as good,” Malon said to herself, not yet knowing about Pike.

“Malon, would you feed the horses?” called Talon.

“Yes Daddy,” said Malon. She went down stairs and fed the horses.

“Daddy, I’m going out for a short walk,” said Malon.

“Hold on, Malon,” said Talon. “Link, some other guy, and Zelda need to see you. They said it’s import.”

Malon went to see what they wanted. “May I help you?” she asked.

“Malon, you may want to sit down,” said Link.

“Why?” she asked.

“Well,” said Link. “To make a long story short Rauru is dying and you’re the new Sage of Light.” Malon fainted.

Chapter 5: A New Sage

Malon, Zelda, Link, and Zinc teleported back to the Chamber of Sages. Rauru was still alive, but he looked like he had only a few more minutes left.

“Malon,” Rauru called, “come to my side.” Malon walked to the side of Rauru’s bed. “Take the Medallion of Light, Malon. Take it and receive your destiny.” Rauru handed the medallion to Malon. Power flashed through the medallion, bestowing Malon with ancient magic. Rauru closed his eyes and passed away. Everyone observed a moment of silence.

“How do you feel Malon?” asked Zinc.

“Well, really freaked,” said Malon.

“Great, this is just what we needed, another girl sage. I think we already had enough girls to begin with,” said Pike.

“Who’s she?” asked Malon.

“I’m Pike, the Sage of Wind. I am also Zinc’s girlfriend, so don’t get any ideas.”

“Are there any men my age and race that don’t already have a girlfriend anywhere in Hyrule?” asked Malon in a very annoyed tone.

“What about my brother Dax?” asked Elexus. “He’s eighteen.”

“Now sweetie, Let’s not get involved in adult matters,” said Malon in a childish voice. “Why don’t you go play with some dolls or something?”

“I hate dolls,” said Elexus

“Now Malon, is it? I wouldn’t doubt Elexus' judgment,” said Dax. “She’s probably the smartest person here.”

Malon looked over Dax’s body a couple of time. “Two questions, Elexus: is he your brother, and is he available?”

“Yes to both questions,” said Elexus.

“So, Dax, do have any plans for after the world has been saved?” asked Malon.

“Not unless you want to make some with me,” said Dax.

“Well, I hate to break up this moment, but we really need to get going,” said Zelda. “We still have to find the mask.”

“Zelda’s right,” said Zinc. “We have a bit of a walk ahead of us.”

“Why can’t we just teleport to the temple?” asked Link.

“There is an anti-teleportation spell a half-mile around the temple,” said Zinc. “You can teleport away from but not to the temple.”

“Oh, but we can teleport to the edge of that area,” said Link.

“Right, and we will, but we’ll still have to walk the rest of the way,” said Zinc. “You guys get close to me. I’ll teleport us to the edge of the barrier.” Link and Zelda got as close as possible to him, and Zinc used his Fire Teleport.

“Those annoying Brothers of Time and Zelda are probably already looking for Fierce Angel’s mask,” said Ganondorf. He was talking to Scythe inside their hideout.

“They will be heading for the Unnamed Temple,” said Scythe.

“How do you know that?” asked Ganondorf.

“I was a White Druid when the magical masks were first created and hidden.”

“So, why didn’t you destroy the masks when you turned to the dark side?”

“I tried. I started with the Fierce Angel’s mask since it was here in Hyrule, but I underestimated the power of the mask. They cannot be destroyed. That is how I lost my hand.” Scythe flipped his cloak away from his body; his right hand was now made only of enchanted bones.

“Quit complaining, you didn’t lose the whole hand.”

“I lost enough of it to consider it the whole hand.”

“So, what to you plan to do about Link and the others?”

“I shall have Darkania take care them.”

“Ah, Darkania, I’ve heard you speak very highly of him, but I’ve yet to meet him. What can he do?”

“She is a powerful sorceress.”

“Darkania is a woman?”

“Darkania!” yelled Scythe. A young woman with raven black hair and eyes entered the room. She had very pale skin and was clothed in all black

“How may I serve you, Lord Scythe?” Darkania asked.

“Show Ganondorf your, gifts,” ordered Scythe.

“Yes, my lord.” The whites of Darkania’s eyes turned as black as the rest of her eyes. She pointed her hand at the ground. A black beam of energy shot out of her hand. Where it hit the ground, an armor-clad zombie pulled itself up from the portal that Darkania had created.

“Impressive,” said Ganondorf. “But how strong is it?” He grabbed the head of the zombie and crushed its skull. “Pathetic.” He let the dust from the zombie’s skull sift out of his hand.

“Individually they are weak, but I can summon hundreds of them at once,” said Darkania. “In such high numbers, their sheer tenacity can overwhelm any opponent.”

“Darkania, go destroy Link and the others at the Unnamed temple,” said Scythe.

“Yes, my lord.” Darkania bowed to Scythe and disappeared in a flash of dark energy.

“Can she handle them?” asked Ganondorf.

“If she doesn’t, she can at least hold them off long enough for us to gather the eight dark keys, and then it will be to late for Link and Zinc to do anything,” said Scythe. He and Ganondorf laughed malevolently.

Chapter 6: A New Mask and the Gate of Seals

Link and the others appeared just outside of the anti-teleportation barrier.

“Well,” said Zinc. “Let’s get walking.” The trio set off toward the temple. “Oh, and watch out for darkborns.”

“What’s a darkborn?” asked Link.

“A mean little monster, born in darkness that feeds off of fear,” said Zinc.

“Yeah, but what do they look like?” asked Link.

“They take the shape of what you fear most,” said Zinc.

“What if you don’t fear anything?” asked Link

“Then they won’t bother you, so I guess they won’t be much of a problem,” said Zinc.

They continued walking until they reached the entrance to the Unnamed Temple. They entered the huge room at the front of the temple.

“So, where do we find the mask?” asked Zelda.
“I think I know where it is,” said Zinc. “Follow me.” He walked up to the west wall and started feeling it.

“Uh Zinc, that’s a wall,” said Link.

“No,” Zinc pushed on the wall and a section of it swung back to reveal a passage, “it’s not. This place is filled with secret passages.” They walked through the dimly lit walkway beyond the door.

“I don’t want to know why the ground is crunching beneath my feet,” said Zelda.

“We’re probably walking on bugs and decaying bodies,” said Link.

“I told you I didn’t want to know,” said Zelda. She cringed at the sound made each time her foot touched the floor. Zinc pushed in a wall on the right side of the hall. In the room outside of the hall, there was a large treasure chest.

