Chapter Text
Link steps into the Sanctum in Hyrule Castle, as prepared as he thinks he can be. Master Sword thrumming with energy in his hand, Hylian Shield strapped to his arm. He has plenty of arrows of all types in his quiver, and most importantly, all four of the Champion’s abilities, parts of their souls always emitting a slight warmth in his chest.
Link briefly considers how once Calamity Ganon is defeated, there is a good chance their abilities will be lost, and their souls finally appeased. He forcefully knocks the thought out of his brain, there will be plenty of time to grieve his friends after the most important battle in who knows how long. Right now, there are more pressing matters. Like how there is now a Golden light coming out of the pulsing Malice heart stuck to the ceiling, and Zelda’s voice, sounding closer to him than it ever has, coming from it.
…Link… Link! I’m sorry, but my power isn’t strong enough. I can’t hold him…
As she says these words, a laser pierces through the heart and shoots in all directions, swirling around Link like it’s a deadly version of Revali’s Gale. As the heart pops open, and Calamity Ganon crashes to the floor - no through the floor - a wave of Malice gets shot out of the Sanctum’s tall glass windows.
Calamity Ganon and Link fall down, and down, into a dark and seemingly endless hole, until they’re in a dome-shaped room. Link recognizes the Sheikah constellation designs that are common within shrines, but here they are a sickly Malice Red. Calamity Ganon crashes into the floor and is stunned for a moment. It is a fall that will almost certainly kill Link before he can even fight the Scourge of Hyrule Castle. He quickly pulls out his paraglider and sweeps gracefully onto the floor, where Ganon is bumbling around looking like an idiot before he raises onto two of his insect-like legs and lets out a threatening screech.
Flashes of each of the Champions and faint sounds of their yells echo in Link’s ears as a light as bright as the moon shoots down the hole and rains onto Calamity Ganon. Link grins viciously to himself as Ganon falls once again to the floor with the force of the beam and screeches in pain. Though the Calamity may be the most formidable beast any person alive can imagine, it cannot conceal its pain, which means when it rises again and roars, Link can easily hear the half-desperate rage in its cry. Link is not scared, he pulls out his sword again and watches out of the corner of his eye as it lights up a blinding blue, though his gaze never leaves Ganon. He grits his teeth and charges forward, filled with ferocity and determination.
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Impa knows when Link’s fight against Calamity Ganon begins. The air becomes thick and smells acidic and evil . Though that’s hard to describe. She is certain others feel it too, or at least they can see the blood-red sky and the specks of Malice floating in the air like it's a Blood Moon, despite it being barely past midday.
She believes it to merely be that Ganon is free and fighting Link, when Dorian rushes into her home. Though she does not particularly care for formalities, Dorian is not one to charge full speed to… anywhere, unless his two daughters are concerned. He bows his head slightly, “Lady Impa, I am not too sure what has happened, but it can’t be good, do you feel it too?”
Impa takes a deep breath and says, “Yes, I believe it means Master Link is fighting Calamity Ganon.”
“Right. Yes. Makes sense. Only… we have a horde of travellers coming from Wetland and Riverside Stables, saying the Guardians are rampaging. Well, more than they were before. The old, seemingly broken ones are back alive and they are hunting down anyone they can find, apparently they seem to know where people are.”
Impa sits up a little straighter. “Very well…” she thinks for a moment before calling out for Paya, who comes rushing down the stairs looking worried. Always too paranoid, Impa thinks.
“Paya, will you help situate and calm incoming travellers, I’m sure others in the village would be willing to help.”
Paya nods, does not ask a question, and darts out of the front door.
“Did the Guardians follow them?” Impa asks, she knows it would be near impossible for the Guardians to reach Kakariko Village, the only ways of entry into the village are walkways in between the Pillars of Levia that are surely far too narrow for the Guardians sprawling legs, but she was not about to take any risks. Dorian looks taken aback for a second, “Can’t be sure. I’m sorry,”
“Bah,” She brushes off the apology “Could you and Cado check, help anyone who needs it, but don’t go too far out of the village.”
“But, Lady Impa, what about you?”
“I will stay here, I’m sure I will be perfectly fine. I will not be able to lead Kakariko Village if there is no village left.”
Dorian nods and leaves Impa’s house. It seems eerily silent after the sudden bustle of activity, and even then there is usually Paya milling around upstairs. Impa longs to help, or at least see, the commotion she knows is going on outside, but she is far too old for frequent movement now. She closes her eyes in resignation, praying to Hylia that not many will be hurt.
