The Legend of Zelda: Temple of Time

•Chapter 24•

After saying goodbye to the Oocca, Link and Midna clambering into their canon and were shot back to Hyrule. They screamed as they fell into Lake Hylia, falling through the cool water. Midna was swearing as she resurfaced.

When they got to the desert, the cool water from Lake Hylia that was still on them kept them slightly cool against the heat. It was drying rapidly though, and soon they were covered in sweat.

As they walked into the Mirror Chamber, Midna summoned forth the Mirror shards, which spun in front of them, until they, at last, joined in the center of the Mirror, like it was brand new. The chains holding up the huge slab of rock behind the Mirror turned golden, then shimmered out of existence. The rock fell to the ground, sending out a small wave of sand, causing Link to stumble.

The Mirror of Twilight began to flow with radiant light. The designs in the Mirror seemed to grow in size then they disappeared in the light. A beam of light shot at the slab of rock, creating a portal that was glowing with brightness.

Link's eyes were wide as he watched it.

Midna spoke up. "The World of Shadows, my home. That name makes it sound so....unpleasant. I promise, the twilight there has a serene beauty. You've seen it yourself as the sun sets in this world."

Link stared at her. "It is very pretty. The sunsets are gorgeous."

Midna nodded. She was staring straight ahead. "Bathed in that light, all people were pure and gentle but things changed once that evil power pervaded the world."

Link opened his mouth to speak, but someone else did.

It was all our doing.

Link and Midna jumped. Link whirled around but Midna just glared at the ground. The five sages were standing behind them, like, directly behind them instead of on the columns. Link felt like he shouldn't have been so close to them. Their divine power was unfit for a mortal like him to even look at. But there they stood, staring at the pair.

We overestimated our abilities as sages and attempted to put an end to Ganondorf's evil magic. We beg that you find it in your heart to forgive us...

Then they bowed their heads and chanted something that made Link stare at Midna in wonder: O Twilight Princess.

"What did they just say?!" Link demanded.

Midna clenched her fists. "How could you have known? I didn't want anyone to know."

"Midna...why didn't you tell me?"

"Please! Like that would've made you change your mind?! Like that would've helped at all?!"

"Midna, what are you talking about?!"

She bit her lip.

Hero, there is a time and a place.

Link closed his mouth, but he was staring at Midna, a weird look on his face. His chest was rising and falling rapidly.

Midna turned back to the sages. "As a ruler who fled her people, I am hardly qualified to forgive you."

She pointed her finger at Link and then everything went black for him.

He was seeing a strange vision. Snow...lots of it. And the Temple of Time. A woman was screaming and blood was all over the snow. Zant was approaching someone in a cloak. A woman. Then he flung his arm out and Midna appeared under the cloak. Link was confused by this.

He watched as Midna was carried into the Temple of Time by the priestess. She was carrying her upstairs to the prison that had seen two different princesses trapped. Once the priestess was gone, Midna reached up and pulled off her stone hat thing. She looked at it and smiled wickedly. Then the vision ended and Link was looking at Midna.

"In our world, we've long believed that the Hero would appear as a divine beast. Don't you realize now, Link? Why you turned into a wolf when Zant forced you into twilight? Any normal Hylian would've been turned into a speck of light, hardly existing. Zelda told me you were special and that we needed to use you. That's what we did, Link. We used you. Yes, the girl you love so damn much, used you. We only cared about returned our worlds to normal. I didn't care what happened to your world of light at all.

"But after witnessing what Zelda did," She was looking at her hands, "The sacrifice she made...and you." She looked at Link, her face full of emotion. "The selfless acts you have done for me, someone you didn't even know, what you've sacrificed...I know I must save Hyrule too. There isn't any other option. If we defeat Zant, the curse on me will be lifted. And we will revive Zelda."

Link's eyes widened. "W-what?! You told me she was dead!"

"She is. Well, not really. I had to tell you she was dead so you could focus on the task at hand. Now I realize how foolish that was. If you had known we could revive her, you would've worked harder but instead you almost lost hope. It's a wonder how you held on-"

"I held on for you, Midna."

She looked up at him. "What?"

"You needed me. I couldn't leave you like that. I couldn't because you're so important to me. I couldn't just give up on you. In a way, you saved me I guess."

Midna stared at the ground again. "I'm sorry for lying."

"You had your reasons. What actually happened to Zelda?"

"You see, Link. To be able to exist in this light, I had to place a simple, but temporary, spell on myself and try to work quickly, before the spell wore off. The spell would allow me to exist in the light for the time being. I can't be fully formed in the light. I can only be a shadow."

"So Zant took off the spell?"

She nodded. "By doing that, I had a very short time to live. You brought me to Zelda. I couldn't believe what she did. I still can't. What she did, was switch places with me. She gave me the Triforce of Wisdom and her light energy, so that I could exist in the light. Zelda, however, is nothing but a shadow, not even, at the moment. I don't know what she is, to be frank. I think she's hardly existing at all."

Link's blood was rushing to his head. Anger was swelling within him. "Is she in the Twilight Realm?"

"I don't know. She could be in some realm in between. I'm not sure."

"Zant is going to die a very painful death."

Midna nodded. "Let's go, Link. For Zelda."

"For Zelda."

The sages said nothing as they bowed and faded away. Link walked towards a glowing square on the ground, which erupted into stairs made out of twilight. Link ran up them and stood on the edge.

Then he was pulled into the Twilight Realm.