28: Power

Those who did not know the danger of wielding power would, before long, be ruled by it.

An ancient people, in their quest to save a doomed kingdom, had fashioned themselves to be its saviors, only to become its ruin. Ikana was now a forgotten kingdom full of undeath, a sanctuary for only the foulest agents of darkness to snatch and claw at each other, all the while festering and rotting endlessly. 

And so those ancient ones had fled to Hyrule, joining their brethren there in their march alongside the goddess, Hylia. When Hylia had sent her chosen people skyward, the Sheikah had named their cousins from another world the “Sheikari.” Yet, for countless ages, there would be no need for a formal distinction between the tribes. 

That was before Hylia had sacrificed her divine form to become a mortal, and the Triforce had returned to the surface. 

The six Sheikari perched atop the stone pillars had thought they might reclaim their chance at sovereignty. Yet, even in their sound victory, the holy relic had eluded their grasp, but they would not allow such a blunder to occur again. That was why Zelda had no time to waste. 

Closing her eyes, she imagined a gourd filled with her very essence. She tipped the gourd over, allowing herself to spill and spread in every possible direction to find the last Triforce fragment.

Kokiri Forest, Zora’s Domain, Goron City, she scanned every part of the kingdom she could envision but could find no trace of it, her brow furrowing in frustration. She’d been able to detect the locations of the other two triangles the moment they’d been separated. Why couldn’t she sense the third?

However, if she couldn’t sense them, then neither could the Sheikari. She could still use that to their advantage.

“Link…” she whispered, placing a hand on his shoulder but keeping her eyes closed as she continued her search. “The one who mocks your appearance calls himself Adelora. He has the Triforce of Power. I will do my best to locate the Triforce of Wisdom, but I fear that once I discover it he will go after it. We must survive until I can find it and bring it to us.”

Link nodded, drawing his sword, while Zelda slowly opened her eyes, confident she could continue scouring the land even while engaged in combat, and brandished her kodachi, intending to use it one last time. Link gave her an approving smile before turning his attention back to the Sheikari. 

Adelora glared down at them from his post, yet there was no hint of the instability and madness Zelda knew lurked just beyond the surface. In fact, this was the most solid his form had ever looked now that he was no longer housing the other five entities within him. 

That was why Zelda didn’t dare so much as relax her shoulders. For, at that moment, when Adelora finally leaped from his perch, soaring after them with speed a hawk would readily envy, she’d known she would only have seconds to react, parrying and casting aside one of the other Sheikari who joined his descent. 

As if on instinct, Zelda and Link dashed in opposite directions, splitting their assailants into two groups. Link wasted no time dispatching his foes as he had before, but his opponents continued to rise back up, their strength entirely renewed. 

So, Zelda sprinted along the border of the arena, intending to keep the Sheikari as far away from the Sages as possible and only engage them when she needed to slow them down. All the while, she still couldn’t pinpoint the last triangle’s location.

Link bellowed out in pain, and Zelda turned to see him clutching his arm. He’d been struck already, and she felt every muscle in her body tense in response. She started to run towards him, but he motioned her away just as he’d done before. 

She would grant that request one last time, clenching her fists to stave off her frustration. Where was the last Triforce fragment? Why was it hiding itself from her?

She managed to fend off another wave of attacks when Link cried out once more, one hand now clutching his face where Adelora had managed to slash him across his eye. An injury like that would likely render it completely useless now. No! He couldn’t keep fighting them alone!

“Link!” Zelda raced to his side, dispatching the other Sheikari that barred her way, though she knew it may only delay the inevitable. She managed to get between Link and Adelora, deflecting his strike with enough force to create a manageable distance between them. 

Adelora moved to take a step but froze in place. Zelda blinked, confused at the sight, as the other Sheikari followed suit, still as statues before their forms became encased in a dazzling web of pulsating glimmers.

Zelda turned to see the Ancient Sages, who had gathered and joined hands, chanting softly as the Sheikari were lifted into the air, shrieking and burning away before them. Zelda sighed with relief as she knelt down beside Link, who was still clutching his face.

“I will not leave your side,” she assured him. He raised his head and finally lowered his hand, all but confirming he’d indeed lost the eye, now replaced by a jagged, red scar. Yet, he reacted as if he didn’t notice it at all, simply nodding with an expression of gratitude. 

“Do you not tire of this dance you have prolonged?”

