Chapter 10: Times of Trials

Sunrise had not yet come to Hyrule. But two people were setting off.

"Link, don't you know the Songs of the Temples?" Saria asked as she and Link moved to the gate.

"Yes, but I can't warp us both there." Link said. He moved over to hole the ShadowBeasts had made. "The Bolero of Fire takes one to the center of Death Mountain. While I have the equipment to survive In there, you don't."

"Oh." That made sense, Moving past the moat, Saria glanced at Link. He looks so handsome right now... An impish thought came Into her mind, she quickly grabbed his hand.

"Saria, what are you doing?" Link asked, blushing.

"I want to touch you." She spoke softly. "I miss the closeness we had a while ago..."

"Saria...I don't think now is the time..." Link was trying to keep his thoughts in line.

"We can keep on walking..." Her eyes were half closed and she was giving Link a strange look. "Just let me stay close..."

"Um err..." Link stammered.

"Saria! Fairy Boy! Wait for me!" Both Kokiri were snapped out of their thoughts. Blushing, they turned to the farm girl.

"Red, what Is it?" Link asked, with a tone of irritation in his voice. Malon you have perfect timing...

Malon smiled, "Well, I want to come with you two. I already sent Epona home."

"Malon, what me and Link are doing..." Saria began.

"I know it's dangerous." Malon said. "But...I need to go, I want to help people, like you do Link." She stepped up to the two. "You're my best friend Link. I'd love to help you and besides, it should be funny to see Saria put a leash on you!" She giggled.

Saria laughed. "Good idea Malon, where can I get one?"

This made Link really embarrassed, quickly shaking It off, he responded to her question. "It's not that simple Red." Link shook his head. "Can you defend yourself? If you can't, then you'd In all honesty, just get in the way." Link said bluntly.

"Well, Fairy Boy, I actually can." Malon had a smile on her face, she pulled out two scepters, one red, one blue. Link didn't recognize them.

"A Fire and Ice Rod!" But Saria clearly did. "Malon, where did you get those?"

Malon smiled, waving her finger in front of her face, she winked. "That's a secret."

Link was very Irritated at that for some reason.

"But I'll tell you if you let me come along. Alright?"

Link groaned. Malon was setting a referendum. That meant only the goddesses themselves could change her mind now. "Oh fine, just please, don't do anything dangerous."

"She has a way of getting what she wants, doesn't she?" Saria asked with a hint of amusement in voice.

Link rolled his eyes. "Yeah, just be glad she hasn't cooked for you yet."

"I heard that!" Malon shouted, "Don't think I'll forget that Link! You'll pay!

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The Death Mountain range ended about two days travel from the southern border. From here, it was a simple matter to reach the Gerudo Valley.

Formed by the Zora river flowing through a section of the mountains for an amount of time only the Goddesses know. The Gerudo Valley connects to the Desert Wasteland that lines the southeastern border of Hyrule. As long as any can remember, the Gerudo have lived there.

Of course, finding the Gerudo Valley Is one thing, entering it is another. Gerudo happened to be rather isolationist, arresting anyone who enters their land without permission. Every person with the intent to enter the valley was advised to give at least a weeks notice.

Sheik did not have that time. He knew what he was going to do, sneak in, find Nabooru, and give the warning along with any aid he could give.

Having left Brightfire In the field nearby, knowing that he would be safe due to the enchantment Sheik left on him. If anyone but Sheik touched the saddle, they would be given a medium sized electrical shock. Sheik entered Gerudo Lands.

Moving through silently, he stayed In the shadows, avoiding the obvious hiding spots. (They would be the first place the guards looked, after all.) Sheik was glad he had traveled through the night, this let him get here almost a day sooner.

The Fortress was the first line of defense for the Gerudo, a massive building carved from the cliffs themselves. Nigh impenetrable, it had stood for over a thousand years. Sheik had to admit, it was a marvel.

Sheik felt his magic weakening as he moved deeper into the valley. Magic was weaker in the desert.

All magic stemmed from the Three Goddesses power. Everything they created emitted this magic, when people used magic, they channeled the power of the goddesses through them, at the cost of some of their life-force, which can be regained with rest or Green Potion. Using too much magic can cause one to perish. Magic Is divided into six elements; Forest, Water, Fire, Sprit, Light, Shadow. With each race aligned chiefly to one element. The Spells of the Gods are different, they were non-elemental, and instead of channeling their power, they used their raw power, however, the Goddesses could do what they pleased with the mortal mage who used their power, but rarely had they done anything with them.