“That’s the only chest here I can’t open,” said Zinc. “Try opening it, Zelda.” Zelda walked up to the chest. When she laid her hands on it, an ethereal light surrounded her and the chest. She opened it. Inside were the Fierce Angel’s mask and a scroll. The Fierce Angel’s mask had only one marking, the blossom of a red rose and the right cheek, and its vines entwined with the eyes. The words on the scroll were written in an ancient language. Zinc took the scroll and looked at it.”

“Those who hold the masks of magic should seek the Gate of Seals and what lies within,” read Zinc.

“You read Ancient Hylain?” asked Zelda.

“Doesn’t everybody?” asked Zinc. A beam of dark energy passed in front of Zinc’s face.

“Darkania,” Zinc turned to face the sorceress. “I knew you would show up eventually.”

“Then you also knew I’d do this,” Darkania raised her hands and summoned a hoard of zombies.

“Oh yeah, let’s see how they handle Din’s Fire,” as Link cast the spell a dome of orange fire mowed down several of the zombies, but more took their place.

“My turn,” said Zinc. “Lightning Storm.” Lightning snaked through the crowd of zombies destroying them. Again, the zombies reappeared. The zombies advanced on the brothers.

“Magic doesn’t work,” said Link. ” It looks like we have to do this the old fashioned way.” He drew his sword.

“No,” said Zinc drawing his sword, “we have to do this the fun way.” The zombies charged with a mighty battle cry. The brothers slashed in the hoard of zombies, but for every zombie that met its demise, another one took his place.

“Aw man! This is ridiculous!” exclaimed Link. “There are too many of them!” Just before the zombies closed in for the kill a beam of white light hit Darkania in the chest. The lapse in Darkania’s energy caused the zombies to disappear.

“Leave my friends alone, Darkania,” said Zelda. She was wearing the Fierce Angel’s mask. In the transformation into Oni-Zelda only Zelda’s eyes turned white; her hair remained the same blonde color it always was. The rose tattoo now appeared on her face. She now wore a steel breastplate. Her dress, which was now light blue, had an elaborate Triforce design on it. She threw another wave of energy. The blast hit Darkania in the shoulder.

“So, pretty, pretty princess wants to play rough!” said Darkania. She threw a wave of dark energy. Oni-Zelda made an energy shield, which reflected the blast back at Darkania.

“We’ll finish this another time, Zelda,” said Darkania. She disappeared in a flash of energy. Oni-Zelda Took off the Fierce Angel’s Mask and put it in the pouch that hung from her belt.

“Hey Zinc, what did that scroll say?” asked Link.

“It told us to look for the Gate of Seals,” said Zinc.

“Where is that?” asked Link.

“Everywhere, at any given time it could be anywhere in
Hyrule,” said Zinc.

“You mean it moves around?” asked Link. “How can we find it then?”

“We find out where it is and get there before it shifts places at midnight,” said Zinc.

“Maybe we can use the Book of Mudora to find it,” said Link.

“See Link, you can come up with a good idea if you try,” said Zinc.

“Do you have to insult my intelligence?” asked Link.

“No, but it wouldn’t be as much fun if I didn’t,” said Zinc. Let’s get back to Hyrule Castle. Gather ‘round everyone.” Zinc used the Fire Teleport to take them away from the Unnamed Temple.

They arrived a few moments later just outside of Hyrule Castle.

“The Book of Mudora is in a hidden part of the castle library,” said Zelda. “We should be quiet. My father likes to spend time there.” They entered the castle and found the library. The king was sitting a long wooden table. He was looking over some scrolls.

“Greetings, Daughter, Link,” said the king looking up from his scrolls. “How was the ceremony? I give my deepest regrets on not being able to attend.” He stood up and walked over to them, not yet noticing Zinc. The king was a large man, both tall and wide, but he wasn’t fat. His black hair had several streaks of gray giving it a silver tint. He wore lavish deep blue robes, and a gold crown bearing the mark of the Triforce.

“It barely got started,” said Zelda, “then unexpected events caused us to postpone it”

“Link, did you get cold feet?” the king let out a deep, hearty laugh.

“Actually,” said Zinc stepping forward, “the delay was my fault.”

“And just who are you?” asked the king.

“I am Zinc, Lord of Sky Castle and the Guardian of Time. I am also Link’s twin brother.”

“I see,” said the king. “Well, if you’re family of Link’s, then by Din, you’re family of mine.” The king gave Zinc a big pat on the back; Zinc stumbled from the force, but retained his balance.

“Thank you, sir,” said Zinc.

“What brings you here, Lord of Sky Castle?” asked the king.

“Well,” said Zinc, “in a nutshell, Ganondorf and my arch-nemesis, Scythe, have joined forces to resurrect Khimena, and we believe a clue as to beating them may lie in the Gate of Seals. In order to find the Gate of Seals we need the Book of Mudora.”

“Ganondorf’s back!” exclaimed the king. “This is a matter of kingdom wide importance. Come; let’s get the Book of
Mudora.” The king pulled a book off a shelf, opening a secret passage. The passage descended into a long dimly lit spiral staircase.

“What is it with spiral staircases?” asked Link. “They’re so annoying.”

“Well Link, think logically,” said Zinc. “Spiral staircases allow you to have innumerable steps in a relatively small area. They also create a tense atmospheric mood.”

“Do you actually know the meaning to most of the words you use?” asked Link. Zinc let out a sigh and continued down the staircase. When they reached the bottom, they entered a large room. At the center of the far wall an altar stood, with a large brazier on either side of it. Sitting on the altar was the ancient book that recorded history as it happened, the Book of Mudora.

“This is it,” said the king. “There is a large map of Hyrule at the back of the book. Now, I must return to my scroll. And Zinc, I do hope your next visit is on better terms.” The king turned around and went back up stairs.” Link went up the Book of Mudora and opened it to the very back. The map was in uncanny detail showing even the tiniest blade of grass. One would have thought they were looking actually staring down at a miniature world, not just a two-dimensional map.

“Nothing is labeled on this map,” said Link. “How are we supposed to find the Gate of Seals, on here?” Seemingly in answer to Link’s question, the words “The Gate of Seals” appeared under a cave on Death Mountain.

“Apparently, if someone says the name of a place the book points it out,” said Zinc, “how convenient. Now that we know where it is, we can teleport there before it shifts places. Zelda, would you care to do the honors?”

Chapter 7: Reyon

A few moments later, our heroes arrived outside of the legendary Gate of Seals.

“It’s beautiful,” said Zelda, admiring the solid gold, jewel encrusted archway.

‘Well,” said Link, “let’s see what’s so important about this place?” Link walked through the arch. He was quickly followed by Zelda and Zinc.

Inside there was a large room. In the center was an altar. On top of the altar was a large book, bound in leather.

