17. A Terrible Fate

So first and foremost this story has hit 50 follows and almost 50 favorites and I can't really express how much that means to me, so I wanted to do a thing. Send me a PM with any questions about the story and ill answer them ^^

Next, I apologize again that I take too long between each chapter, I'll try to do better.

Blackness...

It swirled around him as Link fell through a vast unknown void, shards of light zipping past him as if they were held up by some force. Almost like he was falling through the night sky and the shards were the stars that shone high above.

In those moments Link could feel a chill gripping at his skin and all he could do was cling to Volga as they fell, the small dragon barely lit up by the passing starlight.

Was this the end? Falling through nowhere after being blasted by some freaky jester, Volga didn't deserve this... He just wanted to explore the world outside of his mountain and now Link had dragged him into whatever this was.

'I have to save him... I have to!'

The thoughts seemed to boom out around Link as he said them in his mind and golden light erupted from the back of his hand and he felt his fall slow while the specs of starlight shot towards him. Although a moment before they mad contact he felt hands press against his back and for some reason it felt familiar; one large firm palm against the whole of his back, a far smaller rougher hand on his right shoulder, and one the size of his own but very cool to the touch on his left shoulder.

Before he could turn back though the light engulfed him and whiting out his vision, but he could still feel; the warm dragon curled against his chest, and the three hands for a moment longer before they pushed him forward seemingly into the light.

As the white faded and Link finally felt cold stone beneath him his eyes opened and had to take a moment to adjust to the dark, however he could hear water running beside him. Once he could see Link looked around and saw that they were in a musty water way with algae covered stone making up the floor and the walls while the water in the waterway beside him flowed through a metal grate a bit further down the path. In the opposite direction however, Link could make out some kind of movement heard clicking in an odd rhythm.

"Where are we?..." Volga quietly asked from Link's chest as his head swayed back and forth slightly, Link's best guess was that he was still shaken from the fall they had dealt with.

"No idea. I'll scout ahead." Link reassured the dragon while reaching a hand down to his blade and a faint breeze passing over them as Link conjured his Shadow Magic to make them invisible. As he moved down the stone path more of the room came into focus and as he reached the end of the path he stood at one side of a bridge which spanned across the water way to the center of the room where a large rotating wooden column stood and a few feet above his head slowly cranked a wood gear which he assumed was the sound of the clicking that seemed in time with the rotation.

"A gear? Like a windmill?..." Link silently questioned as he failed to remember any kind of large windmill anywhere he had been in Hyrule. With a shrug he moved on across the room to stone steps which seemed to lead up another level. As he set foot on it his eyes quickly scanned the the room but found nothing but a door on the other side with steps leading up to it. Having expected to be attacked Link was extremely confused as he stepped forward into the room towards the door. "It doesn't look like anything here Volga."

"It seems you both have met a terrible fate..." A high pitched voice sounded from beside the blonde's ear and in a flash Link drew his blade while spinning back to attack the man but as he turned he saw that the figure was still a few feet away rather than beside him.

"Who the hell are you?" Link called out positioning Volga to be more out of sight in case Link had to fight.

"Now now aren't you more curious how I saw through your magic?" The man questioned as he stepped forward the light from above illuminating him enough that Link could see bright red hair and a wide smile, however there looked like a boulder was on his back from this angle. The minute he said it though Link realized he was right and glanced down at himself knowing his magic was still active.

"I'm guessing one trick or another, I don't know much about magic. So, are you friend or foe?" Link cut to the chase rather than beat around the bush. Which made the man frown slightly but his smile quickly returned.

"Well you see, I'm a mask maker and salesman so in my craft I've gained the ability to overcome the abilities I instill in masks. To answer your question I'd like to think you and I have been friends for a long time Link." The Happy Mask Salesman declared seemingly proud which left Link confused since he hadn't met anyone who looked anything like this man however in that moment he remembered his legacy and guessed that meant this man had known one of his past lives.

"I'm not the same Link you may have once known." The Hylian said plainly as the man chuckled lightly.

"Oh of course, it's been ages, this isn't even the same place I met you before, well it is but it isn't." The man spoke very quizzically before looking back to Link. "I suppose you'd like to know where you are?"

Link narrowed his eyes for a moment finding the man very awkward bu slowly put away his blade while Volga crawled up around his shoulders where he usually was seeming to have gotten over his dizzy spell before speaking up. "Yes, we'd like to know where we are."