The desert was Dins domain. Almost nothing but the Raw Earth existed, the waters, which brought the law of Nayru to the world, had little Influence. And there is very few creatures that live here, reducing Farores Influence. This meant that while magic as a whole Is weaker in the desert, spells that harness powers that Din favors are much stronger.

Sheik stepped behind a rock, barely avoiding a guards sight. "Darkness Cloak" He whispered. The Shadow Magic formed over him, causing him to vanish from sight. This spell lasted until Sheik ran out of magic, or until he wanted It to end. Too easy. Moving through the fortress, he climbed up a wall, using the rather large stones as footholds. Where is the leaders home...

On the wall, there is a small crack, an invisible flaw. A point on the wall that is weaker then the rest, one which could not support Sheiks weight.

Sheik put his foot on the weak spot, is crumbled and fell off the wall, loosing his balance, Sheik fell. "Gah!!" he shouted. The ground was rushing towards him. Not good, not good. The ground was getting closer. He began to try to use his training to twist into a better position. Too late.

WHAM!

And Sheik blacked out.

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Kasuto walked through the valley. As usual, nobody gave her any attention except to insult her.

"Hey girl! What are you doing here?" It was a guard doing her patrol. "Shouldn't you be drooling in a corner?"

Kasuto gritted her teeth. Everybody assumed she was useless and stupid because her mother is dead! Ignoring her, Kasuto moved away, a short while later, she stopped in her tracks

What the!

There was a young man, passed out on the ground. Kasuto looked at him.

He was covered in white and blue wrappings. Even his head had a large white bandage around it. He was very good looking, Kasuto noticed with a blush. The strange part about him was the...ripple around him producing a strange black aura.

Just then, a guard walked past the boy, she looked straight at him, and walked away!?

Huh?! Kasuto ran over to the young man, he looked harmless. Wrapping her arms around him, she began to half lift, half drag, him towards her small home. Not caring what other people saw.

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The Death Mountain Range.

A giant wall of earth that formed Hyrules northern border, the tallest mountain being the ranges namesake. This huge barrier made Hyrule near Invincible from northern threats.

Of course, none of that mattered to Malon.

What did matter was that Link was walking in circles looking at rocks.

Malon is not a patient girl.

Link and Saria are patient. Must be from being Kokiri.

"Fairy boy...I know you said you had a shortcut, but can you please hurry up and find It?"

Link sighed. "Red, can you for once be patient?"

Malon huffed, "Some of us don't have hundred year lifespans." She replied sarcastically.

"Actually it's more like five hundred years..." Saria said weakly.

Malon glared at Saria. "Must you correct me?"

Five hundred and thirteen years.

That is the average lifespan of a Kokiri. A Hyilan was eighty-three years at the time.

Malon sometimes worried about that. Sure, Link had told her not to worry, but knowing, without a doubt, that your best friend is going to outlive you by a long shot, and keep his youth, can be somewhat depressing. When Malon first heard of the longer lifespan that the Kokiri have, she didn't believe It, that Is, until Link told her about the time he and the rest of the Kokiri helped some refugees from the War of the Southern Gods. A war that happened fifty years ago. It was the last war to have taken place In Hyrule, her grandfather had fought in it. And Link had described some experiences that matched up with the stories some of the old former refugees told when they rambled on as old men do. Malon had believed Link ever since.

Though Link had told her not to worry, it still made Malon uncomfortable, so she tended not to think about It, just accept the fact and move on.

"Alright!" Link suddenly interrupted Malons thoughts. He was standing In front on a particularly large rock. "Here Is the shortcut to Goron City!"

Saria glanced at the rock, turned to look at Malon, sighed, and spoke. "Link, how is that bolder a shortcut?"

"It's a stupid boulder! No different then the thousands of others that are on this Goddess-cursed mountain!"

Link rolled his eyes. "First off, this mountain happens to be a Holy Place for Din. Second off, yes it's a boulder, it is there to keep Non-Gorons from using the shortcut."

"Link..." Saria spoke with a tone of exasperation, "we aren't Gorons either.