“A book?” asked Link.

“Link, you should know that things of great importance are normally much more than they appear to be,” said Zinc. Zinc opened the book. The pages quickly turned by themselves and began glowing a brilliantly. There was a bright flash of light.

When the light faded, the trio was no longer in the room beyond the Gate of Seals, but in an endlessly expansive field.

“Long ago,” said a massive, ancient voice that resonated from nowhere, “When Hyrule was naught but a century old, an evil god, calling himself Khimena, descended into the paradise created by the Golden Goddesses.” The image of a man appeared in the field.

“This place is filth,” said Khimena.

“With his heart filled only with malice for his Golden sisters, Khimena began destroying the paradise,” With a flash of pure darkness, the field became a barren wasteland. “Alas, the Golden Goddesses could only create not destroy. Din came up with the idea to create a champion to defeat Khimena.

“Each Goddess molded their champion with the value they most believed in. Din created the body, strong and instilled with her power. Nayru created the mind, noble and wise. Farore created the heart, kind and courageous. Their labor done, the Goddesses armed him with the evil destroying weapons, the Master Sword and the Shield of Reflections. They called their champion, Reyon.” The scene changed showing each step in Reyon’s creation as the voice spoke. When he was finished Reyon appeared to be a Hylain male clad entirely in white with long, golden hair.

“Reyon confronted the dark god. A fierce battle ensued. The battle lasted for days. Neither warrior could gain the upper hand.” The scene once again changed showing the fight between the champion of the Goddesses and their dark brother. Sparks burst forth each time their blades struck each other. “Finally, on the fifth day, Reyon managed to land a critical hit against Khimena. With Khimena’s destructive power temporarily disrupted, the Golden Goddesses banished him to the Realm of Shadows.

“Although he had won, Reyon had been wounded beyond the help of even the Goddesses, and like all mortals, he perished. The Goddesses descended beside their fallen champion.”

“Reyon, our champion,” said the Goddesses in unison, with voices as pure as gold and as fluid as water, “in your image we create a new race. This race shall value all of the virtues from which you were created. They shall be called Hylains.” As the Goddesses spoke, the damage created by the fight was undone. The wastelands became lush fields, and ash became crystal-clear water.

“To protect these people,” said the first Goddess, “I, Din, take thy body and thy power and create the Fierce Entity’s mask."

“And I, Nayru, take thy mind and thy wisdom and create the Fierce Angel’s Mask.”

“Last, I, Farore, take thy heart and thy courage and thy courage and create the Fierce Deity’s mask.”

“We,” they said once again in unison, “the Golden Goddesses of Hyrule also create the Order of the White Druid, to protect these masks, until the three chosen ones claim them.” Seven men appeared, clad in white robes.

“Hey,” said Zinc. “The second one from the left, it’s Scythe.”

“Please stop talking during the narration,” said the voice. “I was getting to that. Anyway, after the Goddesses left for the heavens, there was a time of great peace. Eventually, Khimena’s dark influence began to seep through the barrier to the Shadow Realm. Jedare, one of the most powerful of the White Druids became corrupted by it. Calling himself, Scythe, Jedare created black magic. He granted himself eternal life and killed the other White Druids. Scythe attempted to find and destroy the masks, but he failed, destroying his hand in the process, “and, here you stand ten millennia later, the ones chosen to stand against Scythe and the resurrection of Khimena. Remember that only three as one can emerge victorious. “The scene showed Scythe killing the White Druids, and then Link and the others where back inside the Gate of Seals.

“Well that was a unique experience,” said Zelda.

“Yeah,” said Zinc, “but that displaced voice barely scratched the surface of Scythe. You and the rest of Hyrule fear Ganondorf, because he is the only evil you know. Scythe is ten times more evil than Ganondorf. Jedare wasn’t influenced by Khimena’s evil; he was replaced by it. Let’s get going. Every minute we waste, Scythe and Ganondorf get that much closer to releasing Khimena.”

“Let’s head for the Chamber of Sages,” said Link. “We can plan our next move and see if what the Book of Seals said means anything to the sages.”

“Link’s right,” said Zelda. “The sages should know what to do next, provided of course that Malon’s done more than stare at Dax for the past hour.”

“Your fiancée is so sarcastic,” said Zinc. “I love it.”

“She should be my sarcastic wife. Thanks to you I have to survive the wrath of a dark god before I can marry her.”

Meanwhile back at Ganondorf and Scythe’s lair, the two men discussed the mass devastation that would soon befall Hyrule.

“Fields will become wastelands, and water will become dust,” said Ganondorf. “And all will be set into motion with this, the placement of the first of the eight Dark Keys, the Key of Pain. Now to less joyous note, your witch failed us, Scythe. Not only did she fail to destroy Link and the others, she failed to prevent them from getting the Fierce Angels mask. Do you realize that what kind of power they have now? They have all three magic masks and all three parts of the Triforce. That kind of power will rival that of even Khimena.”

Scythe laughed. “I promise you, when Khimena returns, Zinc and the others will more than have their hands full. Besides with this,” Scythe took the Key of Pain from Ganondorf and placed it in its lock, “We can command a small part of Khimena’s power.” Scythe turned the key. Dark energy flooded from the lock and split into seven sections. Each section took the shape of an iron knuckle, but it was solid black. “Go my Dark knuckles, destroy the Chamber of Sages.” Scythe laughed evilly.

Chapter 8: The Power of the Medallions

Pike sat on the floor of the Chamber of Sages.

“Are you just going to sit there moping all day?” asked Malon.

“I’m not moping. I’m waiting,” said Pike. “Now why don’t you go mind your own business, Stable-Girl?”

“You realize that as the Sage of Light, I’m your leader right?”

“No, as the Sage of Time I’m her leader,” said Zelda.

“Zelda, when did you and the others get back?” asked Pike.

“About halfway through Malon’s last sentence,” said Zelda.

“Malon, I think you’re in trou…” a thunderous sound interrupted Zinc. “What was that?” Another thunderous sound was followed by the west wall caving in. Seven black Iron knuckles entered the Chamber.

“Dark knuckles!” shouted Dax. “You guys must have really made Scythe mad if he’s sending out this many.”

“That’s not hard,” said Zinc. “Split up we’ve got them outnumbered almost two-to-one.”

“Hey Saria, watch this,” said Elexus raised her hand; it glowed, and a spire of earth erupted from the ground and impaled one of the Dark knuckles.

Saria took some seeds from her pouch and planted them in the spire. Vines quickly grew from the spire and ripped the Dark knuckle apart.

