the journey continues...

The Legend of Zelda: The Rise of the
Hero

            He stepped
out from the darkness of the shadows and continued along his furtive path. He
crept by the small huts and behind the giant crystals that rose from the
ground. He couldn’t believe that the forest had come to this. No longer where
the trees high and proud, but where now replaced by the giant crystals that
tormented the woodland. The Lost Woods were the only evergreens left, Kokiri
Forest was no more. Although the
Mines, which they were now called, was the only known place in all of Middle
Earth were at least artificial light shone down upon, it was not the same. The
man continued along his way and hid his staff. As he neared the end of the
forest the light receded. Again he looked up to a dark sky. It was always dark,
the sun never shone anymore. The sky was now covered in a black and violet
haze, allowing no light to shine through. Then as he emerged into the field he
saw the cause for this horrible destruction. He set his eyes upon the tall dark
tower that loomed in the middle of the field, where the ranch once stood. Its
top could not be seen, but the bottom dug under the ash that remained of the
grass. The field itself seemed black too. As he looked north he saw the
collapsed town, but from it rose the evil man’s castle. He was the cause of the
tower... all this... destruction. He claimed a fraction of the Triforce and
used it to make Hyrule and all of Middle Earth his own. No man, no army could
match the power of his supreme empire. As he looked to the east, to his shrine,
he saw the rivers the emaciated rivers and the great Death
Mountain which had crumbled, all to
the evil man’s might. No longer did anyone inhabit this portion of Hyrule. Many
died trying to migrate to West Hyrule, which fell victim
to the King of Evil anyway.

            The man
then heard a noise from one of the dried bushes. He jumped and grabbed his
staff and looked toward the bush only to see a squirrel scurry from it. He
calmed down a bit. “Come on Koji... you’re eighteen, get a hold of yourself.
You’ve dealt with a whole lot worse.” He spoke to himself. Koji then continued
to walk through the dead field toward his shrine. It was once the great
Spectrum Hold, but now it was the last stronghold against the Evil King. It was
renamed the Crimson Cathedral. Koji walked along his way until he spotted
something. He couldn’t quite make it out and the darkness wasn’t helping
either. Koji then saw something long and narrow fly out of the figure’s mouth
and retreat. “Oh no, a vampire!” He gasped. Koji really didn’t like vampires,
but he had no choice right now, since it was headed for him. It scurried and
then leaped right in front of Koji, before he could do anything.

            “Die you
rebellious fool!” the vampire hissed. It lashed its long acidic tongue at
Koji’s face, but Koji dodged it. Koji threw back his cloak and wielded his
staff whose top began to glow with a soft white light.

            “Maybe
another day, scum of the earth!” Koji yelled back. The vampire showed his
perilous claws and hissed once again. It set its demonic crimson eyes on Koji,
and thrust toward him. Koji dodged the attempt attack and countered. He scored
a blow in the vampire’s side. Only a heavy gash remained. After a few seconds
it began to heal. Due to the vampire’s evil origins its body, even when
tattered and bruised will recover. There were only four ways to kill a vampire.
Fire blazed it to the bone, water burned it like acid, sunlight scorched it
like a thousand white hot arrows and to impale it would be the most devastating
of deaths. Koji and the vampire stared one another down trying to intimidate
each other. Then the vampire suddenly lashed out its tongue once again, aiming
for Koji’s bare chest. Koji held up his staff in an attempt to swat the acidic
tongue away, but failed. The cadaverous like tongue met its mark on Koji’s
forearm. It pulled away, bringing a piece of Koji’s flesh with it back to its
mouth. Only a deep gash remained. Koji cried in agony.

            “I will feast
on your blood soon enough foolish mortal!”

            “Go ‘head
with that. You goin’ get it now!” with that Koji held his staff up high and
chanted a spell. “Ignis, Aqua, Solis
Lucix, Spero! Addo cunctus clades abeo hoc bestia!”  After Koji had chanted his spell, his staff
began to glow. He shined the light from his staff unto the vampire, causing it
pain. He then lifted his staff off the ground and pounded it back, bringing
water to its feet and knees. The fiend cried in agony as its leg began to steam.
Koji then waved his staff and fire shot out and set the beast ablaze. It began
to flail its arms wildly. Koji feeling no remorse for the fiend impaled it with
his staff and pulled it back out. Only a giant hole remained in the burning
body as the vampire fell to the ground. “Damn it! This is what I didn’t want to happen! Damn!” Koji
ripped a piece of his cloak and wrapped tightly around his wound. He continued
to walk toward the Cathedral, his group of nine would help him restore to
health...

            “Who dares
kill one of my fledglings? It shows not on the map.” said an evil shadowed man
looking at up a giant piece of glass that floated in the middle of the room. He
had seen the mark that represented his vampire, but it was no longer visible,
meaning it was dead. “I have seen no other mark that shows the cause of my
beast’s death. Tell me of this magic Wizard!”

            “I believe
it was Koji, who was the cause of your fledgling’s death...” said an old man
holding a wooden staff.

            “How! How
can he hide away from the Radar?”

            “He and his
comrades may have produced a material to send back the waves the Radar sends
out M‘lord...”

            “This is
the last time Koji will ever scold
me. Koji will get his, I assure it...” 

           “Where am I...? The last thing I remember
was being in the darkness... Wait... I still am in the darkness. Please dear
Goddesses I hope this is only a dream. Let me find my back to the light. But If
I’m here then that means, Gronondorf is... No he’s got the Triforce. So then
maybe the world has ended then. But why am I still here? And where is Nati...”
Zin stopped thinking once he saw a small bluish light head his way. He called
to it.

            “Nati! Is
that you!? Nati!” Zin screamed in the infinite darkness. The light stopped and
yelled back.

            “Zin!?”

            “Yeah it’s
me Nati.” the fairy flew over to her friend.

            “Where are
we Zin?”

            “I have not
the slightest clue.” Then suddenly the abyss of nothingness became something.
Zin found himself in the tunnel of a cave. There he sat as he saw many people
walking in formation out of the tunnel, some bound, other’s not. Then he saw a
girl brush past him. She looked around her mid-teens. She stopped and knelt
down to him.

            “You’d
better get up before they kill you, these guys don’t play.” she said pulling
him up of the ground. “Who are you? I haven’t seen you around the refuge.” She
looked at him and noticed he carried weapons. She gasped. “How did you get
weapons past them? That’s a nice sword you have there by the way.”

            “Thank
you...” Zin said not even looking at his sword.

            “Angelica.
And you are?”

            “Zin.”

            “Well Hello
Zin, maybe me and you can stick together until this is over.”

            “What’s
going on?”

            “You see,
after... the incident, the Trions had to...” Zin cut her off.

            “I’m sorry,
did you say Trions?”

            “Yes, why?”
Zin rubbed his eyes.

            “Okay where
am I?”

            “The Sacred
Realm... where else could you be?”

            “So you’re
a...”

            “Trion,
yes. Why do you find that so hard to believe?” She looked at his forehead. “Oh
dear Goddesses. You aren’t a Trion. How can you survive up here? Most men only
last a few seconds before they begin suffocate.” She looked at the emblem
around his neck. “So that’s how you survived up here. Who are you Zin?”

            “That’s not
important right now. What’s going on?”

            “I told
you, we were one of the last rebellious groups that are standing against the
Evil King. They just sought out our refuge. Now they are taking us into
slavery.”

