Now that Ganon had been defeated, the Guardians within the castle no longer bothered to attack Zelda and Link as they raced back into the Sanctum at the very top. The massive hole in the center remained from when the hero faced Calamity Ganon and waiting on the other side was Fi, still in her human form. By her feet was Ghirahim back in his normal state, but the duo couldn't tell whether he was dead or alive.
"Master, come quickly," she called out to him.
Link and Zelda ran around the pit before them and made it over to the two sword spirits. The princess watched as Link knelt beside the demon, clutching his hand tightly as a spark of fear came from his eyes.
"Ghirahim!" the hero cried. "Ghirahim, please, wake up!"
Fi looked down at Link kneeling beside the demon. "Master, Ghirahim is still very much alive. There is no need to worry."
The blond glanced up at the sword spirit, blinking away the small tears that threatened to escape his eyes, with his mouth agape.
"He... He's alive?"
Fi nodded. "Yes. However, the malice had absorbed much of his energy, and when Ganon was defeated the malice took that energy away as it disappeared and replaced it with the Calamity's. I predict only a 10% chance of him surviving this..."
"O-Only ten pe-percent?" Zelda gasped, her hand flying to her mouth in shock. "But... But how? He's a demon. Surely he could survive dark magic!"
"I'm afraid this is not just dark magic, Your Grace," the sword spirit sighed. "This is pure and unadulterated evil that is consuming him. Remember that Ganon has abandoned his human life and form, and so his energy has changed with him. Eons of lack of exposure to darkness have made Ghirahim vulnerable. He is more Hylian than demon at this point in time."
"Her Grace's influence on his form has taken over. He knew it was a bad idea to let her turn him into a sword spirit, but he went through with it anyway. What a fool," Fi thought to herself.
Link stared at Ghirahim's pained face as Fi explained the situation. He could see the man was suffering. Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead as his jaw was clenched, his lips retracting to show his gritting fangs. His breathing was uneven and ragged. His body felt cold, different from his normal temperature, but he was sure the demon was dying of heat.
And he definitely noticed the small, black cracks that consumed Ghirahim's abdomen and forearms, and it seemed they were slowly extending to the rest of his body.
The hero looked back at his sword spirit with pleading eyes.
"Fi, is there any way we could save him?"
"Yes," she replied. "But it will be a long journey, and I am afraid there is not much time-"
"I don't care what it takes!" the hero exclaimed. "I just... I just want him to be safe. Even if I have to fight Ganon all over again!"
Fi was a little taken back by her master's sudden shout. Yet, she couldn't help but smile to herself internally. He wasn't that different from the other Link, and at the same time, they were total opposites.
The Hero of the Sky, much like this Link, was young and inexperienced in battle. At least in the beginning. Eventually, they both grew as both people and as warriors with help of their courage deep inside of them. They were both kind to their companions, were willing to sacrifice so much for them, and manage to befriend even the most unlikely of people. Yet, this Link...
He wasn't like the other in that he was willing to move on from the past. She recalled how the first pleaded and begged almost every night for things to go back to normal throughout their journey. For everything to return to the way it was before he discovered his destiny, but reluctnatly endured it nonetheless. This Link affirmed what happened to him, knew full well he couldn't change a thing, and was more than happy to adapt.
They accepted their sufferings, but this Link was willing to forget who he was before and accept who he was now. It was no wonder Ghirahim made a move this time.
"Very well, Master. In order to save Ghirahim, we would have to take him to the three springs across Hyrule where Her Grace had trained to defeat Ganon. We would have to place him beneath the waters and pray to the gods. He would receive their blessing, but..."
Fi went silent for a moment, causing Link and Zelda to exchange a glance before turning back to the spirit.
"But...?" Zelda pushed.
"But... It would, unfortunately, make him mortal, as the ritual would turn him into a full Hylian, and no Hylian is allowed to live on for eternity."
"I'll do it!" Link suddenly shouted, not even allowing Fi's words to register in his mind. If it meant Ghirahim would live, he was willing to do anything.
"Link, are you sure about this?" Zelda asked him.
The hero looked over at the princess, his blue eyes bearing hesitation in them, but as he looked back to the nearly dying demon in his arms his confidence skyrocketed.
"I've never been more sure of anything in my life," he replied, his voice low and determined.
Zelda gave no response. She simply nodded at the hero and then looked to Fi. The spirit nodded back to her and turned to her master.
"Then let us be on our way."
Ω
Ghirahim felt weak. Ghirahim felt cold. Ghirahim felt nothing but a mixture of pain and an unbearable numbness coursing through him. He was barely conscious as he faintly heard people speaking around him, but he was too exhausted to put a face to the voices.
He simply laid in the cold darkness that surrounded him. He couldn't remember much of the fight between his body and Fi. All he knew was that the spirit's attacks hurt like a bitch, even after all these years.
The demon couldn't help but laugh at this. To think she still managed to succeed in her missions without the help of the hero. It was almost amusing at this moment were it not for him clearly dying.
Ghirahim wasn't sure how long he had been like this after he sensed Ganon's presence fade from this world. Hours? Days? Even months, perhaps? Time seemed to go by so slowly, yet so quickly all at the same time.
It wasn't until a few moments later that Ghirahim could feel some of his strength coming back to him, though it was only a little bit. The demon had somehow gained enough energy to at least roll over to look up at the now cracked mirror in front of him. Doing so with a groan of pain, the demon saw patches of the mirror return, and with each shard there came a white glow.
Ghirahim tried to get up to get closer so he could examine it properly, but as he made his attempt to pick himself off the ground he only managed to fall back with a heavy thud. This time he cried out as his body crashed to the floor.
"Fuck," he hissed.
Ghirahim let out a sigh at this. Now he was trapped in this position yet again.
The demon laid on the floor in silence once more, ignoring the second time his body gained more energy and the mirror gaining more pieces that shone in his face. The voices speaking were a little more clear, though, and he could recognize only one of them: Link.
He didn't know what the hero was doing, but he was sure the blond was trying to save him. At least he hoped that was the case.
Ghirahim gazed up at the mirror sometime later, noticing the last pieces fitting in, creating the full mirror once more. He also felt way more energy inside of him. Daring to move, he took his arms and attempted to push himself off the ground.
This time he had succeeded, and the demon used this new strength to walk over to the mirror. As he came closer, he could hear a voice whisper to him from the other side.
"Ghirahim..." it called out. "Ghirahim..."
Something drew the demon closer to the mirror, and without even thinking he started to walk into the light until he had completely disappeared from the darkness...
____________________
Pretty sure the next chapter is gonna be hella short since there isn't really much to say. It's just a lot of fluff and tears I guess.
Anyway, just two more updates to go guys. It's been a long ride, and I've enjoyed every bit of it with you all, but all good things must come to an end...
See you soon.