Darunia picked up one of the Dark knuckles and threw it across the room. Dax caught it in midair and slammed it to the ground. Dax forced the Dark knuckle to its feet. He charged up a ball of lightning around his fist and punched the Dark Knuckle, tearing a gapping hole through the living armor and sending it flying across the room. Darunia picked up the Dark knuckle and used the hole in the armor to rip it in half.

Pike took a collapsible staff out of her pouch. She flicked her wrist to lock its five, foot-long sections in place. A Dark knuckle swung its ax at Pike. She blocked it with her staff but was sent back a few feet.

“Pike!” yelled Zinc. “Give me a boost!” Pike held her staff close to the ground. Zinc ran towards her strength to lift Zinc as high as she could. Zinc launched himself high into the air. At the apex of his jump, Zinc unsheathed his sword. Putting all of his weight behind the blade, Zinc came crashing down, jamming his sword hilt-deep into the head of the Dark Knuckle. Zinc withdrew his sword from the remains of the Dark knuckle.

“One more down” said Pike, putting away her staff.

Across the room, Link was on the defensive against one of the remaining Dark knuckles. The Dark knuckle was attacking so fast that Link only had time to block.

“Wait a minute,” said Link. “I’m not supposed to lose.” A beam of light struck the armor, pinning it to the ground.

“Come on, Link you know the drill,” said Zelda.

“I’m glad you learned that spell, Zel. It’s come in handy twice now.” Link began charging his sword; it flashed blue then orange. Link unleashed his famous spin attack to dispatch the Dark knuckle.

“It worked on Ganon, so I figured it would work again,” said Zelda laughing.

Meanwhile, Impa and Sthil were fighting against the fifth of the Dark knuckles. Impa unsheathed a small personal dagger, and Sthil took two throwing knives from his belt. Sthil held the knives in throwing position. The knives began to glow bright green. When Sthil threw the knives, two more appeared in their place. The cycle kept continuing as Sthil threw the knives at blinding speeds. The knives pin-cushioned the Dark knuckle until it was covered in dozens of knives. Impa threw her dagger at the remains of the Dark knuckle. When it connected, the dagger exploded with enough force to embed parts of the Dark knuckle in the walls of the chamber.

One of the remaining Dark knuckles was facing off against Ruto and Nabooru. Nabooru slashed at the knuckle, but her blade only managed to scratch its dense armor. Ruto used a surface version of Zora’s Lightning; it too barely phased the Dark knuckle.

“Ruto, I’ve got an idea,” Nabooru. She jammed one of her swords in between two of the Dark knuckle’s armored plates.

“Oh, I get it.” Ruto used the sword as a conductor for her Zora Lightning destroying the Dark knuckle from the inside.

The last of the Dark knuckles was advancing on Malon who was trapped in a corner. As, it moved in for death strike, Malon closed her eyes and thrust her arms forward in a feeble attempt to block the attack. She felt a warm sensation in her hands. When the attack didn’t come, Malon slowly opened her eyes. The Dark knuckle lay on the floor with a large hole in its chest, and Malon’s hands where glowing with a soft golden light.

“Did I do that?” asked Malon looking at her hands.

“Yeah,” said Dax clearly shocked. “You made my Lightning Punch look like a shock.”

A few hours later, after cleaning up most of the debris from the battle, Dax was starting to get restless, “Why don’t we just go after them.”

“Come on Dax,” said Zinc. “What do you think would happen if we all showed up at Scythe and Ganondorf’s front door? A small group would stand a much better chance of getting in. Zelda, Link, and I will be going alone.”

“You’re right, as always,” said Dax, “but I still want to help, so take this.” Dax held out a black medallion engraved with a cloud and two crossed lightning bolts. “It’s my Thunder Medallion. It will give you the ability to use my Lightning Punch.” He placed the medallion in Zinc’s hand. “Give’em hell. Come on guys, they need all the help they can get.”

Elexus stepped forward holding a brown medallion with a mountain on it. “Take this, my Earth Medallion. It will allow you to create small earthquakes for knocking down wall and doors.” She gave Zinc the medallion.

Sthil placed a silver medallion with a sword on it and signed a phrase. Elexus translated, “This is the Metal Medallion. It will give you the Steel Skin Technique, which incases you in an impenetrable steel armor.”

Sthil strained his scarred vocal chords. “Guh luc.” Sthil put his hand to his throat in pain.

“To my leader and my love,” began Pike handing Zinc a clear, glassy medallion with three wavy lines, representing wind, “I give you my Wind Medallion along with my Arctic Wind spell. I hope it helps.”

“Link, you’ll need help too,” said Saria. “Take my Forest Medallion. It will give you the ability to use my Ivy Rope technique. It may only slow your enemies down, but at least it’s something.”

“Brother,” said Darunia, “take my Fire Medallion and its Wall of Flame attack. You’ve helped us, Gorons, twice now. This time I can repay the favor.”

“Link, I still resent that you chose Zelda over me, but here’s my Water Medallion and its Rains of Life magic. Its pure waters will heal you but only for a short time.”

“Link, protector of Zelda, I give the Shadow Medallion and the power of invisibility,” said Impa.

“Kid, take my Spirit Medallion and the Spirit Disk attack. It works like an arrow but it has greater range.” Nabooru placed the medallion in Link’s hand.

“Here’s my medallion, Link,” said Malon. “Sorry, but I really don’t know what it does.

“Thank you, everyone,” said Link. “Come on, we’ve got villains to stop.”

“Uh, Link, I hate to be the wet towel here,” said Dax, “But we don’t know where Scythe and Ganondorf are hiding out at.”

“Unfortunately, we know that they’re planning to resurrect Khimena,” said Zinc.

A look of pure terror washed over Dax, “They… they can’t. Khimena will destroy everything.”

“Yeah, but at least we know that they have to be at the Dark Shrine,” said Zelda. She and the others exited the Chamber of Sages.

“Midnight, Starfire, come to me.” Zinc once again called down his trusty pegasi. “Link, you and Zelda should take Midnight, He’s strong enough to carry two people,” The trio mounted the pegasi and took off.

Chapter 9: The Root of All Evil, Khimena’s Return


Deep in the heart of the Dark Shrine, Ganondorf was irate at the loss of the Dark knuckles. “They failed. Your, all powerful, Dark knuckles failed. “

“Ah, but they didn’t fail,” said Scythe. “I had no doubt that they would be defeated. Their mission was not to destroy our enemies but merely, to delay them. In the time it took them to defeat the Dark knuckles and begin repairs on the Chamber of Sages, we have gathered six more of the Dark Keys, and Darkania should arrive with the final key at any moment. You see, sometimes you have to lose in order to win.” Darkania entered the room carrying the Key of Death. “At last the Keys of Pain, Sorrow, Famine, Pestilence, War, Greed, Despair, and Death have all been gathered together at the Dark Shrine.”