            “What the
hell are you two doing!? Move along!” said one of the guards. They wore black
protective armor and held swords made of black metal.

            “Come on...
before he notices you have a-” Angelica tried to whisper, but it was too late,
the guard already saw Zin’s sword.

            “Hold! He
has a weapon! Kill him!” the guard said running towards Zin. Zin drew his sword
and easily disabled the guard, who fell to the ground helplessly. Zin then took
his sword and stabbed him. Soon enough Zin and Angelica saw several more guards
coming.

            “Here I’ll
help you...” Angelica said as she concentrated her energy. The Triforce mark
upon her forehead began to glow and then suddenly Zin duplicated into three.

            “What’s
this?” Zin asked amazed.

            “The power
of Illusion.” Then as the group of guards ran up all they saw were three angry
looking people holding a heavy sword. Zin then began to render them helpless.
Only four guards remained. Zin and Angelica began to run toward the exit of the
tunnel. Before they ran, Angelica conjured her powers again, this time
appearing to part the earth. “Come on, we have to find my mother!” Angelica
said as she searched through the windows of the locked down carriages that held
passengers in them. Several began to pull of and Angelica heard someone scream
her name. She looked in the direction and saw her mother’s face pressed against
the window. “Wait mom here... I ... come.” The carriage pulled off and was soon
distant. “No...” Meanwhile her spell had worn off as Zin saw once the four
remaining guards ran out of the cave.

            “Come on we
have to get out of here!” Zin yelled as he saw another guard on a horse.
Angelica looked at the guard on the horse headed toward them.

            “I’ll get
him off, cover me!” Then she began to work her magic.

            The guard
on the horse looked down once he saw that his horse was covered with fire ants.
He screamed as he jumped off the horse. The horse continued along the way to
Zin and Angelica. Angelica saw Zin was getting tired and conjured another
spell, she set a wall of fire between Zin and the guards. Zin thanked her and
as the horse was headed toward them, he swung around its neck and landed on its
back. He stopped the horse and told Angelica to get on. She did so and once
they were on, Zin gave her his shield.

            “Put this
on your back!”

            “Why!?”

            “They’re
going to try shooting arrows, trust me!” Angelica did so and placed the shield
on her back, and sure enough Zin was right, as they saw an arrow fly overhead.
Zin began to ride faster until the group was a distant image. Once out of
distance Zin calmed a little and looked at his surroundings. The sky was an evil
dark gray, with distance lightning, but the dirt ground was a golden brown,
which seemed to illuminate the environment. “Where to now?”

            “To the Temple
of Light: Last Stronghold against
Evil.” Angelica said as she held on to him as they rode toward their
destination.

            Zin stopped
the horse and got off, Angelica followed. Zin looked up and saw colossal doors
that belonged to a colossal building. “These doors are even bigger than the
castle’s.” Zin said to himself

            “Is this
the place?” Nati asked in astonishment.

            “Yep, the Temple
of Light. This is the only place
standing after the Evil King’s raid.” Angelica said.

            “Who is he
anyway?” Nati asked.

            “I don’t
quite know, around here he’s known as the King of Evil...” Angelica paused,
“Wait, his name it begins with a G, Gron... something like that.”

            “Gronondorf!”
Zin and Nati exclaimed in unison.

            “You know
him?” Angelica asked.

            “Let’s just
say we don’t get alone very well... at all.” Zin said with a small grin on his
face. Meanwhile Nati started laughing. “What’s become of Hyrule?”

            “We don’t
know, we don’t get much news from the outside world.”

            “Hmm...
Well we need to get in here, and I see no handles to these doors.”

            “There are
engravings here...” Angelica said running her hand across the door.

            “Where, I
don’t see anything. Are you sure?” Zin asked looking at the doors once again.

            “I see it
right here. One in the shape of each Triforce piece. Also there is one in the
shape of a sword...” Angelica trailed off. “Now that I think of it, it looks
kinda like yours.”

            “Wait my
sword! Please don’t tell me...” Zin reached back for the sword in his scabbard,
hoping not to find what he though he would. He touched the hilt, it felt
different. He pulled the sword out and noticed it seemed longer than before. As
he brought it around he noticed it was also heavier. He placed his eyes on the
sword and his fears were realized. There he stood holding the mythical
legendary blade: The Master Sword.

            “I’ve
figured it out! You can’t see it because it is an illusion. I can see right
past that.” Angelica said looking at the engravings once again. Zin was
listening, but was absorbed in the sword. Finally he spoke.

             “Hey Angelica, you said the engraving was
shaped like this?” Zin offered her the sword. She almost excepted until she
recognized the sword. She backed away. “What?”

            “I can’t
touch that.”

            “Why not?”

            “Only the
Hero of Time can hold that sword.”

            “But I’m
not the Hero of Time...”

            “You did
pull the sword out of the pedestal right?” Zin nodded, “Then you’re the Hero of
Time, only he can pull and replace the Master Sword from the Pedestal of Time.
You can even ask the Sage when we get in there.”

            “Wait,
prove to me that no one else can touch the sword, I want to be sure.”

            “This is
going to hurt me more than it’s going to hurt you... literally.” Angelica reached
for the sword’s hilt and touched it. She received a small shock upon doing
this. “See?”

            “Yeah...
sorry. Well where’s the hollow?”

            “Right
here...” Angelica pointed to the spot and as Zin placed the sword in he saw the
engravings revealed. The two colossal doors began to spread and the sword hit
the ground. Zin withdrew the sword and the company of three continued into the
fortress and soon after, the colossal doors shut.

            “Wow this
place is huge!” Angelica said listening to her echo. “Echo!” she yelled as her
voiced bounced along the halls and off the walls.

            “Stop,
you’re disturbing the peace.” Zin said. They walked down the hall until they
reached a large bouquet looking room. The floor, along with the pillars that
ran down the room where made of fine marble. The pillars supported high
balconies above. They continued walking until they came to another large room,
well lit from the large torches that held a strange white fire. There before
them where three paths. The room was made of golden marble and the path down
the middle too was made of golden marble. The one to the left made of silver,
and to the right bronze. “Which path to choose?”

            “I’m not
sure, instinct is telling me the...”

            “Middle one
right?”

            “Yeah how’d
you know?”

            “I have a
feel for these things.” The three proceeded down the middle path until they saw
a door in the distance. As they ran toward it, the ground below began to break
apart. “What?” They all were sucked into the black abyss below.

            “Where am
I? Where’s Angelica? Nati? What’s going on, I would have sworn the last thing I
saw was darkness, and it still seems that way...” Zin said to himself. He felt
like he was lying down, so he sat up, and to his surprise he saw color. His
vision was a like blurry. He noticed the bottom of a dress lied in from of him,
a few feet away, on a yellow platform.

            “Awaken
Hero of Time. Stand, look at yourself.” said a sweet voice. Zin stood up and
looked around. “Look at yourself; you’ve grown up to be quite a healthy looking
young man.” Zin looked at the source of the sound, and what he saw surprised
him.

            “Malon?
Aunt Malon!” Zin said running up and hugging her. “What are you doing here?
Where am I?”

            “You are
within the Chamber of Sages; center of the Sacred Realm. You’ve been out for
the past couple of hours. Sorry about that little fall you and your friend had,
but it’s there for protection.”

            “Where are
Nati, and Angelica?”

            “Don’t
worry they are safe and sound. Look at you! You’ve grown to be taller than me.”

