Kingdom of Power, of Courage, and of Wisdom

Rebel's War - Shadow vs Power

"But you lost yours... in the process."

"I'm not done with him," Ganondorf said firmly. "Here. You two need it more than me." He reached out to take her hand, but she recoiled away. "Relax, it shouldn't hurt you. The fire hasn't burned anything. Maybe because it uses other sources of power than my usual one. I... I'm actually not angry for once."

To prove his point, Ganondorf tightly grabbed some wood next to them. He removed his hand, and there was no burn mark. Having proven his point, he reached for Zelda's hand again, but still she recoiled.

"No," She whispered.

"Zelda..." He growled. "Now you're being difficult, and are going to aggravate me. I like not being aggravated. Its new to me. Don't do that."

"No, I mean... give it to him. He's dying."

Ganondorf looked at Link. She was right; he was dying. But then, so was she, only much slower.

"Yes, but so are you. You're the heir. He isn't."

Zelda gulped. Something passed through her eyes that he couldn't distinguish. "Please."

He sighed. "Fine, then let's compromise."

He took Link's hand and closed his eyes. He remembered how it felt when the enemy ripped the mark from him. It wasn't much to go on, but he knew if he, as a dumb demon, had pulled back two marks, then he should be able to give one now.

A mark flared onto Link's hand, and the boy suddenly gasped for breath. The other two let out a breath. Seeing Link was okay, Ganondorf took Zelda's hand. A third time she recoiled, but he grabbed her hand anyways.

"No! You'll lose control!" Zelda cried.

She tried to resist and pull away, but Ganondorf ignored her and pushed her mark back in. She gasped as it was restored. The mark revived her color and returned her strength, but it left Ganondorf feeling empty.

He violently recoiled and fell on his face. His arms and legs seemed to disappear and reappear, and he looked to see black smoke falling from where his hands should be.

"Shut up," Ganondorf hissed.

He struggled to gain control of himself. He could feel it: a hunger. He felt a deep hunger to become whole, become true, and become solid and great. Yet this need was denied to him. He felt the need's source in his opposite hand and saw the Pentagon glow.

It was as expected. He knew giving Zelda back Wisdom would leave him with this, and he knew he would have to wrestle it for control. But still, the fierce need was a surprise. No one could prepare themselves for becoming a creature of shadow and no longer being truly solid. They would always face this crippling hunger for substance that the world around them rejected to give.

Ganondorf wondered if he was dying. It was possible; it wasn't beyond his expectations. But if he was going to die, this need would die with him, fighting tooth and nail for control before then.

Ganondorf managed to solidify enough of his body to stand. He was much thinner, with skin more akin to smoke stretched over a bony frame. He bore skeletal wings that spread wide, long arms that ended in claws, and feet that jointed unnaturally. He felt incredibly sharp teeth in his mouth and a gullet that could easily stretch several times its size. His hair was as black as the night around them, and his eyes were completely hollow.

He glanced at himself in a reflection before abruptly flying out the door. There were no words he knew that could describe the horror he had become.

Ganondorf found flying as a creature of the Twilight to be remarkably easy and swift. The world around him looked remarkably different, too. What was once black was now grey, and there was a mist over everything. That which wasn't black was remarkably bright to him. The brightest thing he could see was the man who stood atop the Twilight dragon. The Fae who flew around in battle also glowed, but looking at the one who was marked was like looking into the sun. It was a sun that drew him in with hunger, promising something shiny to eat.