“Finally,” said Ganondorf. “We can now bring Khimena back from the Realm of Shadows.”

“Patience, my friend,” said Scythe. “Zinc and the others will arrive soon. I believe they should have the honor of bearing witness to Khimena’s triumphant return.”

“What?!” yelled Ganondorf. “Are you saying we should just let them in?!”

“Calm down,” ordered Scythe. “I am merely stating that Zinc and his brother will get past whatever we place in their way. We should wait for them. Khimena will enjoy a living sacrifice.”

“You’re insane,” said Ganondorf.

“Perhaps,” said Scythe. “But when they arrive, the turn of a key will bring forth the Dark One. Then, it will be too late.” Scythe laughed vilely.

“Hey, bro, where is the entrance to the Dark Shrine supposed to be?” asked Link.

“It’s located in a small building in the Haunted Wasteland,” said Zinc as they flew over Gerudo Fortress. They landed next to a small building surrounded by a circle of torches.

“I’ve been here,” said Link. “I had no idea it was the entrance to a shrine, dedicated to the resurrection of a dark god.”

“Well, you do now,” said Zinc. “Be alert. Scythe will have the place crawling with guards.”

Zinc walked through the entrance and dropped down to the floor a few yards below. Link followed in the same manner.

Zelda opted to use the ladder. “One of you is going to break a leg doing that,” she said.

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” said Link, “but that's what they make red potions for. So where’s the entrance?”

“I thought you would have learned by now,” said Zinc. “Zelda, I’m sure you know about this one.”

“Indeed, I do,” said Zelda. She pushed in on one of the walls, which swung open.

“That’s it,” said Link. “When this is all said and done, I want you two to show me every secret passage you know about.”

As they walked through the door, a trio of Stalfos dropped down to the floor.

“Aw man, there’s only three,” said Link drawing the Master Sword. “I won’t even break a sweat. Just for fun, I think I’ll try out Darunia’s medallion.” Link took out the medallion; he used it to summon a wall of flame that mowed down the Stalfos, killing two and crippling the third. Link finished it off with a sword slash.

“Is it just me, or was that too easy?” said Zelda.

“Yeah, I’m surprised those weren’t some of Scythe’s Super Stalfos,” said Zinc. A massive Stalfo, heavily clad in blue armor, appeared in the room.

Link shot is brother a sarcastic grin. “This time you should have kept your mouth shut.”

“Just follow my lead. These guys are tough to defeat,” said Zinc pulling out the Wind Medallion. “Arctic Wind.” A blast of frigid air hit the Super Stalfo encasing its body in ice. Cracks formed in the ice, as the Stalfo tried to break out. “Link, brace the ice with your Ivy Rope.”

“Right,” Link pulled out his Forest Medallion; ropes of ivy sprang from the ground, wrapping around the ice-encased Super Stalfo. Zinc followed up by using Dax’s Lightning Punch, and Link used the Spirit Medallion to throw a white disk of spirit energy. The attacks hit the Super Stalfo, shattering its body.

“Link, find and destroy the head!” yelled Zinc.

“What? Why?” asked Link. He screamed out in pain as a piece of bone cut into his left shoulder. The shattered bones were gathering in the center of the room, where they were reforming the Super Stalfo. Link covered his wound with his right hand and scanned the room for the head of the Super Stalfo.

“There it is!” yelled Zelda pointing to a corner of the room, where the head of the Stalfo was waiting for its body to reform. She hit it with a blast of blue-white magic.

“Link, how is it you get the perfect girl, and I get Ms. Personality?” asked Zinc.

“I’m just lucky, I guess,” said Link.

“Let’s take a look at that shoulder,” said Zinc. Link rolled up his sleeve. The cut was deep and bleeding badly. Link took out the Water Medallion. A small rain cloud appeared over Link’s shoulder. A gentle rainfall from the cloud caused the wound to heal. Link rotated his shoulder and rolled his sleeve back down.

“Wow, who would have thought Ruto would have come up with a useful spell,” said Link with a slight laugh. “It’s still a little sore though.”

Zinc opened the door to the next room. Inside was a Giant Dodongo. It was bigger even than the one that guarded Dodongo’s Cavern. It took a deep breath and shot out an intense blue flame. Link, Zinc, and Zelda all managed to dodge the attack.

“Looks like Scythe’s been using his dark powers on more than Stalfos,” said Zinc. “Dang, that thing’s huge.” The Dodongo took a deep breath. Link seized the moment to toss a bomb down its throat. The sides of the monster expanded from the explosion, but it was otherwise unharmed.

“Use the masks!” shouted Link. Link, Zinc, and Zelda all used their respective masks. In a bright flash, the three were transformed into their oni-selves. As the Dodongo opened its mouth for its next attack, Oni-Zinc shot an energy disc in to the monster’s mouth. The massive Dodongo staggered from the attack, but took a few steps forward anyway.

“Link, Zelda, combine your attacks with mine,” said Oni-Zinc. The Dodongo opened mouth again to attack. This time, Oni-Link and Oni-Zinc sent energy disks from their swords, and Oni-Zelda used a magical blast. When the three attacks hit the monster, it shuddered violently and hit the ground dead. Everyone took off their masks. The sides of the Dodongo began to expand and contract rapidly.

“Oh, Goddesses! I just remembered dodongos explode when they die!” exclaimed Link.

Zinc pulled out the Metal Medallion. “Quick, you two get behind me,” he said. Liquid steel poured out of the medallion, covered Zinc from head to toe, and hardened. Zelda and Link ducked behind Zinc. The Dodongo exploded. Zinc’s steel body shielded Link and Zelda from the worst of the blast.

“Are you two okay?” asked Zinc returning to normal.

“We’re fine,” said Link. “What about you?”

“Nothing a few potions won’t fix,” said Zinc.
Link walked up to the door to the next chamber. He walked into a room that was completely empty.

“Hey, what break,” said Link. “There’s no one here to fight.”

“I’m afraid you’re wrong this time, Link,” said Zinc. He walked passed Link, and turned to face him. Zinc unsheathed his sword.

“What’s going on?” asked Link.

“Haven’t you figured it out yet?” asked Zinc. “I’ve been working for Scythe. He ordered me to lead you on wild goose chases, while he made preparations for Khimena’s resurrection.”

“What about the Sages?” asked Link.

Zinc laughed. “They’re all dead, killed by Pike and my False Sages. Zelda’s dead too.”