"Oh such a polite dragon. Well then I can't say no to that. As you may or may not know, long ago the Temple of Time was built in Castle Town and served as a bridge to the Sacred Realm's Temple of Light. When it was opened it caused a great calamity, the calamity which the Hero of Time stopped. After that point the Sacred Realm was a tarnished battleground after the war with evil, over time it broke and fell apart." The man began to tell the story while pacing back and forth which gave Link a look at what was on his back and it seemed to be a massive bag bound with rope and masks decorating it. One in particular standing out with a mustache and a red hat. "A time after that, a particularly lonely youth found a vessel of massive evil power. Using that power he created another world known as Termina, a place that would experience destruction after three days. When the Hero of Time saved the youth Termina began to break apart, it was never a real place anyway." The man continued to explain to Link and Volga, while the Hylian was taking everything at face value Volga was mentally checking the story with what he knew of the Sacred Realm and the temples. However what neither of them saw was a faint outline behind them of a tall gold suit of armor with a single glowing red eye. The mask salesman however seemed to be looking right at it during the entirety of his story.

"This place we are in now is whats left from both places. You were banished to the Sacred Realm but when your soul called out for help the Triforce pulled together the shards of Termina and pieced them together into this place for you. There is no tellign how long it will last so you should try and leave post-haste." The man chimed particularly amused while his gazed shifted from the Hero's Shade to Link once more.

"Then... if I was banished here how did you end up here?" Link questioned the man as Volga looked to the hero slightly surprised.

"Oh, you ask good questions. I'm afraid I can't answer that one though. I do hope you find your way home though." The man responded with a smile before the wooden doors behind Link slammed open making him jump and turn expecting an attack but there was nothing there but a white void, Link took a moment to look back but the Happy Mask Salesman was already gone.

"He's weird. Very weird." Volga stated quietly feeling very off after meeting the mask man.

"Yeah hopefully we can get through here without wasting too much time." Link sighed and shook his head before turning back to the doorway and stepping through with his blade in hand.

As Link's foot fell he felt soft dirt and as he stepped through completely he found himself in what looked like a dense forest. A soft clack came from behind him and as Link looked back at the door he saw some kind of white wall with handles the looked like they slid closed rather than swung shut. With a shrug Link stepped into the forest finally feeling a bit more at ease. As he glanced around there didn't seem to be any clear path and the canopy was so dense he couldn't see the sky.

"It feels like forever since I was in the forest." Link happily sighed as he began to look for some kind of path he could move along.

"You're from the Kokiri province right? Beside Ordon?" Volga inquired as Link began to make his way through the brush while using his blade to mark trees on his right.

"Yeah, starting to feel a bit homesick, I didn't think this was going to turn into a huge journey." Link admitted while his blade sank into another tree and he hopped over a root.

"I'd like to go there sometime." Volga said while laying his head on Link's shoulder.

"Heh, wanna see the forest?" Link asked as he moved between a few trees.

"I'd like to see your home." Volga responded in kind, finding the idea of seeing his brother's home pleasant.

"Oh... Yeah, I'd like that too." Link smiled small as he moved around another tree, the thought of Volga wanting to see his little village when the dragon grew up in a castle on top of a volcano seemed incredibly amusing to him. However as Link rounded the next tree he stopped in his tracks. "Dammit..."

"Link?" Volga raised his head curious to why he stopped and he listened closely to the forest to see if he noticed what his brother had.

"Something is up with this forest." Link said while raising his hand to point at one of the trees ahead of them where the trunk had the mark he had put in it moments ago.

"Does that mean we went in a circle?" The dragon inquired.

"Yes but we shouldn't have I made sure we were moving forward." Link grumbled under his breath, his experience as a hunter should've made sure this sort of thing didn't happen. However his eyes widened as he heard a faint creak of a branch and he dropped to the ground rolling behind the closest tree as a number of bubbles struck into the dirt where Link had stood moments earlier causing it to hiss and bubble from caustic acid.

"Close call hero, but magic won't save you in this forest and you won't get out by running around."A menacing voice seemed to ooze from the forest but Link wasn't having any of that. The moment he had got behind cover he had put away his blade and pulled his bow from around his shoulder while drawing it back. Just as the voice finished Link leaned around the tree firing where the needles had been launched from and returning to cover. It took a moment but he heard the thunk from the arrow hitting wood. "Heh, you're a much better shot this time."

"Damn, get in my mail Volga." Link cursed while opening his collar for the dragon to crawl into, he gave Link a look before moving inside. "This guy is an assassin, Soren told me they attack from the shadows and even a glancing blow could be fatal."

"Soren?" Volga asked quietly as Link quickly got up moving through the underbrush of the forest using what he had learned as a hunter to stay out of sight.

"He taught me how to hunt and use a bow back home, he used to be a royal knight before retiring to Kokiri." Link explained under his breath while he took another arrow but held it in his bow hand as he moved.

A sharp twang caught Link's attention as he moved through a cluster of vines and he lunged forward into a roll moments before a massive tree trunk swung through the air where he would've been standing if not for the sound alerting him to the tripwire.