Zelda spun around at the sound of Adelora’s voice. The other ghouls still hissed and shrieked in pain, but he remained still while hovering before them. He sheathed his sword before shooting his hand forward, and the Ancient Sages let out a chorus of horrible screams as their bodies disintegrated, reduced to ash within seconds.

“No!” Zelda screamed as she called upon Din, weaving the air with her hands as a massive globe of fire grew between them that she immediately launched at her adversaries. However, as with her fight with Ganondorf, the flames would never reach them, dissipating after only flying a few feet from Zelda’s fingertips. 

Adelora sneered as he prepared to descend, the other Sheikari becoming solid once more, their blades at the ready. Zelda heard Link move to stand and placed a hand on his shoulder, pushing him back down. 

“I will face them,” she shook her head without looking at him. “You have fought enough.”

“You know their shame, yet you continue to fight to save this kingdom, this nest of abominations!” Adelora hissed.

“I will destroy you!” Zelda spun around to face him, her words overflowing with anger and loathing that she refused to contain anymore. “You’ve done nothing but bring ruin and destruction to my kingdom, to my people! That is all you are made to do!”

At this, Adelora snarled and flew at her, while the other Sheikari remained motionless. Yet, no part of Zelda’s body stirred in response, her sword stretched out as far as she could manage. Adelora was soon inches from her face when Impa’s voice sounded in her mind.

“You must use what I have taught you about moving through the shadows!”

Adelora’s blade phased through her as though she were an illusion, and Zelda spun in place, pulling Adelora into her body and casting him back out. Sand billowed all around him as he plunged face first into the sand, sliding a few feet before launching himself back into the air, shrieking in frustration. 

Yes, it was one of the very foundational techniques of the Sheikah clan, to become one with the shadows, though Zelda hadn’t been entirely sure the technique, combined with her magic, would work. 

She darted away from Link as the other Sheikari swooped in, their efforts yielding identical results. Satisfied she’d lured them far enough away, she seized her opportunity, pulling what little power was left from the Sacred Realm. 

“Ancient Sages!” she called out. “Here me, your Princess of Destiny! You will rise again! And with renewed strength, we will save Hyrule from destruction!”

Six pillars of light rose from where the Ancient Sages had once stood, new figures emerging and taking on ethereal, ghost-like forms, now only echoes of who they once were. These Sages were now faceless with a mask that hovered in front of each of their heads, while their hands floated before them, disconnected from their bodies. They raised their arms, and all of the Sheikari were once again bound in the air, wailing and convulsing as Zelda made her way to the Mirror of Twilight.

“It ends now,” Zelda’s voice held little passion now as she marched toward an outcome she’d never wanted. If only it hadn’t come to this, if she could have stopped Ganondorf before the Sheikari had grown too strong…

The mirror stirred at her call, the glyphs blinking in and out of sight just as she’d seen in the mask salesman’s vision before spinning in place, casting their images on the monolith. The portal opened, and the Sheikari, realizing what was happening, began to howl and weep, begging for her to be merciful. 

There were many parts of Zelda that knew none of them deserved mercy. Left unchecked, they would have certainly destroyed all of Hyrule. She had seen it all for herself. 

Yet, as her eyes fell to the ground, she began to think of the shadows of Hyrule’s past, the kingdom full of lies, greed, and bloodshed that had created the very apparitions before her. What of the Sheikari, adults and children together, who had been kneeled in prayer at the Temple of Hylia just moments before they had been slaughtered indiscriminately by their brethren?

What of those original Six Sages, misguided as they may have been, who had only wanted to keep the Triforce away from those who would have made Hyrule an identical twin of Ikana, cursed with an unending war that transcended death?

What of the man whose only crime had been that he could see the truth, whose death had been so gruesome and inhumane his shade, fueled by vengeance and fury, had to be sealed at the bottom of a well? Impa had been right. Their sin was far greater than anyone could have ever imagined, and Zelda found she could no longer follow in her father’s footsteps. 

“No. You have earned your vengeance.”

The Mirror of Twilight dimmed, dismissing the glyphs and the portal from the monolith. Adelora paused, and the other Sheikari’s expressions were identical, their crimson eyes clouded by confusion. Zelda motioned for the Ancient Sages to free them from the spell, and they reluctantly complied. 

“I, too, am consumed by vengeance,” Zelda gazed up at her adversaries, surprised that she felt no fear at leaving herself so open for an attack. “An evil king subjugated my people and defiled my kingdom. I wanted nothing more than to destroy him just as I wanted to destroy you, to eradicate his evil from existence. At first, I couldn’t understand why you took on the appearance of the Hero of Time, but I understand now. It is to remind me of what is possible, of what our hubris can lead to.”

