Chapter 34Darkness Within
Link scrambled to dry land, the mask falling from his face and clattering onto the polished stones. His skin burned where his gills had been, fiery tendrils of pain shooting along his neck. He clenched his teeth, trying to jump, but his legs wouldn't hold him. Instead, he grasped the nearest wall of the dimly lit cave, its detail lost to him as the world tilted and spun.
Gross. I must have swallowed some of the lake water.
The rancid taste in his mouth was almost enough to make him retch.
Catching his breath, Link glanced around at the interior of the dimly lit cave. Two spheres of flickering light hovered on either side of the doorway, casting a blue glow upon the arcane runes and carvings etched into the cavern walls.
He turned to the doorway, which lay beyond an alcove inside the stone jaws of an eel-like creature. Two tiny fins protruded from behind the creature's mouth, and there was a frill around the beast's neck, its small sapphire eyes watching the temple entrance in an endless vigil. On closer inspection, Link realised there were specks of blood trailing towards the eel's mouth, only a small amount, but it was still enough to send a chill through his body that had nothing to do with the icy lake.
Ruto?
Whoever it was, their injuries must have been minor, judging by the small size of the stains.
I better find her quickly, Link thought.
The entire plan to retrieve the medallion from the temple had been a disaster. As far as he knew, the remaining Zora were scattered. They should have been right behind him, or at least close behind, but a persistent voice in his head told him he couldn't wait, even though it would mean traversing the temple without a guide.
I probably have as much chance of finding Ruto as the Zora do, Link concluded, since there was no way to know exactly where Dark Link had taken her. If he found her first, Link was sure he could stop anyone from being harmed.
Alone it is, then. Link pressed forward, unable to ignore the growing unease in the pit of his stomach. He hadn't seen the morpha. Had it beaten him to the temple? Was the source of its strange powers in here, too, just like Volvagia's crystal?
Ruto first, Link reminded himself. He'd deal with the morpha later if he didn't end up running straight into it.
The chamber beyond the cave had once been beautiful, opening into a cavernous hall lit by more of the blue spheres. Now, it was a bloodbath. Zoran soldiers lay scattered about the edges of the room. One lay slumped against the nearest wall, a hand clutching at four deep gouges across its abdomen. Its eyes stared blankly at nothing.
Link swallowed back a surge of nausea. The once-bright mural along one wall that sparkled with a dozen shades of gold and blue was now stained with a splatter of crimson. To Link's right, another Zora had a gaping hole in its side, the edges of the wound ragged and torn.
This wasn't the work of his doppelgänger. This was something else.
A third Zora reached out towards a spear he would never grasp, its tip stained a sickly green. The same viscous liquid splattered the floor nearby. Ruto's warning of creatures in the temple came back to him. What sort of monsters were these creatures if they could do this?
Gulping, Link's gaze darted around the room.
Still alone.
But not for long, he wagered, taking a better look at the room. A pool of water dominated the interior, its basin paved with a dazzling display of coloured stones that formed a mural. Tiered steps led down to the pool, and at one end, water gushed from the mouth of a beast carved from stone.
Four doorways awaited Link—four choices and perhaps even fewer chances. Though he did not know which would lead to Ruto, Link took the first one on the right. Though he knew Ruto would not approve, he used his sword to mark his passage. He was careful not to damage any of the reliefs along the walls, knowing that doing so might upset Zora.
He stepped onto a wooden bridge that ran over a pool of water. Ramps extended down into a basin where statues lined the walkways. Each figure resembled some aquatic creature with ghoulish faces, all of them seated within an alcove, all with small stone benches upon which rested an array of offerings from glittering rupees to jewellery.
Link didn't spare more than a momentary glance at the statues, for there was more blood on the bridge, with green splotches leading straight towards a door at the far end of the room. At least one of the monstrosities lurking in the temple was injured.
One less to deal with, Link hoped, unsheathing his sword to be on the safe side. He immediately noticed the glowing gemstone in his hilt, which sent his heart racing. Did that mean Dark Link was close or was something nearby?
