A/N: Well, I said I'd make a sequel if we reached my goal. Now, here we are. Appreciate the support I've gotten on the last story. That being said, if you haven't read, What Lies Beneath The Calm Waters. Read that first, then tune into this one. There's going to be things I reference from that story, that will fly over your head if you don't understand the context.

As for this story... You can see from the tags and the summary that things are about to go down. I didn't want to write a story that was basically just a happy ending with them banging each other into next week. There's going to be a lot of things that kind of mess with both of their minds and a lot of hard trials to overcome. This isn't going to be all sad stuff and whatnot. We're still going to have what we all want, we're just sprinkling in some drama. The inspiration I got for this idea was off an anime I recently watched called, Re:Zero. If you've seen that, then you already know where I'm going with this. However, the concept of that is very relatable to most games in general. If you watch the show, you'll understand what I mean. Anyways... enough about that and onto the story.

This first chapter, is going to be a basic summary of the game; taking my own playthrough experiences as a reference. Up to the last boss fight.

Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to any of the Zelda characters or universe.

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Ten months have passed since Link's awakening. There wasn't a memory to his name, save for the few, 18 to be exact that he recovered throughout his journey. They were brief moments of what happened 100 years ago, though most of them only gave a general idea of what happened, not the full story.

If he was being honest with himself, he still didn't really understand everything that was going on, only that if he didn't stop this evil, then everything he knew would perish.

No pressure...

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It's survival of the fittest out in the wild, if you're weak, you die.

The world is cruel. That was something he learned right out of the gate. Mere minutes after awakening, he was ambushed by a pack of Bokoblins. Before he could even get his bearings sorted, he was already in a fight for his life. A theme that persisted as the days continued to pass.

What made him decide to fight Ganon today? There wasn't any particular reason other than just a feeling he had. He'd been to Hyrule Castle several times before, but in each of those times he just didn't feel ready to face Ganon.

Hyrule Castle... it was the first place he went to after leaving the Great Plateau. Despite the warning he received about how dangerous it would be by the old man, he decided that it was the best course of action regardless. He needed answers, needed to find out who he was, what he was.

Now, one couldn't blame Link for being skeptical. After all, he'd been asleep for the past 100 years, and the first thing that happens when he wakes up? A woman he can't see or recognize claiming that he's their final hope, and that he's the light that must shine upon their land once again. On top of that, an old man he meets moments later spouts the same nonsense. Add the fact that he revealed himself to be the spirit of the late king, and that was all Link needed to think that his mind was playing tricks on him.

Everything seemed too... convenient. Thus, the need to travel to supposedly, the most dangerous spot in the land.

However, shocked, would be an understatement for what he discovered. When he rummaged around the castle grounds, Link managed to stumble across not only Zelda's dairy, but the King's as well which revealed that the old man's words reigned true. There were other things that he found that he felt were important, but with his mind in such a state of fragility, everything basically went over his head.

In the beginning, Link just focused on surviving, getting a feel for the land that he became disconnected from for so long. Next was the matter of visiting Impa, and getting the Sheikah Slate fixed. Then it was regaining the fighting skills that he'd forgotten. He barely managed to survive the few encounters he ran into, and after talking with both Impa and Purah it turned out that he was quite the accomplished swordsman. If he was to eventually face Ganon, his swordsmanship needed to be better than what it was previously. Although, just regaining his lost ability didn't satisfy him. So, not only did Link regain his ability to wield a sword proficiently, he also became able to carry a shield and handle a bow. He felt that if he was versatile with using all three, then he could maximize the potential of his special ability, Link's Perception. After encountering the other four Champions, and hearing them give their own unique ability a name, he felt like he should do the same. What this ability did was slow down Link's perception of time by up to 90%. This allowed him to severely punish opponents on the counterattack with quick, calculated strikes that couldn't be dodged or countered. While also giving him the ability to fire multiple arrows while airborne in a fraction of a second.

Once he mastered all three forms of combat, Link travelled to the Great Hyrule Forest where he found the Master Sword he once wielded. Heeding the Great Deku Tree's warning, Link discovered more shrines scattered throughout the land to gather spirit orbs; the essence of those who put in place the trials to prepare the hero, where they could be offered to the goddess in exchange for vitality.

"That sword stands as a test to any who would dare attempt to possess it. As you are now, I cannot say whether you are worthy or not..."

Those words rang loud in his mind as he continued growing in strength. What made him worthy? Was it simply gaining vitality? Did it have something to do with being mentally fortified? There was no clear answer, and for a time, Link doubted whether he could ever be considered worthy. After all, he died wielding the sword once before, maybe he was deemed unworthy from that moment on. However, if Zelda believed he was worthy, then he needed to steel his resolve and take the test again.

