Chapter 2

"You are in the castle infirmary," Zelda explained softly to Link.

"I'm glad to see our hero has recovered." said the old man. Link knew the voice well, it was Sahasrahla the elder. Link remembered when he first met him, he had challenged Link to find the pendant of Courage. Although he didn't make the best first impression on Link, Shasrahla's sage advice during and after Link's quest to save Hyrule from Ganon had made up for his initial rudeness. Link now thought of him as his grandfather.

"I'm happy you came Sahasrahla." Link said with a grin.

"If you're feeling up to it, my father has decided to hold a banquet in honor of your safe return. That is as soon as you're well again." Zelda suggested.

"My safe return?..." Link said. He was confused. He didn't remember going anywhere. "Return from where?"

"Your quest of enlightenment!" said Zelda a little surprised that Link couldn't remember. It was the only question that had been plauging her thoughts for the past two years. "I, We have all been waiting for you to return."

As she spoke, Link was in deep thought trying to remember ever having taken avoyage at all. Suddenly her words triggered a memory. Link remembered boarding the ship just before the start of his journey. Everyone was there to see him off. He remembered looking back on the crowd and seeing the King, Lance his best friend, Crystal one of the seven maidens, Clain the flute boy, Sahasrahla, Baylen his uncle, and Zelda. He remembered even then, as he leaned against the railing on the ship, longing to stay, not wanting to leave Zelda.

"I...I remember leaving Hyrule on a ship." Link responded.

"Princess, I would not be surprised if Link can not remember the majority of his voyage. It did, after all, almost end in tragedy." reasoned Sahasrahla.

"What do you mean it almost ended in tragedy?" Link asked.

"Well Link, you were found clinging to a raft in the middle of the ocean by a fisherman." Zelda explained shocked that Link didn't remember almost dying. "You're lucky that he found you. He brought you back here almost a month ago."

"I don't remember any of that. Sorry guys." Link responded.

"Perhaps Link should get some rest," suggested Sahasrahla. "Maybe then he will be able to remember more about his voyage."

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea." said Link suddenly very tired.

"Don't worry about the feast, we'll hold it whenever you're ready." Zelda said.

 

Ganon sat watching Link, Zelda and Sahasrahla's conversation with the aid of one of his black spells. "So Link lives yet." he said to himself. Ganon had been puzzled by this for awhile. Usually he couldn't escape from the void between the Sacred realm and Hyrule unless the forces of good were greatly weakened. He had been able to escape from his dimensional prison during what would probably have been the middle of Link's voyage. Ganon now believed that something was very wrong with Link. Since Link didn't know this himself, Ganon knew that he would have to discover the secret before Link to gain the upperhand. There was only one entity that Ganon could turn to to find the answer. Ganon really disliked going to such extremes to get this information, but he was weak now that he no longer had the Trifoce. This was his only option.

Ganon shot a stream of evil magic at his throne. The throne disappeared to reveal a small hollow under the place where the throne had once rested. Inside this hole lay the Orb of Darkness. Ganon grasped the cold black sphere. It's power was equal to that of a Triforce's, for it was the artifact of the god of evil, Zanterian. Legend told that Chaos and Light had ordered their children Zanterian, Farore, Din, and Nayru to create the Triforce, a giant solid triangle and a symbol of the four gods' combined power. The Triforce gained it's named from it's shape.

However, Zanterian was enraged at his father for favoring his sisters over him. Instead of crafting his artifact into the fourth equal part of the Triforce he gave it a spherical shape so that it could never be joined with the other parts of the Triforce. For this act of rebellion, Zanterian's own father Chaos banished him from the heavens. Chaos sent Zanterian to live on the world that his sisters had just newly created. Chaos forced Zanterian to live within the confines of his own relic and doomed him to live in the shadow of his sisters forever. Chaos made it so few would remember him and even less would worship him.

This one domestic injustice had thousands of years to fester within Zanterian's thought's. He was out for revenge. Zanterian was very violent and unforgiving. That was the reason for Ganon's great caution while dealing with the Orb of Darkness. Now this was his only choice.

"Oh almighty Lord of Darkness hear my request!" Ganon said to the orb as he kneeled down before it.

An eerie black light engulfed the room. The orb was glowing.

"Foolish slave do you think I don't already know what you want from me?" said a loud and terrifying voice.

Ganon was on fool he knew all of the gods were able to read the mind of any being they choose.

"I will help you defeat the hero of prophescy, the one on whom the favor of my sisters rests..."

"I have no way to repay you for this most excellent service." Admitted Ganon.

"The failure of my sisters is all the payment I require." said the Lord of Evil. "Now here is my gift to you Ganon, my faithful servant." Powerful evil magic was thrown from the orb. It struck Ganon, at first, like a physical blow, then he began to feel the evil energy building within him.

"Link's mind is under the control of a powerful nightmare creature. With your new power you can control both Link and the evil dreams which haunt him. With this power he will fall very quickly." Zanterian said before vanishing back into his Orb of Darkness.

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