Pushing open the gilded double doors in front of him, Link froze at the threshold. Green blood stained the cold blue stones, pooling around the corpse of a serpentine creature. Its sinuous body vaguely resembled a two-legged dragon, but the tusks protruding from either side of its mouth and its arms ending in long webbed fingers set it apart. Its muscular arms and long claws bespoke a terrible strength, more than capable of causing the carnage Link had seen.
What sort of abomination is it? Link wondered. Was it even native to Hyrule? It vaguely resembled the creatures that formed one of the temple's many murals.
Link continued, reaching a chamber featuring a series of five obelisks jutting out of a pool of water, their surface decorated with runes. Benches lined the borders of the room, suggesting this was a place for prayer and reflection. Link walked on, and as he approached the edge of the passage, he noticed a strange slurping sound on the edge of his hearing. Something else caught his attention, too—an all-too-familiar stench that made his gut turn to ice.
Blood.
The stench grew heavier as he approached the door. Link gripped his sword tightly and shoved open the heavy frame to reveal a grisly sight.
Just feet away lay another dead Zora, abdomen torn open, innards spilling onto the floor. The creature, still hunched over its gruesome feast, ignored him at first. Tensing, Link took a cautious step...then another.
The wet, ripping sound ceased abruptly. Link stumbled to a halt, sword wavering in his hand.
His chance was gone.
With impossible speed, the creature spun to regard Link with its large black eyes. A heartbeat later, it sprang towards him like a snapping serpent.
Having expected the creature to be slow and clumsy on land, Link barely responded in time. He let the beast's claws scrape against his shield, his sword slicing in a moment later to slice through the monster's arm. The creature hissed and wriggled back out of range of Link's thrust, his momentum drawing him closer to the creature, a mistake that nearly proved fatal.
The creature opened its mouth before Link knew what was happening, a spray of green mist spraying forth. Having witnessed similar behaviour from a Deku Scrub, Link instinctively let the noxious liquid strike his shield. Even then, a tiny drop struck him just below the eye. White-hot pain flared across his cheek, and Link staggered back, resisting the urge to drop his shield and wipe away the venom.
Sensing an advantage, the serpentine beast followed Link, raising its head to spit again. Not wanting to be sprayed with the nasty toxin again, Link leapt back, dropped his sword and quickly seized Fire, willing its power into his veins. Fire burst in front of him as if from a dragon's maw, engulfing the monster in a flaming pyre.
The monster stumbled forward, screeching and clawing the air with its remaining arm. Braving the blistering inferno, Link lunged, ramming his sword deep into its belly, cutting off the creature's death rattle.
Only then did the full horror sink in as Link stumbled back from the corpse. He tripped over the Zora's remains, landing hard beside the devastated body.
The sight, the smell... The monster's burning flesh. It all became too much.
His stomach heaved. He scrambled away, breath ragged. Memories of a burning city flickered into his mind.
Eyes stinging, Link braced against the altar that adorned the fall wall, trying to calm his breathing.
"Have to find Ruto," he choked, still struggling to breathe normally. There was no time to rest. No time to wait. Ruto and the other Zora were depending on him.
Entering the next room through a side passage, Link arrived in a hall divided into two tiers. Two dead Zora lay at the foot of the stairs leading up to the upper level, alongside three of the strange serpentine monsters.
The muffled sounds of someone yelling caught his attention, and Link quickly ran up the small flight of steps to the upper tier. Here, at the far end of the room, was a Zora statue seated cross-legged before a shallow pool of water. It sat upon a bench richly decorated with carvings and symbols that Link did not recognise. The statue seemed to gaze down at the figure lying before it on the bench—a figure in tattered robes.
Ruto lay bound and gagged and seemed more angry than frightened.
"Ruto!" Link stepped towards her, relieved to see she was still as vocal as ever, which meant her wounds weren't serious. Either that, or she was doing a fine job pretending she was fine.
Link didn't make it far before common sense took hold. He looked around the room for any danger. Ruto was still trying to speak, but he couldn't understand her words. He picked up the word idiot- albeit muffled- when she tried emphasising every syllable.
