AN: Again, not explaining all of the Sand sea area just the Sand ship and Nayru's flame cause once the game's story is out of the way, I can focus on Ghirahim and Link's relationship.
As I exited the temple, I came face to face with the Water Dragon. She looked at my sword on my back and hummed. "Ah, the sword you carry is different since I last saw you. Yes, I see it is much improved.....To think, the goddess's chosen hero is but a mere boy. Quite a twist...." Yeah, it's even more of a twist when the goddess's chosen hero is fallen in love with the enemy that wishes to revive his king and destroy her and everything she's created. "Chosen hero or not, you do not yet possess the strength required to wield the full power of that blade. You must train yourself further! Devote yourself wholly to this task. Farewell, boy." She flew off again and I headed to the sky and headed towards Skyloft. I headed to the Bazaar, upgrading a few things, rearranging my storage a little and heading out.
I headed to the nearest ledge, diving off and calling for Ace before heading in the direction of the Thunderhead. Inside I made a beeline for the Isle of Songs and entering the tower, I walked to the crest and struck it as the goddess statue appeared and Fi spoke, telling me the message of the goddess. "He who seeks the sacred flames, listen well, for I guide you from my place at the edge of time. Two sacred flames remain. Should you desire to possess them, you must obtain the other sacred gifts. For each trial you overcome, you shall be blessed with another gift. Harness the power of these gifts, and let there be no doubt you shall find yourself standing before the majesty of the sacred flames. Now, I give you another melody. It will serve as a key to unlocking your next trial, which awaits you within the shifting sands of Lanayru Desert." I readied my harp as last time and listened to the melody as Fi flew about the room. "The song you just heard is called Nayru's Wisdom. Use this song of knowledge to find the next trial."
The goddess statue lowered again and Fi set the trial gate as a dowsing target as she did last time and I made my way out of the Isle of Songs and the Thunderhead, heading towards the yellow pillar of light. Diving down into Lanayru desert, I descended into the North Desert and Fi told as always to use my dowsing ability to search for the trial gate. I did so and pulled out my harp once I had found the gate, playing the melody of Nayru's Wisdom. As the trial gate revealed itself, I did as before in Faron Woods and thrusted my sword into the centre of the gate and entering the Silent Realm hoping that this would be easier than the first time.
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Nope! It gets harder, so much harder. Oh, my days! That's called testing my wisdom? At least testing my courage in the woods made sense! My heart is still racing from coming extremely close to waking water whilst pulling a cart forward to climb on to get a tear which I think is really jerkish placement I mean I get it's a test but there's tests and there being an asshole with placements of tears. I sighed heavily as I exited the Silent Realm, the Clawshots being my sacred gift this time around. Fi congratulated me for overcoming the trial and showed what the targets I could reach with my new Clawshots. I explored a little, testing them out in different parts of the desert before I headed back to Skyloft to catch up with things.
I headed to the bazaar and grabbed a stamina potion with objective in mind, I headed to the Knight academy and to Fledge's room. He was still doing his push-ups as I entered the room. "Oh....I'm sweating up a storm. Good evening, Link. I've been training hard ever since we last spoke, but I still feel so sluggish..... Maybe I've just run out of energy. Ah! Link, is that.... Is that a Stamina Potion you're carrying? Do you mind if I have some?" I smiled warmly and gladly handed the bottle to Fledge. "Whoo-hoo! That's the stuff! It's like a refreshing splash of ENERGY! ....Sometimes I worry, though. All this training, and no results! How long do I need to train before I start to get stronger? What do you think, Link? How many push-ups do you think I need to get strong?" I shook my head. "Its not about the numbers." "It's not about numbers? .....Of course! You mean I should just keep at it until I've forgotten how many I've done, right? I guess that makes sense. Now that I know that, I'll definitely start getting stronger!" Come back soon so you can see how I'm getting on!"
I smiled and exited Fledge's room and the academy. My next objective was to go back to the Lanayru Desert, back to the mines. Now that I have the Clawshots I could explore a lot more of the desert than before, I descended into the West Desert and made my way through a Clawshot area and into a part of the mines I hadn't been to yet. It was more a cave area and there was a Goron standing there trying to clear a boulder that was in the way of something but there was another exit I could take and after a while I managed to get into an entirely new area that was massive.
Fi popped out to inform me about the new area. "A report, Master. This is Lanayru Sand Sea. This whole area was once a vast ocean. But the water has all evaporated, and now the area is sea of sand. Signs indicate that this place functional as a part, linking the land to the sea. This area operated on a new form of power. There is a 90% probability that the sacred flame is located ahead. I recommend exploring this sand sea." I did so and it was a pretty empty area, very barren but of course it was a desert sea of sand. I met a robot pirate called Skipper who said he was the protector of Nayru's flame so I told him my situation and he said he would help me to Nayru's flame if I helped him find his ship and his crew.