Faint sounds could be heard moving through the forest but Link didn't have the arsenal or skill to close in on the assassin considering his best bet was his bow and even then he needed a straight shot or at least an accurate location for his bombs. However as he pushed through the vegetation he had an idea while glancing at his bow seeing the markings on it.

"Do we have anyway of countering him?" Volga looked up at Link worried as he started to list their potions. "Gale isn't fast enough and could get hurt, the Tundra Boots aren't that good at range, the Spidershot could help but it could get hurt too. We could bomb him but that could work against us if we catch the forest on fire. Maybe your magic?"

"That's what I'm gonna try, stay close." Link warned as he saw an opening between a cluster of trees. As he reached the edge he tripped on purpose hitting the ground prone. However he only stayed there a moment before rolling to the side and drawing his arrow drawing his mana into his bow without thinking. Just as the bubble hit the dirt where he had fallen he fired the arrow, however as he let go he saw the arrow swiftly disappear into a green vortex in front of his box and almost instantly he heard a cry of pain in the trees.

"Gotcha!" Link hissed and climbed to his feet while rushing in the direction of the cry. His magic surged to his boots and the ice acted like footholds as he ran through the tree branches reaching a spot about thirty feet above the ground where blood had been splattered across a tree trunk. However there was nothing there but the blood. Instead a sharp crack rang out as a flash burst from inside a nearby tree trunk where a deku nut had been set by the assassin.

"Link?!" Volga cried as Link lost his footing and fell to the ground below. After hitting the ground with a harsh impact Link groaned feeling numb all over while his vision swam. Slowly he made his way into a sitting position but Volga was already out checking on him.

"Volga.. Get back in." Link coughed as he slowly stood up.

"No, this is bad can you even stand up?" The dragon asked while moved around him worried.

"I'll do what I have to." Link shot back as he looked at his bow on the ground before pulling the blade from his hip. "Do you remember the Queen? I need you to do that again."

"The Queen?" Volga asked quietly before looking at the blade and realizing hat he had meant. "Yeah I can do it."

"Do it now." Link said with a nod trusting his partner, Volga nodded back before landing on Link's arm and merged back into his sword once more creating a surging flame that solidified as a greatsword. Although Link was grateful it was magic and didn't weigh more than the blade Volga had enchanted. "I'm done playing cat and mouse."

With a surge of mana Link poured his energy into the blade making it erupt in violent flames before crouching low with his sword arm back but with the blade angled in front of him. With a twist of his wrist Link turned his body in a violent spin while letting the fire explode out from the sword consuming the forest in a matter of moments while the fire washed over the everything like a tidal wave.

Once the spin had finished Link saved his mana while nodding to Volga and the dragon emerged from the blade watching in awe as the tempest of flame consumed the forest. "Now that's a wild fire."

"Heh, right?" Link grinned a bit as the flames began to diminish quicker than he anticipated. As his gaze moved to the sky they widened seeing the black void spotted with stars, once the flames had ate through all of the forest leaving Link standing on a smoldering chunk of earth floating in the void.

"Heh good job hero." The deep voice sounded from a few feet away where Link saw a figure with a lithe figure garbed in dark green and brown clothing that seemed to have had leaves and vines seared off from his attack although Link's arrow was still embedded in his left shoulder. His face however was hidden behind a sad looking mask that reminded Link of a deku with its wooden texture and reddish eyes.

"Who are you and what is this place." Link questioned after making his way to the defeated man.

"This is a fragment of the long forgotten Termina, it is the only place where my clan could still exist, we do not belong to your Hyrule." The man stated as the mask on his face began to crack and the edges crumbled.

"Your people were stuck in limbo until Termina was reformed?" Link inquired to which the man simply nodded which made the rest of the mask break more showing a bit of a white strip underneath with some kind of writing.

"My brethren inhabit the other shards and you must defeat our master. Surely after Termina has been put to rest you will be returned to Hyrule hero." the man quietly confided in Link as the last of the mask broke away revealing some kind of tag that lit up like bomb, however before Link could reach him he spoke once more with a smile on his face.

"To die without leaving a corpse... That is the way of us Garo." The final words of the man as the tag exploded destroying the man as he vowed. The sudden death left Link shaken as he started at the black blast mark on the ground. In this place stuck floating in another realm, someone found escape in death.

"Link... It was what he wanted. It's not your fault." Volga spoke softly trying to assure his brother as the same wooden sound from earlier filled the area and link looked over to see the white wooden doorway open once more.

"I know..." Link quietly responded as he got up dusting the soot from his clothes and nodding a farewell to the spot where the man had been. He knew this is what he had to do to allow them to rest and to get back to Hyrule, but it didn't make killing any more easier.