"Ruto," Link said, hurrying towards her, a little puzzled by her anger. "Hang on."
Ruto abruptly stopped struggling, her eyes widening with a chilling fear. Link whirled, sword raised, but the room remained still. Empty.
"What?" he breathed, then–
"I knew you would come." Dark Link's voice echoed, seemingly from the air itself. He stepped out from behind the pillar with an almost mocking swagger. "You are so predictable," he sneered. "Of course, it helps when I am you."
Dark Link smirked, "You are wrong, Hero of Time. The darkness inside of you sustains me, and as long as it exists, so will I, but you're right, we are different. You walked right into my trap without a second thought, whereas I would never let myself be fooled by something so... obvious."
Link ground his teeth at the demon's mocking tone, watching warily as it stepped slowly closer, completely at ease. Link wanted to use the Fire Medallion there and then, but he wasn't sure how long he could wield it without succumbing to its debilitating effects. The doppelgänger circled him, stepping in close, regarding him. Its sinister smile was gone, replaced by a controlled, cold malice and an unflinching stare that made Link want to look away.
Dark Link tilted his head from side to side, measuring Link like a predator waiting to pounce. "Tell me, Hero of Time, why do you fight? Is it for a princess who fled her kingdom the moment it fell? A princess who cannot protect her own people?"
Link circled, trying to block out the words while finding an opening to slip his sword through. His attempts were hopeless; Dark Link deflected every thrust and jab with effortless ease, amusement flickering in his glowing red eyes.
"Do you fight for your Goddesses?" Dark Link asked. "Did you know they will destroy Hyrule? They will drown their people under the waves! Do you think they are benevolent? Do you think they even care about your world? It is but a star in the sky to them- one world amongst countless others. Hyrule will fall!"
Link did not reply, not believing for a moment that the Goddesses would do such a thing. It made no sense! Why would they do that after putting him- not to mention everyone else- through so much pain? No, the demon was trying to distract him. Link knew he couldn't let that happen; any misstep now, any mistake, and that black blade would slice through his throat.
Dark Link became dissatisfied with his silence. "You are weary, Hero of Time, I can see it in your eyes." The title dripped with mockery, setting Link's teeth on edge. "So many have died, placed in harm's way because of you. You led Ganondorf to the Triforce. You doomed your world. You are no hero. Do you think those Sheikah care about you? You are but a piece in their war against Ganondorf. A puppet pulled on strings by a puppeteer. And those Goddesses you so blindly serve? You are their tool, an instrument of their will to be broken and discarded."
Link drove his sword forward, desperately trying to ignore Dark Link's comments, but each one was like a knife burrowing into flesh. His memories were like old wounds. With Dark Link's every word, they bled anew. Link recognised those words. They were an echo of his own bitter thoughts, but that didn't lessen their sting.
The beast inside Link stirred, sniffing in anticipation as the tempest grew.
Focus, shut it out. Link reminded himself, trying to maintain his stance.
The candle flame in Link's mind flickered, buffeted by the shadow's words, and the Master Sword shook as rage filled his core.
Anger might help you, Forenz had told him once. But it will make you reckless.
Dark Link was unsatisfied by Link's silence, annoyance creeping into his mocking tone. "What do you think will happen if you defeat Ganondorf? Hyrule's monarch might give you a nice parade and lots of wealth. A title perhaps? Or will you be sent to live the rest of your days alone? An unsung hero, forgotten by time. Lost forever, with only the shadows and the terrors of the night as your constant companions. Is that what you want?"
Each word continued to bore into Link's mind like tiny poisoned barbs. Sweat beaded down Link's forehead and he tried desperately to concentrate, trying to remember how to counter the demon's every step.
Don't rise, don't rise.
Link's mind was screaming at him to lash out. He wished Navi were with him. She could have distracted him.
Seeing that its efforts were working, Dark Link smiled. It was an unpleasant grin, twisted and triumphant. "All your life you have lived a lie. You were told you were a Kokiri, but you were abandoned by your parents, a helpless babe left in the woods to die from the elements. Don't you see? Your parents meant to kill you."