He vividly remembered the feeling of the sword sucking the life out of him, sucking the soul out from him. It was some of the worst pain he'd ever experienced, but Link managed to push through and free the sword from its pedestal, reclaiming the title of Master over the sword.

After reuniting with the Master Sword, Link went in search of the Divine Beasts; ancient mechanical wonders that were under the control of Ganon. Freeing the Divine Beasts would require Link to put his resolve to the ultimate test...

In addition to gaining the firepower of the freed Divine Beasts, Link also gained each of the Champions unique abilities. Revali's Gale, an ability where Link can create an upward gust of wind at any moment to lift him several dozen metres off the ground. Urbosa's Fury, which enables Link to summon lightning at the snap of a finger. Daruk's Protection, a protective barrier that can deflect any attack. Mipha's Grace, should Link ever succumb to his injuries, Mipha's extraordinary healing ability would heal all his wounds and restore his vitality.

As great as these abilities were, there was a catch. If overused, they would require a cool down before he could use them again, unlike his own ability that could be used infinitely with no cool down. The reason being that, not only were these abilities not his own, but they were also temporary. Once the spirits of the Champions leave for the nether realm, so too, would their abilities. So, as handy as they were, they weren't something he wanted to become reliant on.

After regaining control of the Divine Beasts, Link took on the Trial of The Sword. Where he aimed to unlock the true splendour of the Master Sword; something he failed to do 100 years prior. The trials seemed familiar to him, but like most things along his journey he just couldn't remember. After completing all three sets of unique dungeons, Link was able to unlock the true splendour of the blade. What this did, was not only increase the durability of the weapon to prevent what happened 100 years ago where it wilted, but it also unlocked all of the power the ancient Goddess put into the blade; which is something that can't be achieved unless both the soul of the hero and the sword are in perfect harmony. The sacred glow that would only appear around enemies tainted by the Calamity's Malice, now appeared 24/7.

He recalled how he later wrote in his journal, wondering if Zelda would be pleased with his accomplishment...

Link didn't realize until much later on how often he thought of her. After recovering all of his memories, it was apparent that over time they grew quite close, but he couldn't tell how much time passed in between those memories. It could've been weeks, months... With that in mind, he only had a general idea of their relationship, and didn't want to jump to conclusions. With no way to fill in the gaps, it was something that frustrated him to no end. He desperately wanted to remember her, remember all of her.

Once he was finished with the Trial of The Sword. Zelda reached out to him once again, saying that there was yet another trial in store for him. Link could never forget the One-hit Obliterator. That feeling of his life force being sucked out trying to obtain the Master Sword? Multiply that by ten, and add several days of that pain surging constantly throughout his body. He could barely lift a weapon, let alone wield it proficiently, it felt like if someone tossed a rock at him that would be the end of it. The four shrines he was tasked with completing were meticulous death traps designed to kill Link if he made even the slightest error in judgement. Perfection, was what the Divine Beasts desired if they were to be tamed.

After Link managed to survive the four shrines, he was then required to do the trials that the previous Champions did to be deemed worthy of their respective Divine Beast. Naboris, Medoh, Ruta, and Rudania... Link successfully completed all the trials for each, however, before he could be deemed truly worthy as its successor there was but one last trial. Which was to overcome the fear that dwelled within his mind. Link couldn't help, but feel responsible for letting everyone down 100 years ago. No matter how he tried to rationalize it, all avenues led back to him simply not being good enough. Taming the Divine Beasts would require Link to fight that fear of repeating history.

Once the last Divine Beast had been successfully tamed, Link was called forth back to the Shrine of Resurrection, where his final trial awaited him. After completing the arduous labyrinth, he was faced with the task of defeating, Maz Koshia, the monk who created the trial. Link would be pushed to his limits. Trial by death was a necessary evil in order to clear any residing doubt that the Goddess may have had in him. If he couldn't survive these trials, then there was no way he could defeat Ganon. The stage was set on a floating island, that could only be described as a spinning top. There was heavy rain, and brutal winds. Obstacles that hindered his ability to move as effective, fire as accurate, and see as well as he wanted to. Everything was in the monk's favour, yet, Link still managed to emerge victorious. His reward? An ancient piece of Sheikah Technology called the Master Cycle Zero, one of a kind. Faster than any horse, low maintenance, durable, and could be called or recalled with the Sheikah Slate. Not to mention a suspension system that allowed him to hop off heights that would normally injure a horse. In every way it was superior in regards to travel.

After completing the Champions Ballad, Link was reunited with an old friend, Kass. Who helped recreate the memory of his inauguration as a Champion through the language of music. That, along with the other four additional memories shared by the other Champions helped shed some more light on their past lives along with Zelda's.

It would take Link another month before he decided to face Ganon.