Volga simply lowered his head understanding though having a somewhat jaded view on killing to survive while Link viewed it as being bad in general. As Link reached the door way again he touched the the white door and found it felt like paper which was curious but he figured it was something to do with the Garo's customs. After taking a breath Link moved forward stepping through the white void again although this time he found himself in far warmer area. As his foot came down it hit hard stone and once he stepped though he found himself on a stone battleground spanning a large area with flames surging from every side.

Again the door slid shut behind before Link stepped forward to a lone figure that stood at the center of the area. This one had a much larger frame however, probably closer Ganondorf's which may have felt intimidating under other circumstances but now Link saw the figure as a measuring stick. As he drew closer he saw that he was covered in red metal plate-like armor, not like the nights but more like solid pieces rounded across his chest and flat planes along his upper arms. The strange armor gave Link pause but as Link came to a stop about twenty feet away he noticed a large bat-like weapon laying at the man's feet.

"I take it you're the next Garo?" Link asked respectfully before the large man nodded causing the light to cast across his mask which seemed to resemble a goron this time, which he supposed explained the large stature and armor. At least this time it didn't seem like it would be a stealth battle.

"We will commence mortal combat, use all skills you have or you may not survive." The man's gruff voice warned and judging from the last encounter Link took it to heart rather than as a threat. As the large man bent down to grab the handle of the bat and lifted it from the floor he saw the planes along its surface and the massive weapon looked like it was meant to break in doors and gates, oh that would've been useful earlier.

"We need to keep an eye out or else one hit will take us out." Link said to Volga who nodded and stayed alert as the man hefted the kanabo onto his shoulder like it weighed nothing which didn't bode well for anything that got hit by it. Link shifted low and fetch a few arrows which he held in his bow hand again so he could move and aim when he needed.

Rather than saying anything the man lunged forward and slammed the club down with immense force. And while Link barely moved out of the way the force of the blow made him trip slightly forcing him to fall into a roll before getting hid footing and drawing an arrow. His shot was aimed at the man's arm but his arrow glanced off the armor.

"Great." Link sighed as he backed up a bit to make the man's movements take longer to reach him as he lifted the kanabo again which now flickered with fire. In fact his entire body seemed to glow with fire as he moved in on Link again this time swinging horizontally which he barely dodged by ducking under it but it felt like a giant had just roared above him as the club went hurtling by.

"Now!" Volga chirped as the club flew by leaving the man's side open. Link quickly drew back three of the four arrows he had left in grasp before firing them into his side. Each one landed with a wet squelch but they instantly caught fire on impact and the man roared as he drew the kanabo high intot he air aiming to slam down once again. Link quickly tried to draw his last arrow and aimed for his wrist in effort to disarm him but the blow came down to quick forcing Link to leap away. However as the force of the Kanabo bellowed out Link loosed the arrow skyward.

"Dammit... I don't have the mana to use the greatsword again and I doubt Gale can do anything againt him, the bombs either." Link grunted getting to his feet and setting his bow back on his shoulder before drawing his blade. Although he did get an idea after seeing the kanabo tear through the air. In a swift movement Link pulled the Spidershot from the bag setting it on his off hand while the man rushed towards him once again.

"If small attacks are all you have you will not defeat me, you will die here." The man warned Link as he drew back his arm for another sweeping blow. However this time Link was ready to counter and leaped back out of the way before firing the spidershot at the kanabo when it flew by and pulled him to it. Using the kanabo as a platform Link leaped high over the man and send a short surge of mana along his blade which formed the ice saber once more and he brought it down hard against the man's shoulder. However on impact the blade shattered from the heat radiating off the man and the area itself. Without missing a beat the man slammed his fist into Link's stomach sending him skidding across the stone and Volga flying off his brother a few feet away.

Although before Volga could reach Link a harsh crackle filled the air before a bolt of lightning fell crashing into Link's hand sending massive cracks across the platform as Link cried out in pain before looking over to see his arrow crackling with energy as it stuck through his palm. The man watched for a moment before shaking his head and approuching Link hefting the kanabo onto his shoulder again.

"No wait! He was just struck by lightning that can't be fair!" The dragon snarled as it moved between Link and the Garo warrior, as the electricity surged around Link he no longer felt mana exhaustion, normal exhaustion sure but he could keep going.

"Volga, flash." Link called out and without missing a beat the dragon shot out the flash of flame that he had used against the captain of the guard. Using the distraction Link ran for Volga picking him up before dropping into a slide and skidding across the wet stone beneath the man allowing him a moment to get some distance and think as the man got over the flash.

"Are you okay? How the hell is there even lightning here?" Volga griped while moving down Link's arm to remove the arrow.

"We can't worry about that now. I got an idea when I got hit." Link explained while putting away the Spidershot, instead he retrieved Gale setting the boomerang on his hip before forming ice along his blade again however this time he formed a copy of Volga's greatsword.