He was lying. Link's mother had been trying to save him from those who would do him harm. Saria had said as much. He tried to remember the words they exchanged the last time they met in the Sacred Realm.
A faint ghost of a smile painted Saria's face, teary eyes sparkling with life. "Despite her wounds, all your mother cared about was that you were safe. She loved you, Link, and so do I."
Doppelgänger and hero, light and shadow, their swords clashed in a clamour of steel. With a quick dash to the side, Link brought his shield up. Dark Link's obsidian blade scraped along the surface of the sturdy frame. Link's movements became fluid, almost instinctive as he stepped from one movement to another. Onward he pressed, trying to force Dark Link towards a pillar. Anything to put Dark Link on the defensive and cause him to stumble. Link looked for something that might give him an upper hand. He knew he would tire long before Dark Link would.
Can he even tire? Link wondered. It wasn't an encouraging thought.
"Jasper, Mido, the Great Deku Tree, Saria. You saw them die. You failed them," Dark Link hissed, eyes glittering madly.
I have to end this.
Link tried to channel the elements with a desperate surge of willpower, but the Flow eluded him – a slippery, desperate thing.
No. Why couldn't he reach it?
"Jasper, Mido, Saria..."
"SHUT UP!" Link roared. His fury broke free, blinding and reckless. He lunged, hacking and slashing as his heart pounded a wild rhythm. Sweat stung his eyes, and each blow jarred his aching arm as it connected with the shadow's blade.
It took only one mistake. One reckless strike left him open. A sliver of awareness screamed a warning, but it was too late. Dark Link's sword sliced through him, a line of white-hot agony across his belly, and then, the demon's shield slammed into his face, knocking him backward.
The world tilted and spun. Link didn't remember falling, but there he was, sprawled on the cold stone, sword clattering away. Dark Link's black blade flashed down, and Link rolled, barely in time. The impact of the blow on his shield jarred him to the bone, pain slicing through the wound in his side.
Link tried to reach for his sword, but the demon kicked it out of reach, head cocked in amusement.
"Your friend was right. Anger makes you reckless," Dark Link observed mildly. "But then, you were never a good listener were you?"
Vaguely, he could hear Ruto screaming. It was a strange, muffled wail. Link tried to scramble to the pillar just behind him, intending to use it for support. Dark Link watched him reach for his sword and struck him across the face. Spots danced across Link's vision. His head connected with cold stone and blinding agony exploded across his face. Grunting in pain, Link pushed himself into a sitting position, nausea and dizziness almost overwhelming him.
Dark Link regarded Link and then cast an irritated look over his shoulder at Ruto. "Silence Zora! It will be your turn soon enough, and I will not be kind."
Dark Link raised his blade one more time. "Courage alone won't save you, Hero of Time. You are impulsive, reckless, emotional, and chaotic. Hardly traits to inspire. Hardly the traits of a so-called hero. They will be your undoing."
There was a sudden CLINK followed by a squelching thud. Dark Link's eyes went wide, one hand reaching for the metal barb of a spear-like weapon that was protruding through his chest.
"And this will be your undoing."
With a loud click, the chain retracted, and the spearhead was wrenched out of Dark Link's chest. The demon slumped, falling sideways, revealing Link's rescuer behind him.
"Finally! I thought he'd never shut up," said a Zora from beyond Link's vision. It sounded like Grop.
"Link? You're hurt," Link recognized another voice through the haze clouding his vision. Though most of her features were hidden behind a helm, he could see the worry in her eyes.
"Lutara-" he rasped, looking up. The weapon the Zora was holding was an odd polished blue cylindrical contraption made of metal, a barbed spear-like end poking out of the front of it. Link had never seen such an unusual instrument.
"It's not dead," Link moaned, struggling to speak, tasting blood in his mouth. Both Zora stepped forward to help him.
Lutara frowned, re-aiming her weapon. With a faint hiss and a click, the mechanism that stopped the weapon from firing prematurely disengaged, and Lutara kept it level with Dark Link's heart. Something made her eyes widen in disbelief, and Link quickly saw what it was.