"Actually," Link continued "I am considered a member of the Goron nation, due to the fact that I am the Sworn Brother to the head one of the most proximity families in the nation, he having been elected to the title of Big Brother ten times so far." Gorons elected their leader, called the Big Brother of the Gorons, by popular vote, Malon didn't really get it, didn't the goddesses choose the leaders? But she guessed the Gorons liked it that way. "So I have permission to use their roads and tunnels. Red, you can come along because your my guest."

Malon was surprised to hear Link answer like that, she didn't know much about the Gorons. But she guessed Link, who seemed very well traveled and tended to know what to do, would know what he was talking about. "Now wait a minute Fairy Boy, how are we going to get past the boulder?"

"You know, I'm wondering that too..." Saria added in. "Are you going to blast it open?" Malon had to admit that sounded like the only thing to do.

"Nope" Link said with a smile. "I have a less destructive way." Reaching Into that strange bag which seemed to hold anything. He pulled out a...mask? It was a mask, it appeared to be one of the Goron Masks that were lent out at the Happy Mask Shop. Placing the mask on his face, for a moment nothing happened. Then, the mask tightened around his face, extending over his head. It seemed to spread around his body, forming rocky, light brown, skin over his normally soft, pinkish white, skin. His body grew larger, his scrawny form suddenly gaining large muscles, his arms became longer, stronger. Finally, the change ended. Link was now a Goron.

Link had changed into a Goron.

Link...had changed into a Goron.

Link had changed into a Goron!

Malon fainted, a moment later, Saria joined In.

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The Sacred Realm.

The easiest way to think of it was a world alternate world to Hyrule, that held the power of the Goddess.

Of course, the simplest way is often the least correct.

The Sacred Realm isn't another world, it is more like a place in-between worlds, Chaos which was left over from the creation of Existence. Even the name "Scared Realm" Is a mislabeling, Chaos is neutral. This Chaos was around the world that Hyrule resides in.

Chaos Is easily manipulated by anything with Order. Namely, life. Of course, only gods can permanently shape Chaos. Mortals can shift It slightly, but nothing compared to what the gods can do.

A mortal with the power of the gods, however...

Aligned with the Temple of Time in Hyrule, there lies a beautiful creation, created with the Triforce itself, it is the one place that the Evil King Ganon can not enter.

The Temple of Light.

Of all the Temples, the Light Temple is the most wondrous of all the Temples, It Is second only to the Temple of Time in hidden knowledge, within lies the center of the Scared Realm, where all the Temples connect.

The Chamber of Sages.

Raw Chaos, shaped by the power of the Seven Temples, the chamber Is one of the two most Holy Places in this world, All the Sages have to power to come here, and they often did, when they are awake.

However, at this time, only one Sage stood in this Holiest of Places.

Rauru, Sage of the Light Temple.

He was from the generation of Sages before the one that was active at this time, for there must always be one from the pervious generation to guide the current one.

At the moment, he was In deep thought, like Link, Zelda, and Saria, he was concerned about the state of the Seal. He wished that he had foreseen it, but, the power to see the future belonged to the Sprit and Time Sages, and the Sprit Sage could only see vague glimpses of it, the Time Sage had more power with seeing the future, but Zelda could only travel to the Future If it was absolutely necessary, and even then she had to make sure she didn't destroy the Timeline.

Preventing the Seal from collapsing on Itself would be a challenge, an imposable one, if the circumstances continued to go as badly as they had. His connection with Impa had been severed, Zelda was falling Into self-denial. Saria was weak from being so far from her Temple. Strange creatures were appearing all around, evil creatures were growing In number. And all the Races were targeted for attack, already the Kokiri and Hylians had been attacked, and It looked like the Gerudo and Gorons were next. The only good thing that had come of this was that Link had started to come out of his shell. Other then that...well, it looked like his plan to restart Hyrule had backfired, badly. All it took was one problem and the whole thing collapsed on itself. Now what?

"First, I need to find out who has caused all this." Someone had to be the driving force behind these troubles. Rauru would find out who...

"Well, to save you the trouble of a search, I'll just confess Light Sage, I did it."

To say Rauru was surprised was an understatement. Practically in shock was more fitting.

The one who was here, standing mockingly on the Triforce symbol, was slightly taller then Link, though that could be from the cloak. Speaking of the cloak, it was pure black and was obviously magical. Casually he held in his left hand something which scared the Light Sage.

A replica of the Master Sword. It was the exact size, shape, and design of the original, with only two differences.