"Um, I don't think bigger is better here." Volga looked at the blade confused before Link moved in jsut as the man turned to face him with a roar and turned to slam the kanabo from overhead once more. This time Link turned out of the way while sweeping the greatsword around in an upwards slash against the kanabo clashing for a moment before the man roared once more causing spikes to erupt from the kanabo shattering the greatsword and sending Link flying back from the broken weapon. "What now?"

"Now, he's right where I want him." Link grinned before taking Gale and launching the boomerang toward the Garo warrior before it curved around creating a small cyclone that collected the water from the melted ice splattering the warrior with water. Before he had a chance to react Link rushed in while gripping his blade tightly, the moment he was within the warrior's guard a flash of yellow burst from the blade in his hand as electricity enveloped it fueled by Link's mana. In that moment it was over, Link thrust his broken blade into the man's side as the cyclone soaked him with the water from the shattered ice and the lightning roared as it surged through his metal clad body. After a moment the lightning ended, Gale ceased the cyclone coming to hover a few feet away and the Garo warrior fell back with a deafening crash against the stone floor.

"Heh, That was a good fight... Our master is more than each of us, he commands the powers of demons." The Garo told Link before weakly reaching up to take hold of his mask waiting a moment for Link to back away before removing it. Link wanted to look away but felt it would be disrespectful as the warrior recited the same line as his clansmen.

"To die without leaving a corpse... That is the way of us Garo." The man declared before the explosion consumed him like the one before. Again Link was left in silence after the conflict which had roared through the area.

"...How did you use the lightning like that?" Volga asked quietly wanting to change Link's train of thought and it worked for a moment. It took some time for Link to speak up again as he looked to Volga while scratching behind his head.

"It was that bolt earlier with my arrow, I just felt it inside me and used it." Link shrugged before stepping away from the warrior's resting place and headed for the door that had opened once again. Volga blinked quietly while thinking about what Link had described mentally reviewing the texts he had read about mana and magics.

"It sounds like transference... But if this is where the Temple of Light is it could be the leyline which awakened lightning magic, although it would usually be light." Volga mused openly before looking at Link who simply shrugged, he seemed to be awakening his magic just by being in the right places.

"It's alright, no reason to fret." Link assured Volga as he stepped through the void again but as he did it felt strange like the surface was giving beneath his weight. As he stepped through he found himself on a beach with water spanning out before him. The sun felt warm and the breeze was cool but as he looked up he saw the same night sky with a large sphere symbolizing the sun overhead. Before him standing in the surf was a single figure in tight navy blue garb, even from this distance he could make out the Zora mask adorning their face.

"Hero you've put two of us to rest in trials of stealth and strength. I aim to test your ability with mystical arts." The mage announced to Link which made him sigh and draw his bow once more.

"Alright." Link said feeling like this grind was going to end up going through every race he currently knew existed. However the mage gave pause when seeing his bow.

"You use magic through your weapon? Very well." The mage began to recite an incantation while the ocean around her began to surge and roll around her rising up like a great wall. Link narrowed his eyes and drew back an arrow focusing his mana into it while filling it with lightning magic. Once it was prepped he waited for the massive tidal wave. As the mage completed the chant the water took the form of a large snake which resonated with Link for some reason but still he loosed the arrow that screamed like a flock of chirping birds as the arrow pierced through the serpent and through the heart of the Garo mage.

"Whoa... Lightning arrows are awesome." Volga muttered under his breath as mist splashed them from the destroyed water snake. Link quietly put away his bow feeling like any drawn out fight would just end up causing more pain before the inevitable.

"I don't want to cause people pain who want to rest." Link spoke as he walked into the water and towards the Garo mage.

"Heh quite the humanitarian for someone who kills whatever the princess tells him to." The mage chided at Link with a sarcastic smirk although that stung at Link's pride.

"As if, that flat chested bitch can deal with her own problems." Link grumbled while looking off at the fake horizon while Volga looked up at him.

"Still mad about the book?" The dragon asked.

"Yep." Link nodded before the mage chuckled a bit to himself.

"Our master is next, he wields the weapon of the hero who quelled Termina." The mage peacefully nodded before reaching up to take hold of the mask just as the others did.

"To die without leaving a corpse... That is the way of us Garo." The mage recited for the third time after Link had stepped back and removed his mask allowing the explosion to consume him and splash the water away from where he floated with white foam spreading across the blue water.

"...Lets go." Link quietly spoke as he headed toward the door which had opened on the shore awaiting Link and Volga as the others had. The dragon nodded as his brother made his way forward, finding his resolve to allow these spirits to rest inspiring in a way.