On the morning of, he woke up, went through his usual morning routine, hopped on the Master Cycle, and left. Zelda didn't tell him to go, Impa didn't usher him either. In fact, there wasn't any sense of urgency by anyone. Getting the usual greeting by the Hateno villagers, and seeing the people of the land carry on their usual business as he drove by... It was an odd sort of calm before the storm...

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One final battle, one last push, and he'd be freed of this burden. Things were different this time though, this time he wasn't alone. Maybe he never was...

A golden glow, the same one that he seen when he first woke, the same one he's seen time and time again along his journey shined throughout the sanctum.

"..."

He looked around the room for her.

"Link..."

His attention focused to the pulsing sac of Malice.

"Link... I'm sorry... but my power isn't strong enough... I can't hold him..." said Zelda.

A blue laser suddenly pierced through the tainted heart. What came out of the prison of flesh was nothing short of disturbing. A spider-like figure covered with Malice made a sickening thud onto the ground.

Ganon...

Before the two could square off, the entire floor collapsed from under them.

They fell several hundred metres down a wide passage that led into a massive open area that was hidden beneath the castle. While Ganon picked himself up, Link majestically glided down to the surface via his paraglider.

Once the dust settled, the two locked eyes. Ganon roared and Link put a hand on the hilt of the Master Sword.

Before things could begin, the entire earth itself began to shake.

"Now my moment has finally come. Brace yourself, Ganon, for the sting of my revenge!" said Revali.

"This will be our final opportunity. We will not fail!" cried out Mipha.

"Let's go, little guy! Now! Open up wide, Ganon!" yelled Daruk.

"A hundred years in the making... Hold on, Princess. Our moment has arrived!" said Urbosa.

The four massive beams of destructive force pierced through the sanctum and came barreling down on Ganon. Divine Beasts... Their sole purpose is to aid the hero in his fight against the Calamity. While the legend states that only the soul of the hero may deliver the final blow with the blade of evil's bane, that didn't stop the people from wanting to help him. The Goddess was touched by the peoples resolve to protect the land that she loved so dearly, and so, she blessed each of the Beasts to make them truly Divine. This is why the requirement for piloting a Divine Beast is unique. Essentially, a Champion is a symbol of their respective people, and needs to be able to truly put them, ahead of themselves. The destructive force seen now... One could say that it was that of the countless generations of people willing to protect the land that they loved so dearly. The land that they wish see the light shine upon once again...

A barrage of beams showered over Ganon, and he was helpless to stop the peoples wrath. He's been trying to take over Hyrule since time immemorial, and countless people have suffered and lost their lives because of it. So, in a single attack, was that of the people across all of time willing to put an end to the cycle of chaos. The result? A message was sent, a reminder to Ganon that Hyrule will never bend to his will. That they will fight even after death. That the land will always be blessed with the light, no matter how many times he tries to shroud it in darkness.

Link knew that this battle was only getting started, however, he wasn't alone, the people were with him.

He unsheathed the Master Sword, and the sacred light suffused across the blade once again. Both he and the sword were ready to finish this.

It looks like he's a combination of the other blights that resided within the Divine Beasts. Meaning, that the tactics I used before will work again.

Ganon first did a sweeping attack with its flaming guardian sword. Link did a perfect parry with his shield, and took advantage of the opening with a few quick strikes to his head. He then tried do to an overhead slash, but was easily countered, and once again punished by Link. To switch things up, he surrounded Link with three of his limbs, each carrying a different type of weapon.

Good in theory, but he gives away which limb he's about to use before each attack.

Link did a mix of dodges and parries to counteract the three different types of attacks. Link was a defensive fighter, always waiting for his enemy to make a mistake so that he could punish it. Ganon so far, was playing right into his strength by attacking without a strategy.

After a few minutes of getting nowhere, Ganon then climbed up along the wall. Thinking that if he attacked from a spot that couldn't be punished, then Link would eventually run out of gas.

How wrong he was...

Using Revali's Gale, Link lifted himself about a dozen metres from Ganon's face. Pulling out the Great Eagle Bow; which could fire three arrows at once, Link let loose three Anicent Arrows into his forehead, then six, nine, twelve, fifteen... Ganon fell listlessly to the ground, stunned, but Link wasn't done there. He followed Ganon down and thrusted the Master Sword through the top of his skull while he tried to pick himself up.

Ganon roared with rage as Link up to this point had been making the battle seem elementary. However, he wasn't going to go down that easily. In a final attempt to take Link out, he surrounded himself with a fire shield, one that even the Master Sword couldn't cut through.

Snapping his fingers, Link summoned forth Urbosa's Fury. The lightning was easily able to penetrate the shield, allowing Link to severely punish Ganon for leaving himself wide open.

He got cocky thinking I couldn't penetrate his shield.

It didn't seem to matter what Ganon did, what tactic he tried to use to gain the upper hand, Link always had an answer. It was clear who was going to win this battle. Ganon swung at him with his fire sword once more, which Link countered with a casual backflip over the blade. He then used flurry rush to take advantage of the interval when Ganon's shield was down.