After searching most of the sand sea and Skipper's retreat, we found the Sand Ship and it was massive like wow. As usual with Lanayru Desert it had to be shifted in and out of past and present with Timeshift Stones, I searched loads of the Sand Ship finding different pathways. I found myself fighting some skeleton pirate that had clearly taken over the ship and locked away Skipper's crew. After I made the skeleton robot 'walk the plank' if you will I found a chest that had a bow and arrows with a quiver. This is exactly what I've been needing, I mean my slingshot is great but I could use a further ranged weapon with a kick to it. Fi informed me of the of course and told me I could shoot the button to make the time shift stone at the top of the deck appear. So I change it into the past and present that was much like in the Temple. And the ship regained life as the past took place, Technoblins were all over the place, guarding the ship and not in a good way.
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I managed to free Skipper's crew and they gave me the key to the captain's quarters, which had to have either the way to the sacred flame or the sacred flame's chamber itself. I found myself in a large room with beemos which I destroyed and that large white chest with the red gem revealed itself and I found a squid-shaped statue studded with weird suction cups. Fi popped out as usual. "Master, I conjecture room mentioned by the crew. I suggest you make your way to the control room." I nodded and headed below deck to the control room, the large door the squid carving slotted into opened loudly and I walked in. The room was omiously dark, all of a sudden large tentacles came bursting out of the floor, I readied my sword for an attack but the tentacles subsided and I quickly run down the corridor to see the tentacles coming from the side blocking my way.
"A report, Master. Judging by their size, these tentacles belong to a monster of considerable size. The current situation is difficult to determine with complete accuracy, but signs indicate that this ship is under attack. If we do nothing, there is an 80% chance the ship will capsize. I recommend forcing it back with sacred power, then exiting to further access the current situation." Fi faded back into the sword and I used my Skyward Strike to get rid of the tentacles and made my way out onto the deck as the lower parts of the ship started to fill with water. Out on the deck, the ship shook and the tentacles surrounded me, I drew my sword and shield and water surrounded the area as a massive monster with a large glowing orange eye shot out of the water.
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That fight was slow, too slow and a joke at that. At least if it was a hard fight, it would have felt a bit less like a joke but it was much more agonizing slow with an easy fight. It was probably the easiest thing I've done to a sacred flame. I was standing on a symboled platform that flowed and the same pot that Farore's flame was in rose up. I struck the crest with my Skyward Strike as glowed and spun around. A bright blue flame alit, as I held my sword up, Fi popped out absorbing the flame as before. I looked up at Fi shot into the air with the flame before coming crashing down and I had to dodge out of the way before I held up my sword once more and the flame flew into my sword and absorbed itself in it. I held my sword up skyward as it bathed in the blue glow of the flame as it transformed into a better and stronger version of itself. I gasped as I felt that tingle I did when I obtained Farore's flame, I looked at the back of my hand and saw the three glowing triangles again but now two of the triangles were glowing.
Fi popped out as I put my hand down. "With your sword enhanced, you can learn a new melody. I recommend we return to the Isle of Songs." She flew back into the sword. Skipper thanked me as I got back to him at the dock after obtaining the flame. I made my way to the nearest bird statue and took to the sky, aboard Ace I flew to the Isle of Songs.
Inside I struck the crest once again, the ground started to shake. I gasped as the platform I was standing on start to rise from the ground and the Goddess statue was below me this time. Fi popped out in front of me as I gulped slightly from the height I was standing on. "Master Link, I have important information. When you struck the crest with a Skyward Strike from your sword. A message from the goddess awakened deep within my memory. The goddess intended this message for you, Master. These are her words. He who seeks the sacred flames, listen well, for I am the one guiding you from my place at the edge of time.
The last of the sacred flames still eludes you. To obtain it, you must claim another sacred gift. For each trial you overcome, you shall be blessed with another gift. Make use of the power of these gifts and you will most certainly find the path to the sacred flames. Now, I bestow unto you another melody. Let it serve as a key to unlocking your final trial. It awaits you upon Eldin Volcano."
I readied my harp as Fi and the goddess Statue played out the melody as Fi flew about the room. "According to my records, that song you just heard is called Din's Power. Use this song of might to locate the last trial." The platform lowered itself back to the ground as Fi continued telling me I can use dowsing once again to locate the gate of the final trial.