            “Huh?” Zin
looked and realized that he was looking down at his aunt, something that he had
never experienced before. “What’s going on?”

            “Do not be
alarmed, look at yourself.” Malon produced a human sized mirror in front of
Zin. What Zin saw shock the hell out of him. He was a man, no long the teenage
boy he used to be, but grown. He saw that he had become taller, and more
muscular. He wore his usual rounded collar green tunic, but also white leggings
and a white muscle shirt underneath, that covered his biceps and forearms. He
wore plain brown boots, not the decorative ones like when he was a kid. He also
wore brown leather patted gloves, that covered his palms but left his fingers
exposed. He wore a strap across his chest that held his scabbard and his
shield. He finally looked at his face, which had matured. He stroked the beard
that had grown down from his sideburns, from the back, all the way down his
chin and the small goatee under his lip. His crazy spiked strands of blond hair
still fell upon his face as always, but was longer, now reaching down to his
chin. He stroked his beard again before the mirror evaporated. “Don’t be
conceded now.” Malon joked.

            “I can’t
believe it, I’m, I’m... how old am I?”

            “You are
the bold age of seventeen.”

            “I didn’t
even notice all this time I was in the Sacred Realm.” They stood in silence for
a minute. “So it’s been four years...”

            “Four long,
miserable, dark years. Hyrule has entered another Dark Age.”

            “What’s
going on back home?” Zin asked with a very serious face.

            “Look at
you, there you stand holding the Master Sword, asking question. Just like your
father did.”

            “What do
mean ‘like my father did’?”

            “Your
father too was once the Hero of Time. He saved the world from the evil
Ganondorf Dragmire.” Zin was in shock. He was silent for a while, not knowing
what to say. The fact that his father kept a secret from was completely beyond
him. Who was his father? Did he really even know? This newly acquired
information put a whole prospective on things.

            “Why would
he keep something like that from me?”

            “He didn’t
want you or your brothers to go through what he did. Being the Hero of Time is
a very heavy burden for anyone to carry amongst their shoulders. I am sorry
that you have met the same fate...”

            “Well
hiding it made the situation no better. It still happened.” The two stood in
silence. “What’s your whole part in this?”

            “I am the
Sage of Light... And speaking of which, I have a gift that will most help you
on your journey. I gift you with the power of Light.” Malon lifted her arms in
the air and formed a ball of light. The light left her hands and absorbed Zin’s
body. After a few seconds the light relinquished outward until it was no longer
visible. “You may now use the power of Light to your will. Manifest it within
your hand, or engross it with your sword. Either way you go, you must speak
these words and the power will come to you. Say ‘Lux Lucis’ and the power will obey your every whim. You no longer
hold the Sacred Stones, so this is your only element left.” Zin tried his new
found power on his hand.

            style='mso-bidi-font-style:“Luc Lucix!” Then Zin saw rays of light
emanate from the palm of hand, until it was absorbed completely in it.
“Cool...” Zin then drew the Master Sword, with his hand transfixed with light.
Once the sword was drawn the light transpired from his hand into the blade of
the sword. “Why do I need this power? Is there a journey I must embark on?”

            “Well-- yes
Hero of Time. There is a quest ahead of you, and it does not bare you mercy. Unfortunately,
you must do it alone.”

            “What is my
task?”

            “Your
brothers...”

            “Where are
they!? Are they hurt, or worse I fear? What of Koji, I hope he has not met his
fate...”

            “I have
lost contact with Koji, the last my ears heard he was fighting against
Gronondorf. But your brothers... Let me start from the beginning...” Malon
paused and sighed, upon thinking of those times. “Once you pulled the Master
Sword, you were sealed in time for four years until you became of age to wield
the Master Sword. But while you were gone, Gronondorf seized the opportunity to
claim the Triforce.”

            “He holds
the Triforce... It is worse than I’ve feared.”

            “No, he
only holds the Triforce of Power. When he touched the almighty Triforce, his
heart could not submit to the three essences and so, his heart being evil he
only claimed the Triforce of Power. Once he had overtaken the Sacred Realm, he
waged a war upon Hyrule, and took the Castle. These times where known as ‘The
Crimson Skies’ since all the war and fighting caused the sky to burn a blood
red, and the sun to shine black. He rebuilt his castle on the foundation, and
then wrecked havoc on us. He slaughtered many of us and the few that remained
he offered them mercy, but only if they would become his loyal slaves. Now
every living person in Middle Earth falls to his hand. He claimed East Hyrule
for himself and West Hyrule for the demons and their Lord. He has moved many of
us to his newly built cities in west, toward Romania and Derinma, and also to
the east, past the Death Mountain Range. West Hyrule is now only a deserted
island where no one dare not go, it is even more feared than East Hyrule, where
the vampires; his fledglings roam. Your brothers, tried to stop him, but
failed. As he captured them one by one he bound them, and made them stone
statues that linger above each of the temples as a reminder that he is King.
The time of The Crimson Skies ended once he built his tower: The Tower of Dusk.
With the building of this tower, he along with his second in command known as
‘The Wizard’ forged a large, thick sheet of glass. This is not just any glass;
this glass has the ability to see all over Middle Earth. It is known as ‘The
Radar’, and can see all that you do. The Radar is a vast mist that looms over
all Middle Earth. This dark cloud is colored black and a gloomy violet, which
keeps the sun’s ray from touching the earth. The world is now a horrid darkened
place, where night seems to dominate the sky.” This information was alot for
Zin to handle. He had to slow down and accumulate all these facts.

            “So I take
it that I am to rescue my brothers so that they can lead to victory? But to do
this, I must first defeat the evil monster in the shrine. The shrines form a
ring that is in East Hyrule, called the Ring of Elements. I know all this
already.”

            “No, you see
it’s not that easy. Gronondorf too acquired the information you did, and tried
to destroy the Temples. But the essence of a Temple may never be denied, and so
the Temples have found new locations, spreading all the way past Nubia and into
the city of Asu Romonto. Only one Temple remains in its original location: The
Forest Temple.”

            “What of Kopaka...
is the Temple of Time really destroyed?” Malon nodded. “And Matinu... is the
Temple of Light not here?”

            “Gronondorf
feared that I the last remaining Sage would attempt to restore your brother, so
he placed him in the highest room of the Tower of Dusk. It is said that the day
Matinu is freed, will be the day when dawn shall shine upon the evil tower.
Bringing about it’s destruction as it will crumble to the ground.”

            “What about
my mother... and Nyra?”

            “Zelda is
held in the highest room of the highest tower in Gronondorf’s Castle. I know
not of Nyra’s fate.”

            “How am I
going to get back? And once I do, how will I hide from Gronondorf’s Radar?”

            “That is
where your friend Angelica comes in. She has created something that will hide
you from the waves of evil magic. Come forth Angelica and Nati.” Zin looked out
to one of the small platforms which light shone upon. The platform also bared
water which moved into waterfalls off the platform. The water seemed to fall
over into empty abyss below. Zin then looked at the pathway that lead from the waterfall
to the central platform. Along the path was Angelica holding some sort of cloth
and Nati floating close behind her. They stepped over to the Triforce platform
that was the center of the central one.

            “It’s about
time you woke up... here you go.” Angelica said handing him the cloth she
carried.

            “What is
this?” Zin asked unfolding it.