She began walking towards the Sheikari, who had returned to the ground, their expressions unreadable. Yet, Zelda could assume that Adelora was at least curious as to why she’d spared them.

“But I am more than vengeance,” Zelda threw her kodachi into the sand. “I am you, the Sheikari, the Sheikah, the Gorons, Zora, Kokiri. I am Hyrule’s light, and I am also its shame. That is my burden as its princess and eventual ruler, but you will know that I will wear that shame. I will answer for it, as we all must, but I will not allow this kingdom to be burned away, taking more innocent lives with it.”

“Lies!” Adelora spat. “You are nothing but a spawn of Hylia, as treacherous as the vermin she sent skyward, as the attendants she left behind!”

Zelda slowly shook her head, assured that, even with all his venom, Adelora wasn’t as convinced anymore. “My father wanted to banish all darkness from Hyrule, and that became our undoing. Shadow and Light are two sides of the same coin. One cannot exist without the other.”

She reached out to Adelora and was shocked to see her hand was glowing. She hadn’t called on any of the Golden Goddesses and had released the spell to activate the Mirror of Twilight. Was this the Sages’ doing?

As the light began to settle, that was when she saw it clearly, the symbol of the Triforce of Wisdom etched into the back of her hand. She gasped, much too audibly for her liking, and Adelora immediately caught on to what was happening. 

“You!” he snarled as the other Sheikari swirled around him. “So, then, they are gathered at last!”

He raised his own hand, the Triforce of Power emanating softly. Yet, as he moved to unsheath his sword, the symbol began to fade away before disappearing completely. He studied the spot where the symbol had been in disbelief, and the other Sheikari, finally accepting they stood no chance, drifted back down to the sands.

And they began to kneel before Zelda.

“This cannot be…” Adelora whispered as Zelda closed the distance between them. He startled at her touch, a hand gently cupping the side of his face, as she lifted his head so that their eyes met. 

When he looked up, he was no longer Dark Link, a mockery of the Hero of Time. He was a young man, bronze skin set against a wiry frame, with impossibly long silver hair tied up in an elaborate bun. Zelda was certain those crimson eyes could see right through her, to places beyond the most brilliant human’s comprehension. 

“You have earned your vengeance,” Zelda repeated. “And my kingdom has earned its destruction in return, but I would ask you to allow me to rebuild it on the foundation of truth instead of bloodshed, of honor instead of depravity.”

There was something there in Adelora’s eyes, more than just sorrow and pain, but it was something Zelda wouldn’t understand today and perhaps many more days to follow. Adelora paused before reaching up to place his hand upon Zelda’s, leaning into and sighing. “Perhaps you will not be discouraged.”

Zelda allowed herself a small, sad smile as Adelora joined the others in kneeling before her, unsure if it was a victorious gesture or an odious one.

“One day, our people will meet again,” she declared, acknowledging their fealty. “At that time, my descendant will pay a significant price to ensure the prosperity of your banished brethren. This, I promise you.”

She’d thought Adelora would say something more, but he simply nodded. That was when Zelda noticed the black, ash-like flakes rising from their forms, evaporating into the dry desert air. They lowered their heads, sets of crimson eyes simultaneously vanishing from view, as they continued to dissolve.

Soon, all Zelda could make out was the top of Adelora’s torso, and he finally looked back up at her. Yet, she still couldn’t make out what expression those eyes that would haunt her for the rest of her days held. They were the last things she saw before he disappeared once and for all. 

The Ancient Sages soared to their respective places atop the stone pillars, clapping their disembodied hands in almost-silent celebration. Zelda let out a sigh of relief as she finally allowed herself to relax, the Triforce mark still glowing on her hand.

“Light cannot be without shadow. Yes, it seems you remembered my lesson well, princess.”

A guttural scream suddenly sounded from nearby, and she turned around to see Link huddled over the sand, the tip of a black sword running through his chest. He struggled to get up, but the blade was holding him in place as his Triforce symbol began to fade away just like Adelora’s. Standing over him…pushing the sword even farther into his back…

The Gerudo King looked up at her with a sadistic grin, yanking his sword free as Link’s lifeless body fell to the ground. Zelda’s eyes widened in shock and horror as she realized what had just happened, falling to her knees as the arena filled with her cries of anguish. Yet Ganondorf merely smiled as he whipped his sword to the side, flicking Link’s blood into the sand.

“And now the cycle is complete.”