The hilt was, instead of a blue color, was red. The other difference wasn't as noticeable. Imbedded in the blade were seven grooves, they looked like something belonged there, one of them did have something In it.

A purple crystal was embedded In one of the groves, it radiated a power which Rauru recognized, the energies of the Shadow Temple radiated from that crystal.

"Salutations Light Sage." the thing said, for Rauru could tell It was not human.

"Who are you creature!" He shouted. "And why do you dare enter this Holy Place, admit to doing horrible crimes, and commit blasphemy by mocking the scared Master Sword so!"

The thing made a yawning motion, mocking Rauru. "I have no name, I am called Shadow by some, for that is what I am, a shadow. And I do not mock the Sword of Evils Bane, I merely admire it. Such a weapon is best for harnessing the power I need, so I made a copy, albeit with the modifications I need. Of course, it Is not nearly as strong as the real Sword of Evils Bane, I am not the Pictori, who forged it under the Goddesses guidance, I lack their skill or the purity necessary to truly copy the Sword of Evils Bane. But, my sword Is still powerful, and once It is complete, only Link will be able to stop me. And I shall make sure he fails." Shadow chuckled, swinging the sword around a few times.

Rauru eyed Shadow cautiously, "What do you need to complete that Goddess-cursed weapon."

Shadow smiled, somehow Rauru knew that, even though he could not see the face under the hood. "Why, the Sages of Hyrule of course." And Shadow struck, releasing a spell at Rauru.

But Rauru teleported out of the way, he retaliated with a magic attack of his own. "Blinding Flash!" The huge burst of light should have made Shadow unable to see for a short time. Instead Rauru saw that he had covered his face with his cloak, untouched by the blinding light. Rauru responded with an attack spell. "Piercing Ice!" Hundreds of ice spears launched towards Shadow, ready to impale him.

Instead, they shattered against a Blue diamond. Nayrus Love.

Rauru cursed his luck. Instantly he began preparing a Dins Fire. But before he could, Shadow attacked again.

The Spells of the Gods have unlimited uses, a skilled mage can make those three spells do anything he/she wanted, limited only by their magic power and their imaganation.

Shadow apparently had quite a bit of an imagnation, because the blue diamond exploded, sending shards of Nayrus Love everywhere like glass. Before Rauru could react dozens of shards Impacted him. He grunted In pain, that had hurt! Adapting Nayrus Love, a defenceive spell, for offensive purposes was brilliant, if not for the fact that Shadow was an abomination that wanted to kill him, Rauru would have considered having a discussion on Magical theory.

Suddenly Shadow launched into another attack. Thrusting his hand foreword, he began to warp the energy around him, energy of the Light Temple! Shadow let the spell loose, it smashed into Rauru and began to do its work.

Rauru knew what the spell was. It was a spell designed to bind a Sage. Harnessing the power of the Sages Temple, Is was essentially being bound with your own power, near imposable to break out of. But Rauru was powerful and knew how defend himself against such attacks. Casting aside the spell, he launched a Natures Wrath spell at Shadow.

Shadow used Farores Wind to dodge. "Hmm...You are much more experienced then the other Sages, I can tell It's going to take a bit more work." More magic formed around Shadow, only this magic was different, much more powerful. Rauru recognized It Instantly. The Triforce, somehow Shadow was harnessing the power of the Triforce!

"You! How are you doing-" He never got the chance to finish.

"Farores Mighty Gale!" A whirlwind of magic formed around Shadow, taking the form of streaks of green light. It gathered and twisted, expanding as It grew more violent, like a hurricane. The green light tore through...through.. Existence as it moved, it reformed a second later, but the damage had still happened.

The attack struck Rauru.

Never had the caretaker of the Light Temple felt such pain. The magic tore through his body, ripping it to shreds, only for It to reform a moment later. An agonizing moment passed, the spell faded, and Rauru fell to the ground.

Shadow stood over the fallen man. "I must admit, you have done well." Shadow said In-between his heavy breathing, that spell had clearly taken a lot out of him "But I am stronger, and now Light Sage, farewell."

Rauru felt the magic form around him, the golden crystal appeared, and everything went black.

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Kalo watched as Shadow entered this strange place, clutched in his hand was a strange sword, with a gold and purple crystal embedded in It. "What is that?" he asked, wondering If Shadow would give him a straight answer.