            “It is a
cloak. I sowed for you. You will also need this,” Angelica went through her
pockets and pulled out a quite thick piece of string. It was a golden brown and
the ends were highly decorated with plush diamond shaped fur. “Put this string
within the hood of the cloak. It will protect you from the Radar. It was
blended with the power of Illusion, so it appears that you are not on the map
of the Radar... Well try it on.” Zin did so and first pulled the string through
the loop at the base of the hood. He then placed the cloak over his arms and
tied the string in a knot. He then threw the hood over his head and covered his
body completely in it. The cloak ran all the way down to his ankles. Again
Malon manifest the mirror in front of him. Zin looked and was amazed at what he
saw. He noticed his ears; long and pointed seemed to retract, as if he had none
at all. Then Zin looked to the side and noticed that it seemed his sword and
shield were gone. Zin lifted the cloak from under his arm and looked to see the
shield was still there. He then reached for the Master Sword from inside the
cloak and felt its hilt. He was amazed at how the cloak made him appear. “Cool
huh?”

            “Yes it
is... very much so. I will call it the Cloak of Illusions.” Zin said as the
mirror dissipated and he put down the hood and cloak over his shoulders, releasing
his arms. Zin reached back for the sword once again and noticed his hand went
right through the cloak. He pulled the sword and shield out and withdrew them
as if the cloak was not even there. “This will help me greatly. Thank you
Angelica.” Zin said hugging her.

            “You’re
welcome Zin.”

            “Are you
finally ready to go now Mr. Hero?” Nati said flying over to him.

            “As ready
as I’ll ever be... I guess. Well Aunt Malon, your nephew’s ready to go and save
the world. You can send me back.”

            “I know
you’ll succeed...” Malon began to tear up. She ran up and hugged him for a long
while. She held his face with both hands saying, “I believe in you...” she
planted a kiss on his forehead and released him. Malon and Angelica stood back
on the yellow platform that resembled the sign of light as Zin and Nati stood
on the Triforce platform in the middle. Then Zin’s body began to float slightly
above the ground. He and Nati were encased in a human sized crystal, tinted
blue.

            “Good bye my
friend, I trust you will lift this curse from us.” Angelica said waving. Zin
waved back.

            “Don’t stay
in the field too long. Be careful,” Malon said as she began to cry again,
“Goodbye...” Zin could simply wave to them both as the crystal started spinning
in place. Soon enough the crystal disappeared leaving the two alone within the
chamber.

            Zin looked
down and saw the ground. He saw much rubble through the crystal. The crystal
began to crack until it broke and shards of glass fell to the ground. Zin’s
body slowly floated down, Nati close behind. Once Zin’s body touched the
ground, a bit of the debris began to spread. This revealed a platform that Zin
recognized. Zin saw a small trapezoid shaped stone in front of him that bore
the mark of the Goddesses. It was the Pedestal of Time. Zin stood on the
platform where the Master Sword once lay. Zin looked in shock at the horrid
image. Zin placed the hood over his head and covered himself. Nati hid away in
Zin’s cloak. Zin continued his way through the debris. He had no clue where he
could be. Zin looked south and saw a big surrounding wall. He realized he was
in the ruins of Hyrule Castle Town. Zin left the small platform and began to
walk towards the field. As he emerged he walked across the small plank that was
left of the drawbridge and crossed over the dried, but yet algae covered moat.
He walked onto the ashy field and looked at his surroundings. The mere sight of
it nearly sent Zin into another coma. He saw the dead field, dry, barren and
black. No longer did any trees stand in the wasteland. His fears were met as he
saw mountains crumbled, rivers dried and the forest burnt to a crisp. The only
thing left of the forest was the dreaded Lost Woods, which seemed to grow even
more wildly. Zin looked to the sky and saw a giant black abyss whose lightning
poured out like a rage upon the earth. But the most dread thing Zin feared, his
eyes were cast upon. There in the middle of the field was the dark looming
tower. His dream had become reality and it scared him. Zin’s voice sounded
scarce and alone as he backed away into the deserted town.

            “Zin where
are you going?” Nati asked as Zin ran back into the ruins.

            “This isn’t
the right place. It can’t be... This is all just a fragment of my imagination
that’s all. It will all be over soon.” Zin said running toward the north. He
was crying upon seeing his homeland destroyed. As he embarked further and further
north, the fear became even worse. As Zin emerged from behind the cliff, he saw
the castle. Above him on a highly raised plateau was the feared castle of the
Evil King: Gronondorf’s Castle. The twists and turns of the highly raised
castle sent chills down Zin’s spine. The series of towers loomed over Zin like
a hungry shadow. The plateau that supported the maleficent castle floated in
the center and above a gigantic chasm that was filled with liquid magma. The
castle was obviously out of reach. Zin ran to a small caved section and sat
rocking himself back and forth.

            “Come on
Zin, you can do better than this...”

            “No... I
can’t. It’s too much. I’m too late. Who would I be saving anyway? No entire
army, no one can match his power. What makes you think I can do any better?”

            “You have
that...” Nati floated near the Master Sword. “You also have something else an
army will never have.”

            “What?”

            “Well
beside me... you have the heart of a hero. You the only one boy pulled that blade from its stone.
You a boy did what no ordinary man can ever do. You were chosen for this task,
and you must complete it. I’ve seen bring down the worst of the worse, even
when the odds were against you. Believe me; no one man can stop you. You have a
pure heart of gold, and I trust in that.” Zin sat up and over thought what Nati
just said. She was right, he had worked hard to get here, and he wasn’t going
to just give up now. He stood up and surmounted his fears. He replaced his hood
and began searching for any kind of clues of his journey.

            He had seen
something strange over near the dark castle and came to investigate. Once had
had snuck back into the ruins of the town he noticed a spot was clear of rubble
and debris. The strangest thing was it was the Pedestal of Time. Who had done
this? Was it a potential friend or a possible foe? He then heard it running
toward the castle and then it began talking to itself. He saw it run again and
once it had its backed turned; he snuck up behind it with his staff draw, ready
to impale the creature. It would all be over soon and this threat would soon be
defeated.

            Zin had
gone over to the westernmost part of the grounds, hoping to find something, but
to no prevail. Although Zin heard footsteps behind him, so he drew his sword
and shield as he acted to be searching for something again. Zin heard the
swiftness of the weapon and sidestepped. He turned around and placed his blade
in the human’s face as the human did the same with his staff. “Who are you?”
Zin asked as they began circling each other, still held in the same position.

            “Funny I
was getting ready ask the same about you fiend.” The cloaked man said.

            “I am no
fiend, I am a noble elf.”

            “Liar!
Elves bare pointed ears, yours seemed small and round under that cloak.” Zin
wasn’t even paying attention to him; he was trying to figure out how to get
this guy off his tail. Maybe I should cut
his hand... Zin looked at the stranger’s hand and came up with a strategy.
He did not execute it though. Wait, that
hand, where have I seen that scar before? Can it be? Zin dropped the sword
and tried to look into the man’s face. “What are doing fiend?”

            “No wait; I
am your friend...” Zin said removing his hood. “Koji?”

            “How do you
know my name?” Koji too was now becoming curious. He removed his hood and
looked deep into the man’s eyes. He dropped his staff upon realizing it. “Zin?
But how can it be?”