“You, how could you?” asked Link. “I’ll kill you.” Link unsheathed his sword and charged at Zinc half-blinded by rage. Link slashed his sword straight at Zinc’s neck. Zinc blocked the attack and laughed. Zinc swung his sword. Link dodged the attack and threw a punch, which connected with the side of Zinc’s abdomen. Link grabbed Zinc by the shoulders and kneed him in the stomach. Link then hit Zinc with a right hook across the jaw, knocking Zinc to the ground.

“Come on” said Zinc getting to his feet. “Is that the best you’ve got?” Zinc licked the blood off on his lower lip and spit it to the ground. He kicked Link in the chest, and then elbowed him in the back of the head. Just before Link hit the ground, he thought he heard a door opening. Link stood back up. He swung his sword, but Zinc once again blocked it with his sword. Zinc delivered an overhead slash. Link blocked the attack, but Zinc kept applying pressure to the sword, forcing Link to his knees. Zinc kicked Link in the stomach and grabbed Link’s left wrist. As Zinc drew back his sword for the death strike, a sword came from behind Link, and stabbed Zinc in the throat. Zinc dropped his sword, and his eyes rolled back into his head. Zinc’s body began to change shape. When it was done, Zinc had become a brown, gangly creature with a potato-like head. The real Zinc withdrew his sword from the neck of the creature and wiped it clean.

“And that, dear brother, was a dark born,” said Zinc. “You seemed really angry when you were fighting that thing. What did you see?”

“It’s not important,” said Link.

“The best way to face your fear is to talk about it,” said Zinc.

“I saw you,” said Link. “You, no, it said that you were working for Scythe; that you had Pike kill the sages, and you killed Zelda.”

“Look, Pike may seem mean-spirited at first, but once you get to know her, you won’t find a nicer person,” said Zinc. “And the last thing I would ever do is work for Scythe. He is solely responsible for the deaths of countless people, including our father.”

“What? But I always thought that he died in the Great War.”

“He died during the War, not because of it. Our father was one of the War’s greatest Hylain generals, and the king’s personal bodyguard. He even created the fighting style that is most commonly used by members of the Knights of Hyrule. But, I don’t think that’s why Scythe killed him. Scythe did it for fun.”

“How do you know all that?” asked Link.

“The Sheikah told me,” said Zinc. “Nothing happens in Hyrule with out them knowing about it.”

“One more question, why weren’t you affected by the darkborn?” asked Link.

“I faced my greatest fear long ago,” said Zinc. “I saw the darkborn for what it was.”

“What was your fear?” asked Link.

“Skulltulas,” said Zinc. He walked to the entrance of the room and opened the door. “It’s safe to come in know, Zelda.”

“What happened in here?” asked Zelda entering the room. “Why did you tell me to say behind, Zinc?”

“He figured it wouldn’t be safe for you to fight this monster,” said Link.

“The Dark Shrine is just beyond this room,” said Zinc. “Let’s finish this.” They walked through the exit to room and into the Dark Shrine. The Dark Shrine was a huge room with chains of skulls hanging from the ceiling and a thick, foul-smelling, green mist hanging about. Ganondorf and Scythe were sitting in two large chairs at the opposite end of the room.

“Ah, Link, we meet face-to-face, at last,” said Scythe.

“I find it ironic you say that, while wearing that hood,” said Link.

Scythe laughed at hearing this. “Darkania!” he called. Darkania appeared in the room.

“How may I serve you, Lord Scythe,” she asked.

“I believe you wished to be informed when the princess, Zelda, arrived.” Scythe said.

“I shall take care of her for you, my lord,” said Darkania.

“I want her to remain alive, but otherwise you may do what you wish,” said Scythe.

“Thank you, my lord,” said Darkania. “I told you we would finish this later, Zelda.” Darkania began to float in the air, her hands glowing with dark energy.

“Ganondorf, take care of the Brothers of Time,” ordered Scythe.

“Why should I take your orders?” demanded Ganondorf. Scythe placed his hand on Ganondorf’s shoulder; Ganondorf’s entire body shuddered with extreme pain.

“Do you have any more questions?” asked Scythe. Ganondorf stood up and approached Link and Zinc. He raised his hand, formed a ball of energy, and threw it at Zinc. Zinc struck the energy ball with his sword sending it back at Ganondorf. Ganondorf deflected the ball. Link took out his bow and shot a Light Arrow at Ganondorf. The arrow hit its target, knocking Ganondorf to the ground.

Meanwhile, Darkania and Zelda were exchanging magical attacks. Darkania charged up a huge ball of energy and sent it at Zelda. Zelda formed an energy shield to block the attack. Zelda raised her hands to the sky, and several bolts of light energy rained down from the ceiling, striking Darkania. Zelda fired an energy disc at Darkania. Darkania opened a black vortex that absorbed the attack.

Ganondorf had recovered from being hit from the Light Arrow. He raised his hand to the air, and large sword appeared. Ganondorf swung his sword at Link. Zinc stepped in the way and blocked the attack. Link jumped onto his brother’s shoulders. He jumped again, and on the way down, he wrapped his legs around Ganondorf’s head. When Link hit the ground, he pulled his legs forward throwing Ganondorf to the ground. Zinc took out the Earth Medallion. The ground shook from the power of the medallion. The earthquake created a shock wave that hit Ganondorf, sending him flying into the wall.

Darkania threw a wave of dark energy at Zelda. Zelda dodged the attack and raised her hands. A bright flash of light temporarily blinded Darkania. Zelda teleported behind Darkania and hit her with a blast of magic. Darkania fell to the ground unconscious.

“Scythe, help me!” shouted Ganondorf as Link and Zinc closed in on him.

“Why don’t you turn into that monster you brag so much about?” asked Scythe.

“I can’t,” said Ganondorf. “I need the Triforce of Power to transform.” Scythe sighed and pointed his skeletal hand at Ganondorf. Dark energy from Scythe's hand flooded into Ganondorf’s body. Ganondorf grew to immense height. He sprouted horns and his face became pig-like. His legs became those of a goat and he grew a lizard-like tail. The monster let out a loud roar and two energy blades appeared in his hands.

“It’s Ganon!” shouted Link. Ganon took a slash at Link. Link rolled out of the way of the attack. He shot a Light Arrow at Ganon, momentarily stunning him. Zinc slashed at one of Ganon’s legs, but his sword bounced harmlessly off Ganon’s thick hide. Ganon recovered from the Light Arrow and struck Zinc with one of the energy blades. Zinc flew across the room and slammed hard into one of the walls.