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Link is surrounded by Golden Light that can only be Zelda. He knows the feeling from being transported out of the Divine Beasts, and yet, he still has to marvel slightly at the feeling of his weight being lifted, and moved through any obstacle until he gets to his destination. This time, it seems to be the middle of Hyrule Field. He watches as the swarm of Malice that had just retreated from the Castle coalesces into a massive beast, far bigger than the flying monstrosity that circled aimlessly around the Castle’s towers.
Ganon… Ganon… Ganon!
Link shudders at the familiarity of Zelda’s words, but her voice is filled with rage and loss, and the name she repeats until she is heard is not his own, but the very thing that got all of them into this mess. He wonders if Ganon can hear her now - if it had heard every time she spoke to him.
Ganon was born out of a dark past. Zelda continues, He is a pure embodiment of the ancient evil that is reborn time and time again…
The ground shakes with the Dark Beast’s steps.
He has given up on reincarnation, and assumed his pure enraged form.
Surely… Surely that means once this fight is over, Ganon is gone for good… right?
If set free upon our world the destruction will be unlike anything ever seen before. I entrust you with the Bow of Light - a powerful weapon in the face of evil.
This Bow of Light seems to come from the sky, it glows the same gold Zelda always does. Link cautiously takes it from its invisible pedestal, it is comfortable in his hands, like it was made for him. It probably was. If only Revali knew that to destroy Calamity Ganon once and for all, Link had to use a bow. Surely he would’ve been far more hostile towards him. Link can’t help but chuckle at the thought of the outraged Rito.
Link… you may not yet be at a point where you have fully recovered your power or all your memories… But courage need not be remembered, for it is never forgotten.
Link mounts his horse, not bothering to question how she got there until after the beast was slain, and rides towards the Beast… before realising he actually has no idea how to kill this thing, and jeers off to the side before he is hit with the Malice Fire spewing out of its mouth.
That energy covering Ganon’s body is called Malice. None of your attacks will get through as he now is…
Usually, when faced with malice, Link looks for a giant eye. Or when there isn’t one, changes route entirely. Here though, neither of those are an option.
I will hold the Malice back as much as I can, but my power is waning. Attack any glowing points that you see. May you be victorious.
Thank Hylia for Zelda. She seems to know exactly what to do, and since she’s had 100 years to plan this attack, she probably does. Link urges Epona to move as quickly as possible, but even then, Dark Beast Ganon makes sure to keep its eyes trained on Link, and does not let him pass to face its side as Link hoped, at least not for long before it turns to face Link once again.
Go! And true to her word, there are now giant golden targets dotted along its body. Each arrow shoots exactly where he aims it, which makes this a little easier. They go on like this for a while, with Link shooting Ganon until Zelda’s power weakens, and then he dodges the Beast’s attacks and bumbling footsteps until Zelda once again calls out to him, and he starts all over again. The last of the targets is directly under the Beast, on its stomach. Link forces Zelda’s words into his head again, Courage need not be remembered, and he releases his arrow, for it is never forgotten.
As Link is urging his Epona faster and faster, trying to get out from under Ganon, she panics and bucks him off, running towards the nearby forest. No time to get her now. He tells himself, though he desperately wants to. He owes that horse every apple in Hyrule. He sprints as fast as he can, and when he gets out he’s surrounded by burning. Burning grass, burning trees, the burning pink Malice flames of the Dark Beast.
Link! Look up there!
It’s the eye.
That is the core of Ganon’s being. Do what you must, Link!
He needs no instruction anymore, he recalls shooting every Malice Eye on the Divine Beasts, around Akkala Tower, within Hyrule Castle. This one is exactly the same… only massive. The energies of Mipha and Daruk lay dormant in his chest. One too many close calls and their energy is spent. Urbosa’s power is fully replenished again but is useless against the Dark Beast. Revali however… he feels just enough energy to propel him up one last time, and the height of the Gale will give Link a far better angle to aim. Though he probably could do it even with the feeble breezes of the burning grass, he feels this death will be all the more satisfying if he is not the only Champion there to see it. Link crouches quickly before the Beast knows what he’s doing, following each practised motion until there is a gust of wind carrying him into the sky.
Despite himself, Link takes a moment of hesitation as time slows down to appreciate the beauty of the Dark Beast’s glowing pink Malice contrasting with the golden arrow strung in the Bow of Light, and then, Now, Link! he releases it.