            “Don’t
worry, I’m home...” Zin and Koji shared a long embrace. Afterward Zin explained
to Koji all the details of his quest to bring down Gronondorf and his empire.
He also explained how he was the Hero of Time. Koji also explained to Zin of
how he and his group of nine were the only rebels left in Gronondorf’s eye.
They walked out onto the field and eventually were on a cliff overlooking the
field.

            “Remember
the first day you showed me this cliff, and your premonition?” Koji asked
looking out.

            “I remember
it well.” Zin said nodding.

            “What did
you see that day that was so horrific?”

            “It was
similar to this, but different. I saw the Tower of Dusk, and the black field.
But the sky was a blood red, and the sun shone black.”

            “Ah, you’d
be referring to the time of the Crimson Skies. The Crimson Wars were the climax
of our downfall.” Zin and Koji stood atop the cliff for a while and just looked
out. Zin let the murky wind blow through his blonde hair.

            “I can’t
believe that I have to do this alone...” Zin said shaking his head.

            “Don’t
worry friend, as long as there is a breath of life in me... you will never face
this alone.” Koji said putting his arm around Zin. Zin smiled.

            “Even
against his evil might, I shall stay a Crimson Knight. With this sacred vow I
say, shall I bring his powers at bay.” Koji said as they were in front of the
entrance to the Crimson Cathedral. The colossal doors opened and Koji walked in
followed by Zin and Nati. Once they were in the building, Koji held his hands
out and the doors shut. “Those are the words you must speak to enter the
Cathedral. Come follow me and meet the others.” Koji continued walking with Zin
and Nati following him every step of the way. They walked through a series of
large rooms, each for a different purpose. Then Koji lead them up a series of
stairs until they reached the top room. Once Zin reached the top he saw what
looked like an astronomy lab. Half of the roof was built with glass, while the
other with stone. There was big telescope in the middle of the floor. It
reached from the floor and through the glass roof. The rest of the room held
furniture and tables. There was also a few selves that held many books. Zin
looked around and saw many people who had stopped and were looking at him and
Koji. “This is the Main Lab... also known as The Dome, and here would be the
Crimson Knights.” Koji held his staff upright from the ground and stood at a
halt. “Knights!” he screamed. At this time the party of nine walked over and
stood in formation in front of Koji and Zin. Koji began to into duce them to
Zin.

            “This is
your group? You have a bigger team than I thought...” Zin said.

            “This is
Herald, he’s our scientist. He’s gotten as far as we’ve gotten, as far the Radar
goes. His inventions keep this hideout and ourselves protected from the Radar.”
Zin looked at the short elf with glasses on. Zin shook his hand.

            “And how do
you do Hero of Time, Koji has told us much about you.” Herald said.

            “This is
Gem, she’s our weapons specialist. She is a great fighter and puts traps around
the Cathedral to keep away those wretched vampires.” Koji said. Zin looked up
at her. She was definitely taller than he was. She had on a tight black body
suit with many weapons and artillery hanging off of her. Zin noticed her hair
was pulled back in a ponytail, and that her ears were round, not pointed like
his. Then as she shook his hand she said something strange. Zin couldn’t
understand her. Then Koji stepped in and began speaking the strange language
with her.

            “Sorry
about that Zin... I’m Gem. I heard you were a great fighter. Maybe you and I
can have a match one day.” Gem said looking at Zin’s sword.

            “I’ll be
looking forward to it.” Zin said.

            “Now these
two are Tay and Kay. Twins, who are quick thinkers. They
can find there way out of small openings and things like that.” Koji said.

            “Hello
Zin.” the twins said in unison, as Zin shook their hands. Zin looked at the
two, they were both small, skinny Gerudo boys. They looked a little younger
than him.

            “Next is
Julius who I believe you remember from the tree house. That was so many years
ago...” Koji trailed off. Zin once again shook his hand.

            “Nice to
see you’re alive Zin.” Julius said.

            “Same here
Julius.” Zin said.

            “These next
two are former knights. Sean, the muscle is well trained in hand to hand combat
of the sword. He’s not too bad using his fists either.” Koji said. Zin looked
up at this huge man. He was very muscular and well built. He reminded Zin of
Brad. Zin also noticed that he too had rounded ears like Gem. “This next one is
Fred, also known as Quicksilver. Really fast and light makes it easier to kill
a greater amount of enemies.” Zin looked and to his surprise it was a girl. She
was skinny yet muscular. She held a sword to her side and a bow across her
back. “She’s also an archer.” Zin shook her hand and noticed that she had round
ears.

            “This here
is my good friend Dave, the blacksmith. He provides us with extra weapons and
artillery. He too is well trained with the sword.” Zin shook Dave’s hand took a
look at his sword.

            “I would
ask you to see your sword, but I can’t touch it. But can you show it to me?”
Dave asked looking at the hilt of the Master Sword. Zin unsheathed the sword
and held it out in front of him. Dave examined it closely. “A brilliant piece
of work, the forger’s unknown, but the forging is legend. I know style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>that is a good sword.” Zin nodded and
noticed Dave’s ears too were rounded.

            “Last but
not least, a team is not complete without a magician. This is Raven, and the
name fits. She can be as black as the night and as powerful as a raging storm.”
Koji said. Zin looked at her and noticed she had pointed ears. She was an elf.
She wore mostly black, and some purple. She had coal black hair and white pale
skin. Her finger nails were painted black also. Raven held out her hand and Zin
shook it, receiving a small shock as he did.

            “Sorry...
I’m electro-kinetic.” Raven said in a very mild tone.

            “It’s okay,
I’ve dealt with worse.” Zin said rubbing his hand.

            “Well Zin, Nati
you’ve met the Crimson Knights... Back to work Knights!” Koji yelled. All nine
of the members retreated and returned back to what they were doing.

            “What are
they working on?” Zin asked.

            “Come on,
I’ll explain while I show you to your room.” Koji said. They both walked out of
the big astrology lab and back downstairs. “You see when Gron imprisoned your brothers;
he left his signature mark on each of them. This mark is the key to awakening
your brothers. There is a crystal; we’ve found out, that will release your
brothers when it is placed on the mark. We don’t know where it is yet, that’s
what they’re studying.”

            “Well once
they find out where it is, I must retrieve it.”

            “No Zin,
you’re going to be doing enough as it is. I’ll go get the crystal.”

            “I can’t
let you do that. This was my mistake, I must correct it. If you died from my
mistake, I would never be able to live with myself.”

            “Zin I said
I wouldn’t let you do this alone... I meant it.” Zin looked at him; he saw that
his face was serious. Knowing he couldn’t win this argument he gave up.

            “Fine...”
after Koji had shown Zin his room, they began walking back up to the lab to see
if they had progressed any. Along the way, Zin asked the question that had been
on his mind. “Hey Koji...” Koji turned and looked at him. “What’s the deal with
Dave and Gem... and Fred and Sean? Their ears are like yours, except they
aren’t dark skinned like a Nubian. And when Gem spoke those strange words...”
Koji cut him off.

            “They are
all Humans. They are like elves, but they usually are stronger than elves. This
is only physically, since they lack strong wills. They also do not have the
power of magic flowing through them. You’ve encountered them your entire life.
A Gerudo is a human, but they just have a darker complexion and that’s what
you’ve known your entire life.”

            “What about
you? If you’re a Human that why is your peoples’ will is so much stronger...
like ours? And how come Nubians and Gerudos can use magic?”