This time as Link stepped through he felt a firm surface beneath his foot and as he came through Link saw a vast grassy field that appeared to go on for forever, however ahead of him stood a large tree with leaves rustling slightly in the breeze. As Link walked closer he saw someone under the canopy of the tree but he couldn't quite make out any details until he got closer. Before him sat a man on his knees at the base of the tree where a thin line of smoke rose into the air in front of him. He seemed to have a build in between Link's and the Garo warrior's and some shapes along his back that Link couldn't quite make out in the shade of the tree.

"You have freed my clansmen from this place... You have my thanks hero." The man spoke before slowly raising to his feet and as he did Link could see his hair was pulled back into a high pony tail of black and slightly grayed strands, as he turned to face Link a very featureless gold mask came into view with sweeping angles that reminded Link of a bird as well as sharp incline across the bridge of the man's nose. His lower face was left visible where Link could make out slightly tanned skin along with a salt-and-pepper mustache beard which extended up along his jawline. "However I cannot forgive what the past hero did to seal us in this limbo."

"I... I understand that, I'm not him though... Is there anyway I can make amends for my past lives?" Link asked as he stepped closer earnestly wanting to try to repair some of the harm he had caused. However as he did so the man began to unsheathe a sword at his hip and as the man stepped into the light the sword gleamed brightly like a beacon and as Link got a good look at it he saw the flawless metal with three gold diamond shapes comprising the center of the sword while the guard was set at abrupt angles. The sword was a marvel and for some reason Link felt drawn to it.

"If you wish to make things right, you may pay with your life. Your past life killed my mentor and the previous head of our clan, now I bare his mantle as the Garo Master." The man declared as a dull green light seemed to come from behind him and an object floated around to his left arm where it attached to his forearm before creating a large diamond shaped shield comprised of multiple colors. Now armed the man's stance shifted as he prepared for battle.

"...I don't want to do this. But I won't die here either." Link proclaimed as he met the man's gaze and stepped back while getting his bow ready and reaching back for a few arrows getting ready.

"You have no shield and choose the bow over your sword?" The Garo Master observed quietly something on his voice hinting that he took it as an insult but Link didn't care now he had to finish this and get back to Hyrule. The Master moved in fast raising his shield to block Link's first shot before sweeping low at the Hylian's legs but Link had seen the angle of the blade and already pushed himself backwards while drawing another arrow back this time focusing his mana into the bow to make the arrow burst into flame before rushing at the man.

"Not every warrior wields a sword!" Link shot back as his fire arrow sank into the man's shield and knocked him off his balance as the flames ate away about half the shield before the arrow fell to the ground having exhausted thee mana used for the shot. The damage wasn't as permanent as Link hoped though as the damage began to repair itself with a green glow mending the damage, although Link caught a glimpse of a horrid brown mask beneath with multicolored feathers that matched those on the shield's surface.

"Nor do they all wield steel." The man spoke back while raising the fist that held the gold lined sword as a pale brown glow quickly swung around the man's torso pausing briefly in front of his raised fist to let out a large ball of fire that was easily the size of the man who had launched it. However in that moment Link saw the glow was coming from a mask with three wide eyes and sharp mandibles around a maw filled with fangs.

"Crap, can't move in time!" Link cursed while the roar of the flame drowned out his voice, although he swiftly reappeared a few feet to his left narrowly missing the bulk of the fireball however the edge of the magical attack seared across Link's shoulder leaving a flame for a moment until Volga quickly put it out with his wing.

"You can't risk taking another hit that strong or losing the mana to teleport again." Volga quickly assessed as the mask flew back behind the Garo Master who was already back on the attack rushing in with a downward slash. Link began to move rolling to his right but he felt like he wouldn't be able to get out of the way quick enough but something felt like it grabbed his sleeve and pulled him those extra few inches out of the way and out of the way of the gilded sword's path. As Link came out of his roll he quickly drew back another arrow and fired aiming just past the shield and the sharp sound of flesh ripping told Link he had hit his mark.

As the man grunted in pain and blood dripped down his arm Link glanced around but saw nothing, rather than dwelling on it Link drew another arrow while the man was bleeding but he quickly jumped out of the way as Link loosed the arrow missing his mark. As his blue eyes narrowed he saw the shield flicker and link drew another arrow closing his eyes briefly feeling his soul tug slightly and let the arrow go. As it soared through the air the Garo Master raised the tribal shield to block it once more, but it wasn't enough as the shot slipped through when the shield flickered and pierced through the mask beneath.

"Gah dammit!" The Garo Master screamed as the shield vanished and the fragments of the tribal mask fell to the ground revealing his bleeding arm impaled with two arrows now.

"Give up now and we can make this painless." Link tried to reason with the Master but the man growled in response bringing back his arm as the pale brown glow came again. As mana began to build up into a large fireball Link spun back on his heel down into a crouch while drawing an arrow doing the same as he focused his ice mana into the arrow causing wisps of cold to trail back while frost collected along the length of the arrow.

