Linktober 2023

Day 14, Ganon/Ganondorf

Wild, they thought, had the worse luck of them all.

Tags: Gen, Linked Universe, Angst, Ghosts

The chain thought the Calamity was over for Link and his Zelda. They thought he could live the rest of his life in Hateno, rebuilding a broken Kingdom and living a happy life.

They knew exploring the depths of the castle wasn't a good idea. They didn't like how it felt. Even the children stopped running about their legs and walked slowly next to them instead, keeping close.

Yet Link didn't seem to notice the wrongness of this place. Or he was used to feeling that way. Or he was just that insane, so even the biggest signs of danger don't bother him anymore. None of the options would've been surprising.

The gloom got thicker the deeper they went into the cavernous space. How Zelda even found this place was beyond any of them. She didn't seem to notice the red warning flags everywhere, either. Although when research was concerned, very little could scare her off.

The further down they went, the thicker the gloom got. Luckily the spirits couldn't get ill from it, but Link and Zelda seemed to interested to care about getting sick.

It wasn't until they reached a cavernous space with gloom so thick it stuck to the walls and pooled on the floor, when the two began to slow.

Don't touch it, Time warned. Would hatred this thick affect spirits, too? They'd rather not find out.

They couldn't see what was at the bottom of the stairs. They could only see the green magic coming from a single point, swirling to the ceiling until it disappeared. Half of the group groaned when Zelda urged Link forward.

Do we have to?

We have to keep an eye on them.

They all descended the stairs, toward the thing.

When they reached the bottom, their hair stood up on end. Even the alive Link seemed to hesitate now, only kept going by the fact Zelda didn't stop for a moment.

They realized, with growing disgust and fear, what the thing was at the bottom of the stairs.

It was a body, shriveled and disfigured from what had to be millennia of stasis. And the source of the magic was an disembodied arm, gripping the chest of the body. Magic flowed from the severed end of the arm. Sky covered Wind's eyes. The rest had to hold back from vomiting.

Wait, Time said softly, although it felt like his voice echoed through the veil. Link and Zelda showed no sign of hear him, though. I know what this is.

He didn't say anything more. He didn't have to.

The realization hit the chain harder than anything they'd witnessed Link do or face. It was shaking, seeing something older than them, older than their curse, even.

The younger ones tried hard not to cry. Time was shaking, grinding his jaw. Sky was on the verge of a full-blown panic attack. His breathing was heavy, and his eyes were watering.

Because, in his mind, it was his fault.

He was the first, and he failed to kill the threat. He held that guilt all the time, anyway, to some degree. That he wasn't able to help the others by stopping it from happening to begin with.

But this wasn't a Ganon that anyone had faced before.

This one was older, stronger, and more powerful than any of the ones they have faced. The could be the first Ganondorf to exist. Older than Demise, even.

How is this possible? Sky asked between sobs.

It shouldn't be, unless he is the first, Time answered, grasping to keep his composure.

It had to be the first. Perhaps, in whatever battled brought this Gerudo man to this state, he was never killed, like some did. He was held and kept at bay by the magic holding him there now. And his magic... he used it to send other, weaker versions of himself. Was that the true curse? Than Sky couldn't have done anything anyway, because the true source of the evil was underneath the castle all along?

Before any answers could be gleaned, something happened. The hand holding the body down fell, snapped off at the wrist. Something small and made of glass fell, too, and Zelda bent to pick it up.

And because they were never truly free of their curse, and their misfortunes never ceased, the corpse moved.

They had to agree that Wild had one of the worst lots of the group.  

More Linked Universe drabble, sort of a carry over from yesterdays prompt. I like the Chain! It's fun to write and read about their dysfunctional found family.

I also used this as an excuse to write this theory I came up with, that Ganondorf in TotK is actually the first one, and since he wasn't killed by the master sword and was only held back by Rauru, he could use his magic to make more, weaker versions of him, meaning Demise is actually the second and Ganondorf was speaking through him. It also explains why the botw Ganon was a senseless beast, because Ganondorf was losing strength after so long and was just hell bent on destruction.