"Why Fairy, It is the key to my plans."

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Pain.

That was all he knew, when he was created he felt pain. Told he would have to destroy Link to end his suffering, he listened, and they fought.

He lost.

He still remembered the battle, the ringing of steel, the cold, shuddering pain that came when the Master Sword cut him, the burning anger Link felt, the emptiness he felt.

And when he was defeated, he felt no pain.

He did not die, for he was not truly alive, he could only fade, lacking the power to appear In a body.

And so he existed, feeling Links emotions and memories, until he...gained something, the Truth. When he gained the Truth, he felt an emotion other then pain.

Anger.

Anger for Link for having what he could not.

Anger for Saria through feeling Links love for her.

Anger for Zelda for her foolishness.

Anger for everything that lived and died.

And yet, like all emotions, his anger faded and new ones arose.

Love, hate, happiness, sadness, frustration, pleasure, annoyance, and many more. All emotions he gained, yet, there was still that emptiness that told him he was not alive.

So he watched, seeing the whole world the Goddesses created. He saw people live, love, hate, and suffer.

So much suffering.

And so, he felt a new thing to feel anger for.

The Goddesses.

He hated them, how dare they do this! Create a world, give It power, people, only to abandon it! How dare they, who are supposed to be prefect, abandon their children, who they claim to love! Hah! Those wretched beings do not know love, they let evil arise, let the good suffer, let good men die and bad men live. Never had Shadow felt such a burning hatred. He would end this, end the world, let all life rest at last, the souls of this world pass on to the afterlife, where they can finally have peace.

Gathering memories from Link, he learned magic, studied the spell that created him, Improved on it, making himself more, far more, then what he once was.

He appeared in the world.

A war was being fought. On the continent he would soon know had the name of Velrah, far away from Tore, the continent where Hyrule lay. The armies were marching foreword, strange weapons in hand, with no armor.

Shadow appeared in the middle of the battlefield. He heard the leaders of the armies give the soldiers a command.

"Riflemen, fire!"

The soldiers raised the strange weapons. Flashes of fire and steel came forth from them. Shadow wasted no time, calling up Nayrus Love to protect him. The small pieces of metal bouncing off the barrier.

Shadow frowned, he was not used to his new powers, he was apparently far from Hyrule, judging by how weak magic was here. The armies were noticing him, they seemed confused, frightened by him. Even as they killed each other, they began to fear the cloaked person who had appeared in the middle of their war, and was unharmed. One by one, they stopped fighting, Instead focusing on him.

He stared at the pitiful excuse for soldiers. They had almost no magic within them, seeming to rely on those weapons alone. The noise of the battle faded. Many lied dead, but some still stood, watching him.

Shadow wondered where he was, he clearly was not in Hyrule. Dropping Nayrus Love, he took a step towards one of them.

One used his weapon.

Shadow stumbled back, a small piece burning steel entering his body. Shadow burned with rage, calling forth his magic, he unleashed a spell. "Burning Annihilation" he hissed. Fire swirled around him, more pieces of steel were launched at him, only to melt when it touched the spell. Expanding outward In a dome, the fire quickly engulfed everything. When the spell faded, there was nothing but a crater, with Shadow In the center.

"I must be in the Lost Lands." he muttered. The Lost Lands were those without the Goddesses guidance, lacking magic and everything else Hyrule had, these people would probably be of no help to him. He walked away from the battleground.

Days passed, and Shadow had no idea how do get away from this place, it seemed two of the countries on this continent were at war with each other. Unfortunately It meant that he was suspected as a spy quite often.

Judging by what he overheard, that little skirmish he got involved in was the biggest talk of conversation. Most people assumed that Is was a new weapon Invented by their enemy and as such, were panicking.

Shadow leaned back against a building, most of the people here had lost all touch with magic, those few that didn't were to be shunned by the community. There were ‘reasons' for them, but Shadow guessed the real reason was that those without magic could subconsciously see those who had It, and hated them. It was a vicious cycle, eventually all traces of magic would fade from this land.

Shadow shook his head at the stupidity of these people, it was a bad enough world without them mucking it up.

Shadow focused his thoughts on his plan. The way he saw It, destroying the world would be near Impossible. But once It was done, everyone would have peace. He knew he would no longer exist if his plan succeeded, but he did not care. There would be suffering in the beginning, but it would be better in the end. But how? How could he unravel Creation? The only people alive who had any power over Existence were the holders of the Triforce...and...the Sages.