“Zinc! Ganon’s tail is his weak point!” shouted Link. Zinc pulled himself up off the floor and charged at Ganon. Ganon swung his energy sword at Zinc, but Zinc jumped over the blade and delivered a sword strike to Ganon’s tail. Ganon roared in pain. He turned to face Zinc, but when Ganon turned completely around, Link delivered another strike to his tail. Zelda, having recovered from the fight with Darkania, pinned Ganon to the ground with a beam of light. Link ran up Ganon’s back and jumped to the ground in front of Ganon, where Zinc stood. Both brothers began charging their swords. When the swords were charged, they both hit Ganon with a spin attack. Ganon turned back into Ganondorf and passed out.

“Well done,” said Scythe applauding. “I regret that I must kill you by unleashing the Dark One, Khimena.”

“What’s the matter, Scythe? Are you afraid to fight us your self?” asked Link.

“Why bother?” asked Scythe. “Zinc has defeated me once before, on his own. Fighting the three of you would be a waste of time. Besides, although I enjoy causing pain and death, I rather detest fighting.” Scythe waved his hand, and a wave of dark energy hit Link, Zinc, and Zelda, knocking them to the ground.

“I can’t move!” shouted Link.

“The paralysis shall pass quickly,” said Scythe. He walked over to the Door of the Realm of Shadows, and placed the final key in its lock and turned it. The door began to open and pure darkness began to seep through. When the door was completely opened, a man walked through. The man was easily eight feet tall. He had dark skin and long, black hair. He was clothed in a very old style black tunic and black tights.

“Are you the one who released me?” the man asked Scythe in a deep voice, that sound as if it contained the dying screams of millions of innocents.

“Indeed, I am, Lord Khimena,” said Scythe. “I have also prepared a sacrifice, three heroes, who bear the marks of your Sisters.”

Khimena looked at Link and the others. “So this is the Trinity of Time. The last thing I expected was that my Sisters would send children to stop me.”

Zinc stood up as the paralysis wore off. “We’re not children.” Link and Zelda stood up as well.

“Would you like me to take care of them for you, Lord Khimena?” asked Scythe.

“I have a better idea,” said Khimena. He snapped his fingers and, Scythe, Ganondorf, and Darkania disappeared.

“What did you do to them?” demanded Zelda.

“I sent them somewhere they could safe until I require their services,” said Khimena, “The Realm of Shadows. As for the three of you.” Khimena snapped his fingers again and the room went completely black.

Chapter 10: The Showdown with Darkness

“Welcome, to your final resting place,” said Khimena. Zinc opened his eyes. Khimena had transported them to a large platform over an infinite abyss. Zinc looked at Link and Zelda who were coming to.

“Where are we?” asked Link.

“I created an alternate dimension for our battle,” said Khimena. “I shall kill you here and return to Hyrule to destroy it.”

“Not if we can help it,” said Zinc. He and Link drew their swords.

“I doubt very much, that you can,” said Khimena. He held out his hands and two black swords. Khimena swung one of his swords at Link. Link jumped over the blade and slashed Khimena’s back. Black blood oozed from the wound, which completely healed in a matter of seconds. Zinc charged at Khimena and kicked him in the stomach. Khimena, unfazed by the attack backhanded Zinc. Zinc went flying off the edge of the platform. He barely grabbed the edge to keep from falling and pulled himself back onto the platform. Zelda fired a magical blast at Khimena, who simply dodged it. Khimena fired a blast of dark energy at Zelda. Link jumped in the way and guarded himself with the Mirror Shield. The attack hit the shield and rebounded back toward Khimena. Khimena took the attack straight in the chest, but was completely unharmed.

Khimena laughed. “Did you really believe that I could be harmed by my own attack?” Khimena fired an energy attack at Link. Link dodged the attack and landed behind Khimena. Khimena turned around and slashed at Link. Link jumped over the blade and punched Khimena in the face. Khimena didn’t even blink when the attack connected.

“Hey, Khimena!” yelled Zinc. “Try hitting me with one of those energy blasts.”

“Very well,” said Khimena. Khimena threw an energy blast at Zinc. Zinc ducked behind the Shield of Reflections. When the attack hit the Shield of Reflections, it was converted into light energy and reflected back at Khimena. Khimena took to the air to dodge the attack.

“You missed,” said Khimena.

“Who said I was aiming for you?” asked Zinc. Khimena turned around in time to see the light energy headed straight for him. The attack hit Khimena before he had time to dodge. Khimena was thrown back by the attack. He saw Link holding up the Mirror Shield aiming it at Khimena.

“You reflected the blast off of your brother’s shield,” said Khimena. “Kudos. Let’s see you fight what you can’t see.” Khimena snapped his fingers, and all of the light was sucked out of the room. The room was left pitch black, making it impossible to see. Link heard Zelda scream out in pain.
“Zelda!” yelled Link. Link realized his only hope was the power of the Light Medallion. Link felt himself get hit hard in the back of the neck. Blocking out the pain, Link felt around in his pouch until he felt the insignia of the Light Medallion. He pulled out the medallion. Link heard Zinc shout some obscenities at Khimena. Link focused all his magic on the Light Medallion. The medallion pulled itself out of Link’s hand. It started glowing as it hung in midair. It started spinning rapidly. It emitted a bright flash and light was restored to the room. Link squinted as his eyes adjusted. He saw Zelda lying on the floor. He rushed over to her.

“Zelda, are you okay?” Link asked, helping her up.

“Yes, Link, I’m fine,” said Zelda. “Link look at Khimena.” Link looked up. Khimena was shielding his eyes from the light still being emitted from the Light Medallion. Zinc ran at Khimena and slashed him with his sword.

“That’s for hitting me when I couldn’t see,” said Zinc. Khimena was only marginally fazed by the attack, and he was quickly recovering from the blinding effects of the Light Medallion. Zinc retreated to where Link and Zelda stood.

“I grow tired of these games!” shouted Khimena. He shot a blast of dark energy at the trio. They all managed to dodge the attack.

“Link, what do we do?” asked Zelda. “Everything we try only slows Khimena down.”

“Let’s try the masks,” said Link. He pulled out the Fierce Deity’s mask and put it on. Zelda and Zinc did the same with their masks. In a flash of energy, the masks had turned their wearers into their oni-forms. Oni-Link shot an energy disk at Khimena. It hit Khimena knocking him back a few feet. Oni-Zelda fired a stream of light energy at Khimena. The energy hit Khimena pushing him back. Oni-Zinc fired one of his energy disks at Khimena. This attack sent Khimena over the edge of the platform. Everyone let out a short cheer, before Khimena shot back up over the edge of the platform and landed at the center of it. Khimena shot a wave of energy at the trio again. Everyone narrowly avoided the attack.

“I’ve got an idea,” said Oni-Zinc. “It’s a long shot, but it’s our best hope.”