The wound in Dark Link's chest was closing, knitting shut even as he watched. Link struggled to pull himself to his feet, not noticing the Zora behind him as they freed Ruto from her bonds. Dark Link's eyes opened and looked up at him, red eyes aflame, an odd sound rising from its throat.
Dark Link was laughing.
Link's head exploded in sickening pain. It was like his head had been split in two. The Zora who had come to his aid cried out in horror and backed away.
"What happened to his eyes?" Lutara asked, appearing suddenly uncertain. In her shock, she didn't fire her weapon. "They're red!"
Link didn't answer her; the pain in his skull was unbearable. A cry of agony seared Link's throat, and all he wanted was for his torment to end.
Please, Goddesses, let it end!
The pain was beyond endurance.
Dark Link was laughing. Then a voice broke through the pain, profound and foreboding.
"KILL THEM!"
Link clasped his hands to his temples, realising with sudden terror that there was another presence in his mind. This was not the gentle melding with Volvagia or the Deku Tree. This was something else.
Dark Link was trying to take over his mind.
He could sense the demon's rage, a scalding torrent in his veins. And beneath it, a chilling certainty that all he had to do to end the pain was to give in. Give in, and it would all be over.
"No!" Link thought back, as Dark Link's thoughts filled his mind.
"KILL THEM ALL!" the demon screamed.
Link's hands were raised towards the Zora, fire licking at his fingertips. What am I doing? He wanted to scream, but the words wouldn't come. He fought, but his body no longer felt fully his own.
"What's wrong with him?" Lutara gasped.
"He's possessed!" Grop shouted. "Kill him – it's the only way!"
"No!" Ruto's voice cut through the chaos. "Step away from him, Grop!"
Dark Link's laughter echoed in Link's skull. "Give in, boy. This destiny is not yours to bear... you're pathetic!"
"My Queen, that thing will kill us all!" Grop argued.
No, Ruto. Link wanted to yell, but he could not find the words through the pain. Grop is right. I am a danger to all of you. Zelda can find another way. She would have to. At any moment, he would unleash a torrent of fire upon the very ones he was trying to help.
"KILL THEM!"
No. I won't harm them. Link screamed back. Fire coursed through his veins, its power invigorating him, flooding him. He turned his attention to Ruto, raising his hands higher, the demon's presence growing stronger and stronger. He wanted to lash out, but at what? The Zora? The demon told him to do just that. All he had to do was kill them, and all this would end. No more pain. Yes. Kill them, and it would all be over.
But I don't want to... Link thought, his voice but a tiny soul lost in a storm. It was the voice of a child. A child lost in the forest. Alone. So very alone. I don't like hurting things, not unless I have to. Saria says it's wrong... I didn't want to be a hunter. Not at first. The Great Deku Tree insisted on it.
Memories came and went as Link desperately tried to fight for control, but all he could think of was the pain.
"Link, it's me, Ruto! You can fight this, Link! Fight it!" Ruto's voice was surprisingly calm, but he could hear an edge of fear in those words. "This isn't you!"
At the same time, one of the Zora jumped in between Ruto and Link, their spear level with his chest. They looked uncertain. Terrified even.
Ruto meanwhile glared at Link's doppelganger, hands on her hips, eyes full of outrage. "Can't you do anything to stop that thing?" she demanded of the others.
"Not while they are melded, your majesty. I fear it will kill them both," Lutara said. "Trying to break it by knocking either of them out might not be a good idea. He is at the mercy of whatever that demon is."
"DESTROY THEM!" the demon beckoned. "Or would you sooner be a slave to destiny and the machinations of time? I can stop it, but you must OBEY ME!"
"I say we kill him if he so much as unleashes a spark," Grop suggested.
"No," Ruto snarled, "Did you not hear me the first time?"
"My Queen, there must be another way without the boy," Grop argued. "He knows it."