The Sages. They were the key, using their power, he could presently unravel Creation, restoring Chaos, ending the world.

Now how to harness the power of the Sages...and then, how to get back to Hyrule?

Shadow guessed his best bet at returning to Hyrule was learning how to enter the Void, the place were nothing exists, to travel there, it would also give him the advantage of practically teleporting anywhere he chose.

But how to gain the Sages power? He reached Into Links memories, coming across his memories of studying the Master Swords magical field.

"Hmm...It would have the power...but..." He needed to find a smith, one with some magical talent.

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It was strange, being unconscious. Sheik knew he was In that state, he knew that was the reason he was floating In this blackness, without feeling. But he couldn't bring himself to get out of it.

Sometimes having a higher level of awareness stinks.

Sheik knew someone had taken him somewhere, he hoped It wasn't prison.

...you Ok?...

A voice! Someone was talking to him.

Sheik felt himself awakening, retuning to the world of the living.

His eyes opened, looking around, Sheik guessed he was in a house. A very small house, judging by the look of it. One which was crowded, filled with books and scrolls. A small window showed the desert outside. From a side room entered a tall Gerudo.

"Oh, you're awake." She looked over him, "You might want to shut off that spell, it's probably burning up your magic power."

Sheik realized she was right, her cloaking spell was still active! "Wait...how can you see me? This is a cloaking spell." He recalled the magic, now everyone could see him.

"I don't know." She shrugged "I just could, nobody else could." She held up some food and water. "That was quite a fall, you alright?"

Sheik suddenly realized how hungry and thirsty he was. Quickly grabbing the food and water, he gulped them down in less then a minute.

The Gerudo giggled, "I knew It, by the way, what's your name. I'm Kasuto."

Sheik finished off the food. "I am Sheik of the Sheikah. Thank you for your hospitality."

"Your welcome Sheik." Kasuto replied. "Though, about your name, it's assumed, isn't it?" She smiled "Because I don't think that any Sheikah parents would name their child that." Her eyes shined with amusement.

Sheik groaned "Your right, I was given a different name at my birth. But I go by Sheik."

Kasuto chuckled "You don't have much imagination, do you?" Her eyes sparkled with amusement. "Now what are you doing here?"

Sheik decided he liked Kasuto, but now more Important events had overshadowed his good mood. "Oh, right. Something Is going to happen here, something I came to help with." A frown formed on his face. "I'm sorry, Kasuto, can you take me to Nabooru?"

Kasuto sighed "I'm sorry, Nabooru Is gone at the moment, she'll return by tomorrow." She smiled weakly, "You can stay here though, I'll keep you hidden."

Sheik nodded. "Thank you Kasuto, I'm grateful for your hospitality" He smiled gently at her.

"Your welcome." Kasuto said quietly, turning her head away.

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I think I'm in love.

He was so handsome! Kasuto turned to look at his soft, almost feminine, face. Yet it still had a hardness to it. Looking over at his strong, wiry body, she felt her face go red. She had never felt like this before, then again, she hadn't seen many men before. And none that were about her age. I wonder how old he is? He couldn't be any older then her, maybe slightly younger. Of course, she was freakishly tall. Don't think about that, just figure out how to get Sheik to notice you.

"Hey Kasuto, what are all these books about?" Sheik asked.

"Oh!" She moved to Sheik. "I like studying, I'm not much of a fighter." She grinned "But I think when I'm older I'll become an scholar."

Sheik nodded. "Good, scholars are always needed. I'm more of a scholar myself."

Score. Kasutos smile got bigger. "Yes, I'm trying to learn as much as possible. Of course, magic Is difficult." Of all the races, Gerudo have the most trouble learning magic. This Is offset by the fact that they are near invulnerable to all but the most powerful spells. A Gerudo that could do powerful magic was one to be feared

Sheik laughed "Well, I have some talent. Perhaps I can help teach you, and besides, we'll need all the help we can get."

"Thanks Sheik!" She could feel the blush coming over her face.

"Come on, lets see what's on these books."

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And then there was light.

Saria was not happy that there was light. She had been in a blissful state of unconsciousness. She did not want to deal with the fact that Link had shape shifted.

Especially since that should not be possible.