            “Nubians
have been through rough times showing from our background and our history. Our
will must be strong and stay strong. We aren’t so tempted by greed and possessions,
since we in our hearts know that there are things far greater out there. Since
we’ve been around elves for generations, we’ve adapted to your customs of
strong wills and the use of magic. And the language that Gem was speaking, it’s
called English.”

            “When did
they arrive here?”

            “Right
after the times of the Crimson Skies started. Gron destroyed most of what they
could call home, which was beginning to fall anyway. They fled in their ships
headed for the unknown. That’s when they came upon Hyrule and the rest of
Middle Earth. They promised they would help fight back Gron’s Empire if we’d
agree to let them abide in Hyrule as if it were their home... We agreed, seeing
no other alternative.”

            “I think
that’s clearer to me now... Thank you.”

            “No
problem, I’d figure when you’d get back you would have many questions, so I am
here to provide you with answers.”

            Well here’s
a question’s that’s been on my mind the entire time I’ve awaken. I don’t know
maybe I’m too afraid of the answer to ask.”

            “No go
ahead ask...”

            “Laurina...”
Koji’s jaw dropped. That was the question he dreaded.

            “That’s one
question that... I don’t know the answer to. The last time I have seen her was
when the wars were coming to a close. That was about three years ago. She had
come seeking you. But when you were nowhere to be found, Brad almost forced her
to retreat. They rode off in the blood red sky and... That was the last time I
had seen them. I fear the worst for her, but hope it’s not true.” Zin was now
on the verge of tears. His love, his only love vanished. He couldn’t, wouldn’t
believe that she was dead.

            “She can’t
be dead...” Zin said.

            “How could
you know?”

            “I don’t
know, but there is this feeling inside of me. Every time I fell her presence my
heart races. One look and I’m on fire... I still have that felling, but it’s
very faint. She’s alive, I know it.” The two then walked back up the stairs
into the lab again. Once they were acknowledge Herald called them.

            “Zin, Koji
come see this. We’ve found something.” Herald called looking down at a book in
front of his station. His station was a built-in panel located in the front of
the room right in front of the dome window. It was also situated next to his
large telescope. Zin and Koji ran over to him.

            “Where’s
Nati, she should see this...” Zin said looking around.

            “She’s over
there with Gem and Raven.” Herald pointed. “Wait look. The Obelisk Crystal is
the relic that we’ve been looking for. We’ve found out it’s held over in West
Hyrule which means...”

            “... The
Demon Lord has it under his surveillance.” Koji cut in.

            “Who’s the
Demon Lord?” Zin asked puzzled.

            “Zin have
you ever... wait you’ve never faced a demon.” Koji said.

            “On the
contrary... I have. A fire demon I believe.” Zin said.

            “What?”
Herald exclaimed. “Koji you were right! This guy must be the Hero of Time. Not
many see a fire demon and live to tell the tale. Did you defeat it or did you
flee?”

            “I had to fight
it, it was stopping me from my misread... ironic destiny.”

            “Well due
to the reckless ness of the demons, Gron threatened to destroy them. But the
Demon Lord pledged his alliance before this could happen, so Gron placed the
demons and their master on West Hyrule. They rule it with no mercy. It’s worse
than over here.” Koji explained. Just then everyone walked over to the panel
and looked down at the book. Everyone gave Koji their information on how to
defeat the Demon Lord. Afterward, they decided, Raven was going to use a most
powerful spell to teleport Zin and Koji there. The spell would render her weak
and helpless, but it was for the greater good. Zin and Koji hoped that they
would find means to return over the harsh seas once they had fulfilled the
task.

            “What time
is it?” Koji asked.

            “Judging
from the lighting...” Herald said as he looked into his gigantic telescope,
“It’s around dawn”

            “How do you
know? You can barely tell the difference. It still looks the same as when I got
here.” Zin explained.

            “Look Zin,
you’ll have to learn to live like this until your mission’s complete. It’s like
this all the time. The darkness will get to you at first and may even throw off
your sleeping pattern, but you’ll get use to it.” Herald said. “Didn’t you say
you wanted to see the island again?”

            “Yes...
please.” Herald then adjusted the telescope and let Zin look into it. Zin
hunched over and looked into the telescope. His eyes saw a distant island.
Lightning crashed upon as did many crumbled structures. The rough waves too
were seen all around the island. Zin couldn’t believe that West Hyrule had succumbed
to this destruction. Only one tall tower could be seen. “That must be were the
Demon Lord is...” Zin muttered to himself.

            “Well if
it’s almost dawn... Zin needs to eat, and then you and I need to get ready and
get some sleep. We leave early tomorrow morning.” Koji said as he stood up and
grabbed his staff.

            “It’s too
bad Ijanah couldn’t see this...” Herald said looking out of the dome up at the
shrouded darkness they called a sky.

            “Yeah... I
sure do miss her... alot.” Koji then began to walk down stairs and Zin
followed. They began to talk.

            “Who’s
Ijanah?” Zin asked.

            “She was
part of our team... but then things got difficult and well... let me start from
the beginning...” Koji trailed off He remembered that flashback so well...

            “No Koji!
I’m staying here!” Ijanah yelled.

            “Please.
It’s dangerous. You can die staying here...” Koji said.

            “What about
you?! You can die too.”

            “I have to
stay here, just in case something happens. I’m the captain of this team. You
can go and live a life where you don’t have to worry about death everyday.”

            “Koji...”
she whined.

            “What if
one day Gron just gives up and decides to destroy us?! I don’t want you here if
that ever happens.” Koji was on the verge of tears.

            “I’m not
afraid of death...” Ijanah whispered as she began to cry, “What I’m afraid of
is losing you.”

            “You’re
going. Tomorrow, I’m taking you to Asu Romonto.”

            “Why so
far?”

            “The
further away you are from here, the safer you’ll be.”

            “I thought
you loved Me.” she said as she crossed her arms and turned her back to him.

            “It’s
because I love you that I’m making you go. I can live with you not being here
with me, it will be hard, but I’ll live. What I can’t live with is you gone
forever... It would tear me apart.” Koji then hugged her. They hugged for a
long time and just stood there enjoying each other’s presence. “Don’t worry,
I’ll still come see you from time to time. And once Zin gets back...”

            “You still
think he’s going to save us?”

            “Yes, I put
all my faith in him.”

            “Then where
is he, where has he been?”

            “I don’t
know, but I know he’ll be here.”

            “Well I
hope you’re right.” They sat down on the bed, kissed each other goodnight and
fell asleep...

            “So no one
thought I was coming back?” Zin asked a bit surprised.

            “Nope. They
all thought you were dead.” Koji said.

            “Well it’s
nice to know that I have a supportive family...” Zin said sarcastically.

            “You’re
lucky to have family at all.”

            “Well from
what I hear they are nothing more than big chunks of stone now...” Zin trailed
off, “What happened to Ijanah? Where is she now?”

            “I took her
to the great city of Asu Romonto. Out of all of the overtaken cities, I have to
say that one is the best. It’s big, so your face isn’t really recognized there.
Plus it’s farther away, from most cities and Gronondorf’s wrath. I go there as
often as I can. I haven’t seen her in more than a year.”

            “Where is
Asu Romonto anyway?”

            “It’s to
the Northeast, past Death Mountain and among the Death Mountain Range. It lies
on top of one of the tallest mountains on the range, so if there are any
invaders, the city is greatly protected by its rough terrain. Well were going
to see her very soon...”

            “We? What
do you mean 'We'?”