“What is it?” asked Oni-Link.

“Do you remember what the Book of Seals told us?” asked Oni-Zinc. “’Only three as one can emerge victorious.’ Let’s try combining our parts of the Triforce.”

“That’s a good idea,” said Oni-Zelda. She held out her hand. Oni-Link placed his hand on top of hers, and Oni-Zinc placed his hand on top. Their Triforce pieces emerged for their hands and combined into the complete Triforce. The Triforce floated a few inches above their hands. It began drawing energy from the masks, returning everyone back into their original forms. The masks fell to the floor devoid of power. The medallions flew out of Link and Zinc’s pouches, and the Triforce drew from their power. The Triforce rose several feet in the air and, a stream of light poured from the Triforce forming a column between the Trinity and Khimena. The column of light faded to reveal a man. The man wore a white tunic, and had long, blonde hair. The Triforce floated down and joined with the man. The mark of the Triforce appeared on the man’s right hand. The man walked up to Link and the others.

“Please, give me the Master Sword and the Shield of Reflections,” said the man. His voice was kind and pure. Link handed him the Master Sword, and Zinc gave him the shield.

“Reyon,” said Khimena. “So, the cycle has come full circle. This time, however it will be you who is defeated.”

“We shall see,” said Reyon turning to face Khimena. Khimena charged at Reyon and swung one of his swords. Reyon took a step backwards and knocked the sword out of Khimena’s hand with the Master Sword. Khimena slashed at Reyon with his remaining sword. Reyon blocked the attack and cut into Khimena’s shoulder with the Master Sword. Khimena grabbed his shoulder. He pulled his hand back, which was covered in black blood. The wound on Khimena’s shoulder was not healing as the one on his leg had.

“You were not this powerful ten millennia ago,” said Khimena.

“I did not have the power of the Triforce then,” said Reyon. Reyon swung the Master Sword at Khimena. Khimena blocked the attack with his sword, shot a blast of energy with his free hand. The blast hit Reyon, throwing him back. Reyon stood back up.

“It seems you have also grown weaker from your stay in the Realm of Shadows,” said Reyon. Khimena slashed at Reyon again. Reyon blocked the attack with the Shield of Reflections. Reyon cut off Khimena’s hand, and stabbed the Master Sword into Khimena’s stomach. The Triforce began to glow and a beam of light shot through the Master Sword and into Khimena. Khimena’s dimension faded and everyone was returned to the Dark Shrine. The Door to the Realm of Shadows opened and chains shot out and wrapped around Khimena’s arms and legs. The chains started pulling Khimena back into the Realm of Shadows.

“No!” shouted Khimena. “I won’t go back!” Khimena grabbed on to the edges of the door. Reyon shot another beam of light at Khimena. Khimena was hit by the beam and cast back into the Realm of Shadows. The Door to the Realm of Shadows closed and the Evil Keys returned to the locked position. Link walked up to the door, and took out all the Keys. He placed them on one of the tables.
Three streams of light burst trough the ceiling of the room: one red, one blue, and one green. A woman appeared in each of the streams of light.

“We are the Goddesses of Hyrule,” said the women in unison. “We thank you heroes for reviving our champion, Reyon, and helping to stop our misguided brother. Reyon, it is time for you to return to the after life.”

“Yes, I understand,” said Reyon. Reyon walked up to the Goddesses and disappeared. The power of the magic masks and the medallions was restored, the Triforce separated into its three parts, and each part appeared on the back of its respective owner’s hand.

“The three of you may have one wish, for protecting the world we hold so dear,” said the Goddesses.
Link, Zinc, and Zelda talked it over for a while. When they were done, Link stepped forward. “Zinc and I have never known our real family,” he said. “We wish that you would bring our father back to life.”

“It shall be done,” said the Goddesses. A man with short brown hair and mustache appeared. He had the same blue eyes that Link and Zinc shared.

“Well,” said the man. “Who would have thought my sons would give up a wish to have me back.” For the first time in their lives, Link and Zinc were able to hug their father. “And Zelda, when you marry Link, you had better take good care of him.”

“You know about our wedding?” asked Zelda.

“Of course, I do,” said Link’s father. “I may have been dead, but I was still watching you all. My son couldn’t have any better woman to be his wife. Zinc on the other hand needs a few lessons about picking girls. By the way my name is Tyrian.”

“What’s wrong with Pike?” asked Zinc.

Tyrian grinned. “I was just messing with you, my boy. Pike’s a fine woman once you get past her personality quirks.”

“We must leave now,” said the Goddesses. They pointed their hands at the table holding the Dark Keys, and three beams of light hit the keys, causing them to disappear. “We think it is best if they are not left here in the mortal realm.” The Goddesses ascended back into the heavens.

“Speaking of leaving,” said Link. “We have a wedding to finish.” Zelda, Zinc, Link, and Tyrian all exited the Dark shrine.

Epilogue:

“And do you Link, take Zelda to be your wife, to love and cherish, to have and to hold, in sickness and health, ‘til death do you part?” asked the minister. Everyone was back in the Temple of Time. The sages were sitting in the front row, with the exception of Pike who was serving as Zelda’s Maid of Honor and was quietly complaining about having to wear a dress. The king and Tyrian were seated in twin thrones at the back of the hall. Zinc was standing next to his brother, and both were wearing altered black tunics. Zelda was standing on the other side of Link wearing a white wedding dress, and holding a bouquet of flowers. There were also many more people of varying species sitting through out the hall.

“I do,” said Link, slipping a wedding band on the ring finger of Zelda’s left hand.

“Then I declare you man and wife,” said the minister. “You may now kiss your bride.” Link lifted the veil out of Zelda’s face and kissed her. Every one in the temple let out a loud cheer. Link led Zelda out of the hall amongst the several cheers from friends, family, and the disappointed moans of just about every girl in Hyrule.


Later that evening Zinc and Link were both in the courtyard of Hyrule Castle talking about the past few days.

“I still say I could have beaten Khimena without Reyon,” said Link.

“Oh really,” said Zinc. “I seem to remember, I did most of the damage to Khimena before Reyon showed up.”

“Would you listen to yourself? I could take you in a sword fight any day,” said Link.

“Really, care to put your money where your mouth is,” said Zinc.

“What do you have in mind?”

“Best three out of five, one hundred rupees a match.”

“All right,” said Link. “But try not to linger too long before admitting defeat I have to get to bed before too long.” He drew the Master Sword.

“Ah, poor Link. You can’t be tired, we only defeated a dark god,” said Zinc.

“Who said anything about sleeping,” said Link. The brothers charged at one another.

The End