[EDITING] The Legend of Zelda: Goddess of Secrecy

Dungeon Chapter 21 - Lights In the Dark

...to a room with blue fire dedicated to Nayru. Link extended his hand and dropped the pendent in the fire. The flame consumed it in two seconds, before turning a brilliant gold. The darkness in the doorways faded enough to be seen through.

Being able to study the rooms a bit better, Link headed into another room. Yore flew behind him, waiting for Link's next instruction. He knew he was in the bottom left corner of the maze, not terribly far from Farore's green flame. He heard echoes through the halls, voices he thought were Endeavor and Zelda's. Link still didn't trust the darkness, and didn't dare follow them in case it was a trap of the maze. Even if it sounded like his friends were close by, he didn't want to test his luck.

Now it was a matter of finding another moblin without knowing where the patrolling brute was. Link returned to the last room and looked into the pyre in that room. The bottom left corner was now covered in gold. There was a pale green dot covering the corner of the sapphire, which Link guessed must be him. He watched the map, watching for another dot to appear on the gold.

Finally, a black dot appeared in one of the nearby rooms. Link gripped his hammer as he raced in that direction. As indicated, a moblin was in the room, about to pass into the void. Link smacked the ground with his hammer, catching the creature's attention. With its spear pointed out, the beast charged Link. Link rolled out of the way, the moblin hitting the wall behind him. Link hit the creature with his hammer a few times, before the monster collapsed to ash. It dropped a red pendent with Din's symbol on it. Link picked up the item and turned to Yore. "Back to the red flame."

Yore spread his wings, and dove into the firm darkness. Link followed the bird on to the chamber with Din's red flame. He dropped the pendent in. Again, the fire devoured it, before turning into a bright gold.

Link looked over the flame at the sketch in its base. As he did, the bottom right corner lit up gold. Yore flew over his head as a voice sounded through the bird.

"We found Farore's offering. Journey can lead us on. That leaves us with one more."

"Reechka's," Link stated. He looked at the mostly golden map. A black dot moved along through the squares in a seemingly aimless pattern. Link watched it get closer to the center of the room. He turned to Yore. "To Reechka's flame."

Yore took off with Link coming behind him. They wove through the rooms until they reached the purple flame of Reechka. It was a different purple than the other ones lighting the temple. This one was...more powerful, Link thought. As the thought came to mind, the moblin came through the doorway.

Link ducked out of the way was it charged him. He switched back to his sword, and slashed the back of its legs. He was quicker with his sword, and even if it took longer, Link preferred to have the blade back in hand. Even if the hammer was a useful tool. The moblin fell, dropping the last offering.

Taking it to the fire, Link dropped it in. The flame burst into gold, climbing over the edge of its container. Link jumped out of the way as the fire parted the darkness. From all of the four golden flames, the fire leapt out and broke the darkness. All the room alight with a golden glow, Link saw Zelda and Endeavor coming towards him with Journey.

As the two entered the room, the floor began to move. Endeavor pulled Zelda across the threshold. Link looked up as the ceiling parting for their ascent. They rose for a long while, almost as long as it had taken to get down.

When the floor stopped, the flame burst into a purple stream. Link jumped forward as the fire spat something out. Link grabbed it as it fell, pausing to examine as the room settled around them. It was a long golden key, with the purple diamonds running along it. Reechka's symbol was carved into the head.

"Link, look," Zelda said with a bit of awe.

Looking up, Link saw a massive, round, stone door. Reechka's symbol was carved into it as well, a golden lock hung over it, blocking out sections of the emblem beyond.

Link took a step forward, before he stopped as something itched in the back of his head. He looked down at the ground in front of him, suspecting another trap as the easy path forward. There were a series of tiles, and he had a hard time trusting it after so many stones coming alive on him. He pulled out his hammer and slammed the ground.

The attack shook the earth and caused several of the tiles to fall from where they were. Link looked at one of the newly made gaps and the dark abyss beneath it. Keeping his hammer out, Link made his way across the tiles that hadn't fallen. The path ahead proved stable, his companions following after.

About halfway across, the path was lost in the tiles that remained. Link didn't dare use his hammer again in fear that it would break the pathway he was on. He looked at the tiles, trying to find some other way to tell them apart from the stable ones. As he thought, he kicked a rock over on one of the tiles next to him.

It seemed even the little stone was enough to cause the tile to fall. The tile next to Link fell down into the darkness. Link pulled out his slingshot, and fired it at the surrounding tiles. It was a terrible waste of pellets, but it was the safest way to get across. He could always replenish his seeds. If he fell on the other hand—he carried on before the thought could take root.

After nearly emptying his wallet, Link reached the other side to the tiled floor. He let out a sigh of relief. Zelda and Endeavor found their way across soon after, a few cautionary pokes themselves to ensure a safe passage. With both of his companions safe, Link turned to the door ahead of them. As they walked up the stairs to it, Link asked, "What do you think will be beyond that door?"

Endeavor answered, expression vexed, "Goddesses know. I thought it would be the creature we faced before, it was the only warden left here. What terrors then await us are newly forged." They looked at Link, saying, "I fear another battle like that in Din's Temple may occur, one I would not be able to help you in."

"What happened in Din's Temple?" Zelda asked.

Link said, "We fought the ghost of the former Big Boss of the Gorons."

Zelda turned to Endeavor, asking, "Then...this is where..." Endeavor nodded, a long silence stretching out after. Zelda shook her head, leaning forward as she insisted, "The Demon Lord wouldn't be as foolish as to do the same thing twice, would he? After all, you beat an enemy like that before. He's smart enough to adapt. He'll use something else."

"Oh, indeed."

The voice echoed off the walls. Link felt a chill go down his spine at that voice. There was laughter that followed, only making the feeling worse for him. Endeavor watched the ceiling, a concerned familiarity in their voice as they found themself saying, "You are right, Princess, he wouldn't do the same thing twice...though I do not believe that this is a creature of his making."

"Do you think it's going to be...her then?" Link asked as Endeavor's face grew darker.

"I do not believe the Demon Lord would risk his most faithful puppet before you had even collected the Master Sword when a monster might still best you, but." Endeavor's eyes watched the walls, a shadow in their gaze as the wrested with something they did not speak while they searched the halls. "I suppose we shall see for ourselves what the Demon Lord is willing to risk to bring Hyrule to its knees."

Link pulled the massive golden key back out. He walked up to the lock and inserted the key into it. The key caught and the lock dropped like a stone. It sat there, heavy and as unmoving at the earth. Link got a heavy feeling in his heart, not quite of fear, but of doubt. Mainly, doubt of his own ability. Endeavor's comments had put an uncertainty in his mind he didn't know he had. Or rather, as he thought on it, he realized they had pulled it to the surface.

But it was not one he would let himself be bested by.

The massive door rolled open. Link watched it as it parted for them. Whatever was beyond this door, he had dealt with worse already, and he would face far worse after. This wasn't the end of his adventure, and he wasn't going to let whatever this feeling was fester. This was his quest, and he'd complete it. That he knew.

He drew his sword. The metal quivered, chiming a high note into the darkness. A sort of distorted laughter followed back out of the gateway. Link gripped his blade and walked into the maw carved in the earth...