            “The Temple
of Time is up there in that city, so you’ll meet her eventually. For now, we
need to get some sleep for the trip tomorrow... Good night Zin.”

            “Well...
it’s not really night anymore is it?” Zin said laughing.

            “Who can
tell anymore, it’s all the same to me.” Koji too was laughing. They walked in
their separate directions and prepared for the voyage tomorrow.

            “Okay we’re
ready Raven...” Koji said as he and Zin stood next to one another.

            “Alright
then... Good Bye Koji... Zin and Nati.” Raven said she then stood aside and
began chanting her spell. Zin and Koji stood in the middle of the circular room
and the rest of the team stood on the sidelines, watching. Raven chanted a
series of words over and again in a mysterious language. Then as she finished
her words, electricity began to flow throughout her body. Then it was soon
surrounding her entire body. Raven continued the spell. As she did, the orb of
lightning that surrounded her, transferred to Zin and Koji. There was a loud
crackling sound and they were gone.

            Zin got up
and saw Koji lying on the ground next to him. He went over and helped his friend
up after checking to see if Nati was okay. “Is this the place?” Zin asked
looking around. It was a wasteland. There were no trees, no buildings, just
rumble left and right. They stood on rumble as they spoke.

            “Yes, this
is the dreaded Demon Islet: Land of the Roaming Dead.” Koji said as he was
helped up.

            “How do you
know? I see nothing but debris...” Koji then turned Zin around. Zin looked over
the cliff they stood on and saw a tall black structure. It seemed to be some
sort of castle, whose base only became a pointed top as it reached high in the
sky. It completely dark, but the dark clouds seemed to part over the castle,
although it did not let sunlight shine down upon it. It was some bluish light
that shone down from in between the dark clouds, almost like moonlight. The two
began to walk toward their destination. Zin nearly tripped over the cliff on a
hidden rock. “Okay, this is getting to dangerous.” Zin held out his hand. style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>“Lux Lucis!” Zin said. As he did, his
hands began to illuminate, lighting the way a bit. Koji saw this and did the
same thing with his staff. The two again advanced. They found themselves on the
last cliff over looking the fortress. Koji had already begun to climb down, and
Nati followed. Zin however stay on the cliff and over looked it. He felt
something, he couldn’t name it, but he had felt it before. Beginning to grow
uneasy, Zin placed his shining hand on the hilt of his sword. He then felt a
warming sensation from behind. Something lied there, and it was getting ready
to strike. Zin drew his sword with lightning speed, just in time to block the
blow. Zin looked up at his adversary and looked into its menacing crimson eyes.
He was facing a Fire Demon. The gigantic fiend had Zin pinned to the ground,
holding his sword up to defend his from its threatening claws. It then let off
of Zin and sucked air in. Zin, seeing the outcome used this time to roll away
and draw his shield. Meanwhile the demon blew out fire at what it thought was
Zin, only to find a pile of rubble in its place. The slow fiend looked over and
saw Zin with his sword and shield drawn. The demon then charged at Zin who was
running out of options. Ultimately Zin simply held up his shield as he collided
with the ogre. He and the demon fell over the cliff and began to pummel toward
the ground.

            Koji, who
had nearly reached the ground, looked up to see what was taking Zin so long.
“Hey Zin! What’s the holdup?!” He called. Then as if to answer his question, he
saw a flash of green fall over the cliff, followed by a bundle of fire. Koji
looked more closely and saw that it was Zin and a Fire Demon. Koji jumped down
the rest of the cliff, while Nati followed him. Koji began to think, it would
be a matter of seconds before Zin was crushed into the ground. What could he
do?

            Zin looked
down and saw that he was getting ready to meet the ominous pile of rubble
below. He had to think of something, but it was getting difficult due to the intense
heat the demon produced. Zin then came up with an idea. He used all his
strength to turn himself slightly in midair until he could reach the side of
the cliff. Zin then kicked off the cliff, hoping it would work. As he kicked
off the cliff, he and demon began spinning in the air. Zin then suddenly felt
the ground. He moved around and found that he could get up. His plan had
worked. Zin jumped off the demon who cried out in pain. Zin then illuminated
his sword and struck the demon in the heart. Its body like last time began to
shine through its cracks, until it shattered into small shards of light. Zin
rejoiced in his newfound victory.

            “Yes... you
are better than I thought, but I don’t think you should celebrate just yet...
Look!” Koji said pointing it the direction of the hills to the west. There Zin,
Koji, and Nati saw what would seem like a dozen demons advancing toward them.
Zin and Koji prepared themselves for the worse. As the demons neared, Zin
looked a bit confused. “What?” Koji asked seeing the puzzlement on Zin’s face.

            “What are
those? I’ve seen the green one who shoots acid and the red one that shoots
fire, but what about that brown one with the lightning coming from its claws?”

            “That would
be a Lightning Demon. The one you fought is a Fire Demon, and the green one who
shoots acid and has blades for hands is an Acid Demon. Lightning Demons are the
fastest of the three, Acid Demons are the most deadly, and Fire Demons are the
strongest.” Zin simply stood there taking in all this new knowledge. Zin boost
the light of the sword to its full potential and held his indented Triforce
Shield. Then in the blink of an eye, lightning flashed right in front of Zin.
From the flash came a Lightning Demon who struck Zin with its lightning rods
that replaced its claws. Zin flew back, but before the demon could react, Koji
had already ran his staff of light through its heartless body. The demon fell
to the ground and breathed its last. Koji ran over to his fallen friend and
helped him up. “Are you alright?”

            “I’m
fine... just a bit blown back, that’s all.” Zin got and stood aside Koji.
“We’re going to fight all of them?”

            “That’s
what we came here for. Besides that’s half the fun.”

            “What?”

            “Kill the
wretched things.” Then the squad of demons found themselves in front of Zin,
Koji, and the sparkling ball of light, Nati. They attacked first, but both Zin
and Koji dodged the blows. Zin and Koji began to slaughter the fiend after a
while and soon there were only few left. Zin was no longer aside Koji, but he
was facing down a Lightning Demon. He was beginning to tire from the constant
dodging. The demon was too fast, and while Zin seemed to be tiring down, the
demon was still at full strength. Nati saw Zin in trouble and began to fly over
to help him. Meanwhile, as Zin dodged another attack he tripped on a rock. He
fell to the ground, still clutching the Master Sword in his hand. He held the
blade up to the demon and tried to ward his away, but to no prevail. The demon
held its claw up to attack, but before it could be accomplished, Zin felt the
ground beneath him begin to crack. The next thing Zin knew he was falling into
infinite darkness. And the ground he had fallen through began to close up. He
closed his eyes and feared the worse.

            Zin woke up
and found himself in some sort of shrine. Zin rose from the ground and reached
back. To his surprise, the sword was in his scabbard. He looked around and saw
that strange bluish light shining down on some stand in the middle of the room.
He walked over to it and felt the light. It seemed unnatural. He looked at the
stand and noticed a blue sapphire looking gem set on it. “Is this the Obelisk
Crystal?” Zin said as he tried to touch it. Then the crystal began to levitate
and flew over in the direction of the darkness. Zin drew his sword immediately
and looked over in that direction. In the next instance another window, shining
down the strange light opened. The light revealed a man sitting in a chair. He
held a curved sword and the crystal in his other hand. “Who are you?” Zin asked
backing away cautiously.