Link squeezed his eyes shut as Dark Link screamed at him to obey. The pain was beyond anything he had endured, beyond imagining. He tried to cling to a memory, tried to force himself to retreat from the pain, but he didn't know how.
Saria. Help me. It hurts so much.
If he died, he would never see Saria or Navi again. He would fail them.
No.
Flames danced on his fingertips.
A faint light caught his attention. The Master Sword's amber gem glowing brighter and brighter, warning them of the present danger. Seeing the blade sent a small jolt through Link, and he grasped Light, letting the element fill him. The pain intensified. Light fought against dark, fought against Dark Link's presence in his mind.
I have to live.
Images flashed through Link's mind. Visions of the suffering he had seen caused by Ganondorf. The refugees, the Gorons, the Kokiri, and the Zora. All who called Hyrule home suffered under Ganondorf's rule. He lost count of how many times he saw Mido, Jasper, Saria, and Zelda die. As more twisted perversions of his memories swept by, consciousness threatened to fail him.
Saria let go, and Link felt pain lance through his heart, afraid he might lose her again. It seemed a foul twist of fate that they would soon part ways after their lives had been so cruelly drawn apart. He was looking into her eyes, wondering why it had to be that way, why he had to be the Hero of Time.
"Why me Saria?" he asked.
"Because it could be no one else. The Goddesses chose you because they knew you could do it. I believe you can. The only person you need to convince is yourself."
Another memory of Saria and himself in the Sacred Realm.
I am the Hero of Time, he thought.
He could not let Dark Link beat him. He had to fight. He had to stop Ganondorf.
This has to end.
Link drew more Light until he was sure it would be dangerous to consume much more.
I am the Hero of Time, he repeated, screaming in defiance at the creature trying to destroy him.
Another prickling pain was burning on Link's left hand, and he was aware of a new power surging through him. It felt almost peaceful compared to the raging tempest that was Fire. He looked down at the gauntlet on his left hand and saw a symbol illuminating its surface. It was the Triforce, one of the triangles glowing more intensely than the rest.
Odd. He was certain that had never happened before.
Then everything went cold, and he left the Water Temple behind.
An endless plain of water stretched out before him, silvery mist swirling slowly above its surface. Above, there was nothing but a grey moody sky. Link stood there, blinking in confusion. Aware that his wounds no longer troubled him, he looked down to find he was wearing his Kokiri garbs and carrying nothing save the Master Sword and his shield.
He was standing ankle-deep in cold water, the ground beneath made of solid stone. Turning his attention to his surroundings, Link spotted a tall dark shape ahead of him, looming tall from the mist that clung to the water.
Stepping closer and unnerved that he could hear nothing but the sloshing water that splashed beneath his boots, Link soon realised what he was looking at. A blackened tree stood in the centre of a small island, its bony limbs burnt, twisted, and barren. Something about it felt wrong.
What is this place? Link wondered, stepping onto the island. If this was the Sacred Realm, it was a version far removed from what he had seen so far.
A sudden sense that he was being watched alerted Link to the imminent danger. Something caught him, spun him around, and in a rapid motion grabbed his throat and thrust him against the dead tree. A cold hand clenched against his windpipe, choking him in its iron grip. Red eyes stared unblinkingly into his own as Dark Link slowly dug his fingers into the flesh of Link's throat.
The Triforce mark on Link's hand was glowing, and Dark Link looked down at it in surprise, his eyes widening in disbelief.
"Impossible!" The demon sounded afraid, but Link couldn't work out why.
There was a blur of motion, and what Link perceived to be a ball of brightly coloured fur crashed straight into Dark Link with a frenzied snarl. Link slammed into the earth, tumbling straight into the shallows of the icy lake. If it was even a lake.
Link climbed to his knees, clutching his neck, and gasping for breath. He looked up to see what had attacked his doppelganger, hardly aware of how cold the water was.
Dark Link's attacker was a wolf. Not the kind of wolf that often accompanied Saria but one with bright golden-yellow fur. A forest spirit perhaps? No, Link had seen them, and this looked nothing like one of them. What would it even be doing in this place?