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Reede was not exactly expecting the stampede of Guardians swarming into his village from the west. Despite being the chief of Hateno Village, he did not, unfortunately, have a plan for when all of the Guardians in Blatchery Plain somehow awoke and charged into the village on what he thought was a regular afternoon. He didn’t think he would need a plan for this kind of thing, so instead he runs helplessly through his home, and ushers people into any building, sending some up the hill to the Ancient Tech Lab, hoping that the Guardians aren’t wise enough to open doors.
He watches through the window of his home as lasers get aimed at anything that moves, from Restless Crickets to his neighbours, and friends. He is suddenly struck by a thought, one single word: Clavia.
Reede had not seen his wife since that morning when she set off to the General Store. He thought she probably had gone to the Dock, as usual, but now… he doesn’t know where she is. His daughter, Karin, is clinging to his leg, looking quite alarmed but miraculously isn’t crying, instead her eyes are fixed on the rows of injured people now lined along the wall. Reede absent-mindedly rests his hand on Karin’s head, ruffling her hair slightly, but he keeps his eyes locked outside, where a woman is running up along the path towards the stairs leading up to the house. It’s Clavia.
“Karin, stay here, find Azu or someone…” He mutters as he detaches himself from the girl, “I’ll be right back, don’t worry.”
As Reede steps outside, the air smells rancid. He sees all of the progress he thought they had made after the Calamity, the farms he had spent his whole life tending to, quite literally, on fire. The small fields he can see from outside his door are smoking so much it makes him cough a little, and he tugs his shirt up over his mouth.
“Clavia!” He yells, she is still closer to the Dock than she is to home. Reede can tell she is waiting for an opening, but the smoke makes the Guardians hard to see. Reede can only hope the smoke blocks them from seeing her. Clavia’s eyes snap to Reede, and she takes a deep breath as if to yell back, only to hunch over coughing as smoke invades her lungs.
“Clavia run!”
She stumbles forward, Reede can hear her heaving in breath after breath only to be greeted with more smoke, she’s halfway to the stairs, on the first step, halfway up when a red light shines directly on her chest. A Guardian. Clavia looks helplessly up towards Reede only a few metres away, fear in her eyes.
“Reede,” He only just hears her call over the beeping of the Guardians laser. Reede takes a step towards her, and Clavia continues weakly up the stairs. As the beeping gets faster, Clavia is lit up with a searing white light, and as if in slow motion, she falls to the floor.
“NO!”
The Guardian is aiming at her again, and Reede feels stuck in place. Move you idiot! He tells himself, save her! But horror makes his limbs like steel, and as hard as he tries, he can only watch as his wife tumbles down the stairs, the Guardian’s laser beeping faster and faster, about to shoot again. Do something!
For the briefest of seconds, Reede thinks he actually did do something, when a bright golden light washes over the Guardian, sucking the life out of it. He knows better than that though, it must be a divine act, from the Goddess Herself.
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As soon as Link saw Zelda’s golden glow, and Revali’s Gale gave up, he fell to his knees. Not because of any pain, but from sheer exhaustion. He knelt there, limbs aching, watching as Dark Beast Ganon fell in front of her, and she seals it once and for all.
He’s not entirely sure how lucid he is, but he kneels there for minutes, long after Zelda’s light has washed over everything and then disappeared. He focuses on the fact he can feel the Champion’s powers draining from him. It takes so much longer than he would’ve thought, each excruciating second dragging on and taking a tiny bit of their power with it. Mipha is gone first, then Daruk, then Revali, then Urbosa. With Urbosa’s Fury, he also lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding, and gets hit with the wave of grief he has been shoving out of his mind since the moment he remembered the Champions for the first time.
Link forces himself up onto his feet, and walks over to where Zelda stands, the sky that was painted red clearing into what it should be by now, sunset. Here, with Zelda in a burning Hyrule Field, Link is reminded of an old woman in Hateno Village who talked about “the age of burning fields”. This must be what it was like then, Link thinks. The place is so entirely devoid of life, not even a Guardian in sight, which are usually roaming around the nearby ruins of Castle Town. Zelda seems to be watching her home too, as if worried.
Link fixes his gaze on the distant rubble. He thinks Castle Town looks kind of beautiful now, when there isn’t Malice covering every street. Link can make out the floating form of King Rhoam, a sight that fills him with (probably) irrational anger. He was under the impression the King moved on as soon as he disappeared from the Temple of Time. That’s just an impression though, perhaps more people were watching Link this whole time than he thought. Zelda however, seems both delighted and devastated by the sight of her father's spirit, her eyes filled with tears. From this distance it’s hard to make out, but Link swears he sees the King nod slightly, before disappearing into blue flames once more, and Silent Princess petals flow out towards them.
The pair watch Castle Town in silence until the sun is long set.