Shape shifting magic was hard, complex, and rather unreliable. To cast a spell that allowed one to shape shift took a complex set of magic runes, at least three mages, and someone stupid enough to let their body be warped into another form, possibly forever, or not long enough to do what needs to be done.

All In all, Saria could not see how Link could shape shift so quickly or easily, it violated all current magical theory. (Though, considering much knowledge was lost and Saria had recovered it in the Forest Temple, "current" magical theory was about two thousand years old.)

"Link, what just happened?" Malon asked, she had apparently fainted as well.

"That's what I want to know!" Saria shouted "How can anyone shape shift so easily!?"

Link got a blank look on his face. "You mean it's hard?"

Saria nearly fell flat on her face. Link knew some powerful spells, but, like most Kokiri (She couldn't stop think of him as one.) he only had practical uses for magic, he no more knew how magic worked then she knew how a Pictograph Box worked, he just knew it worked.

"Link, how exactly did you change Into a Goron?"

Realization dawned on Links face. "Oh, it's simple. This mask," he held up the Goron Mask, "contains the soul of a Goron who agreed to help me. When I put on the mask, he sort of takes over. He'll pass on to the next world when he wants to, but until then he helps me out."

"That...that's nuts!" Malon shouted "Where did you learn how to do something like that!?"

Saria was curious at well, she had never heard of such magic, if Link could tell her how the spell worked, well, who knew what new branches of magic could open.

"Oh, that's simple, that Happy Mask Freak taught me a Song of Power that Is used to heal evil magic and troubled souls." Link said this causally.

A song that had that kind of power! "You'll have to teach me that sometime." Saria said.

"Fine by me." Link turned to look at the open cave that is there now. "Come on, I moved the boulder so lets go."

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The tunnel was almost totally dark, if it weren't for the light Link was making, Malon was sure she wouldn't be able to see whatsoever, she knew Gorons had better night vision then Hylians, but this?

Saria started to match Malons pace. "So," she began, "do you know how to use those Rods?"

"Well, I guess, I mean, I swung the Ice Rod once. I accidentally froze a barn though." Malon felt embarrassed about that incident.

Saria raised an eyebrow, "You're kidding, right? There's no way you could do that."

"No, I'm not joking!" Malon glared at her friend. "Why do you say that?"

"Well," Saria frowned "it's just that I've read about Fire and Ice Rods. Basically, they're powerful spells, the same spells Link uses to enchant his swords in fact, contained in the specters, ready to be cast by anyone. However, the power and skill of the wielder determines the strength of the spell, unless you've had a lot of magical training, there Is no way you could call up that much power, and if you somehow did, you would likely be very drained. Maybe even kill someone without any training."

Link interrupted their conversation before it could go further. "Girls! If your done gossiping, we're almost at Goron City!" Link dropped the Light Spell that he had cast over his sword, and sure enough, there was light coming from not to far away. "Come on! We're almost there!"

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Kalo watched as Shadow enjoyed his new weapon. He was performing sword exercises with his new blade, the two crystals glinting In the strange, non-existent light. He swung It In a wide arc, fighting a foe only he could see. He seemed to be reliving memories, something only he knew, ghosts of past battles. Moving through a lightning fast combination of strikes, he began to mutter to himself.

"He will try to counter this with a feint to the left, I'll respond with a strike to the right. And then, I'll win." He pulled back his sword, he did not have a sheath for It, but he held It close to him. "But even I can't predict his movements or reflexes exactly, but I am still likely to be victorious."

"What are you talking about?" Kalo interpreted. "Are you planning to fight someone? Wait, never mind, of course you are. People trying to stop you!"

"Fairy, do not think that I am evil, I have concluded that you think that, believe me, my Intentions are good. It is a pity that I can not tell you them. For none can know my plans. But do not worry, soon the Fire and Sprit Sages shall complete their part, and I shall almost be finished." Shadow suddenly waved his hand. A portal appeared. "Go, it will take you to Hyrule, there you can do as you please."

Kalo stumbled back. "Why are you letting me go? Aren't you afraid I'll ruin your plans?"

"At this point, there is no way you can stop my plans, they are set in motion, and there is nothing anyone can do about them. To keep you here is to cause pointless suffering."

Kalo took a moment to look at Shadow, "Well, fine. Goodbye, Shadow. Don't think I won't try to stop you. Because I will."

Kalo returned to Hyrule.

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