Dark Link screamed, holding his arms over his face as the wolf pinned him to the ground. In a swift motion, it knocked his arms aside and snapped its teeth into his neck. With a single shake of its head, the wolf snapped the demon's neck. Dark Link's screams were cut short, and all that was left were the loud, angry growls of the wolf as it made sure its quarry was dead. Apparently satisfied with its kill, the wolf looked up and turned its head toward Link. As the golden eyes fell upon him, Link felt a strange sense of familiarity. He knew the creature but could not say how or why. The wolf perked its ears up, regarding Link with a look of intense curiosity.
Link knew a wolf's cues well enough to know when it intended to attack or if it was wary. The wolf gave no such signs, looking at Link as though it were greeting an old packmate. He got up and stepped back onto the island, unable to quite shake off the intense feeling of wrongness that pervaded the air. The wolf trotted toward him until its wet nose nearly touched him.
"Well met, chosen of Farore."
Link gasped, sure that the wolf had just spoken in his mind.
"Who... are you?" he asked.
"I am a spirit bound to the Triforce of Courage, a being created by the merging of one's consciousness with the Triforce. Your sword was made the same way. When the Demon King touched the Triforce, his lust for power caused it to split, and the Triforce became a part of you."
Link did not recall Rauru mentioning this. Now his mind was completely numb.
"How come I've never seen you before?" he asked.
"Because you had not awakened the Triforce of Courage, nor could you until you accepted that you are Farore's chosen- The Hero of Time."
The wolf stepped forward, and he could hear its breath, its golden eyes searching his own.
"To become the Hero of Time, you must conquer your fear. You fear the darkness within you, the voice that tells you to doubt yourself and whispers nameless fears into your mind. That same darkness took hold when you believed a dear friend of yours was dead. You must conquer it. Do that, hold onto the light within you, and you can stop the ones who threaten your world. Believe in yourself and in your strengths."
The Triforce symbol on his hand was glowing again, prickling uncomfortably as the wolf stared at it. Then it took a step forward as Link watched in confusion.
"How do I do that?" he asked, wishing the spirit, or whatever it was, would speak more plainly.
"You already have what you need. You just need to use it. Go, The Triforce of Courage will protect you. You need not fear being possessed again."
With that, the wolf nipped him, Link cried out in shock, drawing his arm away.
"Ouch," he exclaimed. "What was that for?"
"To remind you of who you are."
Link didn't understand, but he inspected his arm, noting the red puncture marks on his skin. Then, the wolf rose onto its back legs, placing its paws on his chest. Its muzzle was mere inches from his face.
"Be warned, the spirit within the Triforce of Power was tainted by one of the Ancients. When the three pieces are reunited, the balance between light and shadow will be restored. Until then, your world will not know peace. Go. I will be with you until your task is done."
The vision faded, and Link felt the cold touch of the Water Temple's tiled floor return. Muffled voices sounded from around him, confusing and muddled.
"Is he alive?" one voice asked.
"Yes," came a reply. "I'm not sure what that thing did to him. He just collapsed like he was having a fit. I thought he was dead for sure."
That thing? Did they mean his shadow?
Was it still alive? Link opened his eyes. He reached for his sword so that he could leverage himself upright.
"Easy, Link," came Ruto's soothing voice from beside him. Somebody pushed her away, much to her irritation, and three spears swung level with his chest.
"Is it you?" Grop asked.
"For goodness sake, Grop. Do those eyes look red to you?" Ruto asked.
"Well, they are not glowing anymore, my queen," Lutara said. "That's a start... I hope."
Link wasn't sure what they were talking about. His attention was focused solely on the creature beside him. Dark Link lay listless, seemingly dead.
Then the demon's fingers twitched, mere inches away from its blade, and the Zora cursed. The demon leapt up with frightening speed, flicking one spear aside, and avoiding Lutara's attempt to skewer it.
Link had seen his doppelgänger twitch before it jumped, and this time, he was ready.
Mustering what little strength remained, he lunged for his sword, gripped it tightly, and slammed the blade straight into the demon's chest.