"I won't let you play the savior again!" The Garo Master roared as he swung his arm forward launching a fireball twice the size as the last. Link could only sigh before letting the arrow loose and listened to it whistle while until it punched through the fireball engulfed within the flame. As the fireball came dangerously close it burst apart. Leaving embers dancing in the air. The arrow however had pierced through the brown mask as well freezing it solid along with the man's whole arm.

"I'm not a hero!" Link yelled back feeling his own disdain well up inside him knowing this was the fault of the 'hero' that had come before him but he wouldn't, couldn't, let that weigh him down he had to fight further. This time Link moved in around the man's left side where his frozen arm would be a liability and stowed his bow in favor of his blade. However as he grabbed the handle the Master saw him and shifted his stance to level the gilded sword to block Link's attack but Link was faster as he pulled the cleaved blade faster and stepped past the Master slicing through his side.

"Y-You don't have a sword..." The Master gasped as he stumbled back from Link as blood spilled from the wound. However before he was more than a few steps away a bright blue and purple surrounded him as two more masks moved out to float at his sides. The purple one designed like a monstrous fish with massive fangs began to make clusters of water around him before firing them up into the sky while the blue one fashioned into the shape of a metal goat? Looks like a goat, began to crackle before a massive amount of lightning began to surge around it. As the man directed the goat mask fired a bolt of lightning down the gilded sword and at Link like a missile. Thankfully the build up of lightning gave Link a moment to get up and run staying on the move while the man continued firing bolts. The next Link had to leap over while the third shot ahead of his position, every shot making clouds of dirt and debris explode from the ground.

However before Link could dodge the next blast the Garo Master brought his arm back and drove the gold sword straight through the goat mask making the blade erupt in electric energy before firing a powerful raging beam of plasma straight for Link. Rather than risking his mana again Link turned and push his legs as hard as he could to launch himself out of the way but he didn't quite make it as the lightning tore through his left arm.

"Link!" Volga cried as Link hit the ground, he could smell the seared flesh and felt the tingling remnants of electricity through his chain-mail.

"Hows that for power? Do you feel yourself slipping off the mortal coil?" The Master snapped as Link struggled to get back to his feet gripping his blade tightly while the crackling along the man's gilded sword faded away.

"I can't move my arm..." Link admitted as he felt pain rack his body from even trying to make his arm obey his whim. Volga quickly skittered around his shoulder looking at the bright red skin some spots lined with burns and others torn open with blood dripping down his arm.

"I-I don't know what to do" Volga whimpered as he touched the red skin feeling Link wince but he wouldn't make a sound as his gaze never moved from the gloating Master.

"Volga, I'm going to need your help to beat this guy... Can you be ready when I tell you?" Link asked quietly through labored breaths feeling the toll the gauntlet of battles was taking on him along with the injury he had just sustained.

"Y-Yeah just say the word." Volga nodded before quickly moving to Link's right shoulder.

As Link steadied himself he looked at the last mask which still hovered close to the Master and its attack still hadn't come through. Pushing off the ground Link's mana pulsed through his body running to his boots and to his sword, as he reached the Garo Master he dropped into a slide where ice formed where his boots touched along him to zip through the man's legs in a flash before he created a block at the end to halt his moment and pushed off leaping up behind the man. In that moment the ice created a full sword from his blade allowing Link to come down with a powerful slash cleaving the fish mask in half just in time for wave of rain to splatter them. However in the same moment the Master jumped and spun driving a powerful kick into Link's side sending him sliding along the grass coughing harshly and spitting blood onto the blades of grass struggling to get back up.

"Yeah... Ribs definitely broken." Link sighed under his breath feeling the pain radiating through his body as his gaze rose back towards the Master.

"N-Now?"Volga shuddered extremely worried now and not knowing what else to do other than listen and wait.

"Almost." Link coughed while wiping the blood on the back of his arm guard.

"You still stand before me, good. This would be boring if you died like a dog." The man said as he stepped closer with the gilded sword still gripped tightly, for the damage Link had done to him it didn't seem to stop the warrior. "One last blow."

As the Garo Master raised the gilded sword into the sky preparing to strike down Link, the Hylian felt a hand at his back steadying him but as he glanced back he saw nothing. Volga however acted the moment the Master began to attack firing the bright flash of flame once more blinding and staggering the Master for only a moment.

That moment was enough.

"Now!" Link called as he heard the burst from his partner's flash and Volga raced down his arm melding with the blade as Link shifted his body and quickly brought the flamberge over his head swinging down to clash against the Garo Master's blade pushing him back a foot before the warrior steeled himself and pushed back against Link's attack. Every muscle in his body was screaming at Link as he pushed harder his boots digging into the soft dirt before the Master chuckled under his breath.