            “The one
whom you were sent to kill.” said the strange man. “Pathetic Elves... you’re
all so predictable.” he chuckled. Zin looked closely at him. He had long black
hair that was pulled back into a ponytail. His skin was ghastly white. He wore
what look like blue royalty clothing. He had strange markings on his forehead
and his hands looked more like claws. Zin gasped and backed away upon noticing
who it was. “What? Finally figured out who I am?”

            “Where are
Koji and Nati?” Zin gritted angrily through his teeth.

            “Ah... your
friends, they aren’t dead... yet.” He chuckled once again as he manifest a
crystal ball in front of Zin. There Zin saw Nati along side with Koji, as they
battled a group of demons.

            “No
Koji...” Zin immersed in anger chopped the crystal ball in half. He held his
sword in front of him. “I will slay you Lord of Demons.”

            “Is that a
challenge?” Zin nodded. “Foolish mortal... I accept.” Zin then tried to equip
his sword with light, but found that it failed him. Zin then looked at his
sword, and noticed it wasn’t the Master Sword. He held some other blade.

            “What have
you done with the Master Sword you monster?!”

            “I’ve done
nothing. It was all you. Does that beloved sword even belong in your hand... or
does belong to another? Let me test you to see if you really are the Hero of
Time.” He then lunged at Zin, who dodged. Zin struck him with his sword, but
found it no use. “Your foolish attempts don’t even scratch me. Accept your
fate!” He then lunged at Zin again, but missed. He showed his perilous claws
that were surrounded by the power of lightning and fire. He tried clawing Zin,
several times, but proved to be too slow.

            Zin was
beginning to tire, and doubted himself since he did not hold the Master Sword.
That instance the Demon Lord once again lunged, and this time pinned Zin to the
ground. Zin closed his eyes to receive his fate. Then he heard a voice inside
his head. It seems familiar, but still so lost to him. Like an old memory. style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>“Believe in yourself Zin... I do. You are
the true Hero of Time, embrace your destiny and you will receive the Master
Sword...” the voice faded away, as Zin recognized it. “Dad no... Dad come
back! Come back!” Zin was knocked out of his trance and was immersed back into
reality. He conjured up the courage in his heart and believed what his father
said as found himself pinned to the ground with a deadly claw above him. The
Demon Lord pulled his face closer to Zin’s.

            “Are you
afraid?” the Demon Lord asked, with a grin.

            “No.” Zin gritted
back.

            “You should
be.” just then the Demon Lord plunged his deathly claw into Zin’s face. Once
the dust has cleared he looked down at his prey to find only a ragged hole in
the spot where he had attacked. He got up and saw Zin standing a few feet away.
“Well, well, well... you’re better than I thought.”

            “You say I
should be afraid... would you care to prove that?” Zin said. He used the light
spell once again and now the blade glowed. Zin looked at the hilt of the blade
and saw that he once again held the Master Sword. He held it in front of him
once again and stared down his opponent. The Demon Lord lunged once again in
midair. This time however Zin ducked the blow. As he did, he slashed the sword
upward and pierced the Demon Lord’s flesh. The Demon Lord fell to the ground
behind him. As he got up he looked down and saw that his green blood was oozing
out of his stomach. The Demon Lord then held his claws up in the air and
swooshed them around. Zin heard something from above, and so he looked. He looked
up to the high ceiling and saw something crash through it. It was coming down
at a rapid speed and so Zin held his sword up, and absorbed it. The blade
fought the evil powers and as it did, Zin saw more of what the sword absorbed
crash through the ceiling. It was all in different spots now, and Zin
recognized it. He was crashing lightning bolt absorbed in fire to the ground.
Zin dodged multiple bolts, knowing that if he met one it would be his demise.
One was coming overhead, so Zin held up his shield to protect him. The power of
the electric was sent from the shield down his arm. He felt pain, but it wasn’t
as bad had he been hit with it full blast. The fire from the blot heated up the
shield, causing Zin to throw it down. Zin continued dodging his way over to the
detracted Demon Lord. Once he was within close range, safe enough from the
bolts, he began to attack. He slashed his sword several times at the Demon
Lord, and finally stabbed him in his heartless spot. The Demon Lord stopped in
his tracks, as did the blots of lighting and fire. Zin pulled the sword out and
jumped away. The Demon Lord looked at him.

            “If I am to
die, I’m bringing you to Hell with me!” The Demon Lord screamed as he made one
last attempt to lunge at Zin. He tried to boost his speed with the power of
Lightning, but was still too slow. However he held out two blades of fire, just
in case Zin wanted to dodge it again. Zin thought fast and did the unlikely.
Zin back flipped out of the way, and stood in front of the Demon Lord whose head
lied on the ground. Zin, with one soft motion, brought his sword above his head
and impaled it. The power of Light rushed through the Demon Lord’s body. His
body like the rest of his underlings, began to glow through the cracks, until
his body exploded and shattered into a millions of shards of light. The shards
fell to ground and as they did, a wind blew through the windows and holes in
the ceiling. The strong wind blew away the shards that seemed to leave through
every exit they could find. Zin looked to at the stand that held the crystal.
He picked it up and felt the power of it surge through his veins. Afterward Zin
walked through the newly opened door that lead outside. He had to find Koji and
Nati. He only hoped he wasn’t too late.

            Koji
successfully dodged yet another attack from the Electric Demon, but failed in
doing so with the Fire Demon. The powerful attack sent Koji to the ground. He
was getting bent up, and barely had any strength left. The group of demons
surrounded him. Koji simply sat there, and accepted his fate. Just then Nati
flew in front of the Fire Demon that was about to attack again. She had
distracted it for as long as she could until the Electric Demon jumped in the
way and shot her down with a bolt of lightning. Nati fell to the ground a few
feet away from Koji. The demon again lifted his claw to finish Koji. style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>Is this it for me? Was I meant to come only
this far? Is this my demise?  Koji
closed his eyes to accept the pain. But it never came. Koji opened one eye and
saw that the group of demons were no longer surrounding them. Koji got up and
walked over to Nati, who was unconscious and picked her up. Koji then walked
over the hill and saw waves of light travel across the terrain. “Yes! You did
it again Zin.” Koji said to himself. Now all he had to do was find Zin and a
way off of this island.

            Zin had
seen a figure in the distance, but he wasn’t sure if it was Koji, or another
demon. He didn’t see the small light that would have been Nati, so he figured
it was a demon. He ran up quietly and tried to attack from behind. His blow was
stopped by a staff. Zin immediately pulled back his sword upon finding it was
Koji. Koji turned around. “What’s wrong with you Zin?!” Koji screamed.

            “Sorry, I
thought you were a demon.” Zin explained.

            “Didn’t you
destroy the Demon Lord?”

            “Yeah...”

            “Then how
could you possibly think... Oh... Herald never told you.”

            “Never told
me what?”

            “Once the
Demon Lord is defeated, so are all his underlings... you’ve just destroyed
every demon in existence.”

            “I take it
that’s a good thing...”

            “Yes, a
very good thing.” Zin then looked down into Koji’s hands and saw a dim ball of
light.

            “Nati?”

            “Yep... she
was knocked out. If we get her back in time, she’ll be okay...” Zin could only
look at Koji.

            “You think
we could sail back?” Zin asked looking out towards the rough shore.

            “It’s
extremely dangerous, but it’s possible...”

            “Good.
Let’s go.” Zin and Koji began to walk toward the shore that welcomed the harsh
waves.