"Too bad for you, That mask wasn't the only source of lightning I had!" The Garo Master roared as the gilded sword flared with bright blue electricity and sung against the flamberge. Stronger than the lightning though, Link heard Volga scream in pain triggering something deeper inside.

"You'll DIE!" Link cried as power bloomed from inside him, deep within, beyond the strength of the Triforce as primordial strength flowed through him and towering blade of flame bloomed from the flamberge. Streaks of red flowed across Link's face and his eyes turned white while his canines seemed to become fangs in that instance as he forced the blade down cleaving through Garo Master sending a raging column of flame tearing through the ground as well as the man's body tearing it asunder.

"Do not forget these words... I, Zenhiru Garo, shall die, leaving no corpse. That is the law of us Garo." The man uttered before his very being began to break away as ash and Link lost his grip on the blade causing it to fall, sticking into the ground as his broken blade while Volga flew beside Link staying aloft with his wings while staring in awe at the long glowing red scar Link had left in the earth.

"You did it..." Volga whispered as he hovered down to Link's right shoulder nuzzling against his neck.

"Yeah... I'm sorry you got hurt." The Hylian apologized quietly unable to look at Volga not knowing his plan would put his partner in danger. Link however, looked the same as he did mere moments earlier fair skin and blue eye, though now they were filled with sorrow.

"It's alright, it really wasn't that bad I just wasn't expecting to feel it." Volga admitted a little sheepishly feeling bad his cry had scared his brother.

"...Really?" Link asked quietly eventually looking back to the red dragon.

"Yeah I'll be fine once I eat some iron, mom always said iron heals all wounds." Volga chirped happily while Link raised an eyebrow.

"Here." Link spoke as he bent down picking up the blade and offering it to Volga.

"...Isn't that the sword your brother made you?" Volga looked at it warily not wanting to cause more friction, judging from Link's story he seemed the touchy type.

"A bit of it I still have the rest." Link responded patting the sheathe on his hip that housed the rest of the iron blade. "Besides it looks like we finally got a real sword again."

"Hm?" Volga tilted his head while taking a bite out of the black iron as Link bent down picking up the Gilded Sword, though it was still warm and covered in streaks of black soot from the attack it had failed to repel. "I can't believe you didn't cut it in half. Strong metal."

"Yeah, it should serve us well." Link smiled at the dragon before noticing the doorway had opened again.

"I think that's our way out." Volga commented while chewing away at the iron.

"Probably, I'll need to see a doctor after this though..." Link sighed not sure how this would end up effecting their plan to storm the castle.

"Bolin could help." The dragon chirped as Link stepped through the portal. "He has a bunch of alchemy stuff, like potions."

"Yeah maybe we'll head back first." Link agreed as he left the fragments of Termina, however he wouldn't notice the black ash clinging to his boots as he returned to Hyrule.

Once Link stepped through the white void and heard the running water again he almost thought he was back in the windmill but as he looked around and saw the familiar stone paths of the waterways where Ghirahim had banished him he sighed.

"Thank the goddesses..." Link reached out touching the familiar stone but then realized his arm was fine, jumping back he touched up and down it feeling that it didn't even hurt, his body for that matter didn't hurt and he didn't feel like he had used any mana, however the Gilded Sword still resided in his hand."I... Feel fine..."

"Me too..." Volga mused as he finished the last of the blade's handle earning a look from Link.

"Maybe its because you finished eating?" The Hylian inquired which earned a light chuckle from the dragon.

"Heh, maybe." Volga admitted as Link began to move down the waterway before hearing a loud voice down one of the paths which made Link move quicker while staying quiet so he could potentially avoid the group. The black ash however turned down the path towards the voices.

As Link ventured further into the castle's waterways a group of Sheikah patrolled the very same paths, although one in particular didn't perform very well as a ninja.

"Man you guys are boring..." A young white haired Sheikah complained while following his group of three.

"You don't need to announce yourself every chance you get Jiraiya, kind of defeats the point of stealth." His female comrade shot back at him in a hushed tone.

"Whatever." Jiraiya sighed dismissing her as he stepped over some ash scattered on the floor, however as he did so the black essence raced up him before entering his body.

"Do you ever take anything seri- Jiraiya?" His comrade began to berate him however as she turned around to glare at him she found him standing there unmoving. "Jiraiya? Come on we have work to do."

"Yeah. We do." He slowly spoke as the girl rolled her eyes and continued ahead with the other two Sheikah members. Meanwhile 'Jiraiya' unsheathed his blade before following after them silently killing each one. After the bodies had been placed in the water to be washed out the waterways the young ninja simply smirked.

"Well well, it seems Hyrule will be a nice place to bring about the resurrection of the Garo... No, that name means nothing here, I will bring about my own clan from the ashes of these, these Sheikah." The youth began to cackle while heading down a path that lead him out.

"The Yiga will rise."