Ganon suddenly screeched in pain. His essence was no longer able to hold a physical form from the damage it received and thus, gave up entirely on trying to maintain one. Ganon then transformed into his spectre form to regroup.

Come, Link. This battle isn't over yet.

Zelda had witnessed everything unfold from her prison inside Ganon. After the Malice broke through Zelda's barrier, it trapped her inside its essence in attempt to eradicate her light. She wouldn't give in so easily, but if she were to see Link fall in battle... Seeing it once before nearly caused her to break, though if she was being honest with herself, in a lot of ways it did. To see it happen again, after she waited all this time to see him again...

No, Link won't lose! I believe in him!

As her and Ganon left the castle, Zelda teleported Link along with them.

She called out to Link, feeling the need to encourage him to make the final push.

"Ganon... Ganon was born out of a dark past. He is a pure embodiment of the ancient evil that is reborn time and time again... He has given up on reincarnation and assumed his pure, enraged form. If set free upon our world, the destruction will be unlike anything we've ever seen before."

Her heart clenched when she could feel his eyes piercing through Ganon to look at her. He couldn't see her by any means, but he sense her light. It was... reassuring.

Soon... we'll be together again.

Calling upon her powers, she forged a bow that fired arrows of pure light. Link wouldn't be able to damage Ganon's core with the Master Sword any longer, but that didn't mean that Zelda didn't have an ace up her sleeve.

"I entrust you with the Bow of Light; a powerful weapon in the face of evil."

Zelda's feelings came to the forefront of her mind, as she recalled what Impa told her 100 years ago.

"Link... you may not be at a point where you have fully recovered your power or all of your memories..."

He revved up the Master Cycle.

"But courage need not be remembered... For it is never forgotten."

This was the final push, Zelda would help Link in any way she could to ensure his victory.

"That energy covering Ganon's body is called Malice. None of your attacks will get through as he is now... I will hold the Malice back as much as I can, but my power is waning. Attack any glowing points that you see!

"May you be victorious!"

It didn't take long for Ganon to start firing his beam made of Malice. Link managed to evade the blast, however, when he looked back all forms of life; the trees, grass, everything was erased.

Riding along Ganon's side, he waited...

"Shoot the glowing points!" cried out Zelda.

There were suddenly three big glowing points across his side. One on either leg, and one on the torso.

After several months of training, and battles that were matters of life or death, hitting the glowing points was child's play. In rapid succession, Link hit the centre of each target.

"Ganon's power is weakening!"

Link circled over to the other side, waiting for another opening.

Once the three glowing points emerged, Link simply repeated the process. Easily hitting each target.

"It's working!"

Just a little more, Link!

As Link continued to circle around the back of Ganon, there was something bothering him...

He's not really putting up a fight... Is this the power of Malice Ganon succumbed to? He seems more a mindless beast than a sentient being at this point.

Zelda's words broke his thoughts, "Hurry, Link!"

The next glowing point was on his stomach. Link drifted under the beast, and hit the next mark.

"We're so close! Link! Look up there!"

She was only able to do it briefly, but she managed to show Link where the core was located on the back of his neck. Her power was nearly depleted, but so was Ganon's, meaning that she could expose his core, albeit for a few seconds.

"That's the very core of Ganon's being! Do what you must, Link!"

Link will have to provoke Ganon in attacking, and once he exhausts his power, I'll expose the core! All we need is for one arrow to hit...

Doing a complete 180, Link drove about 500 metres away from Ganon. The two stared each other down for a few seconds before Link slammed on the gas, and headed straight for Ganon.

Zelda could feel the remaining energy of Ganon's essence being put into one final attack. Her heart stuttered, knowing exactly how devastating the attack would be.

There's no way Link could dodge this next attack. He'll be killed!

"Run, Link!" she pleaded.

Link continued on his current course. While the beam of destruction coming at him was indeed terrifying, there was no backing out. He called upon Revali's Gale, and soared above the beam at the last second. Ganon anticipated this, and directed his attack upwards, forcing Link to summon Daruk's Protection. However, even this wasn't enough to stop the blast, and the barrier quickly shattered.

As the protective barrier shattered, Link pulled out his shield. Now, it was a matter of who had the stronger will to finish off the other.

The temperature from the beam was so hot that the shield itself was close to reaching its melting point, and parts of Link's body became singed from being exposed to the immense heat for so long.

It's survival of the fittest out in the wild. If you're weak, you die. It's just that simple.

He deflected away the last of the blast, and pulled out his bow.

"Link!"

The weak spot presented itself.

Thing is Ganon...

He hit the core of Ganon's essence, and glided to the ground.

I'm not ready to die a second time just yet.

Once he landed, a ball of blinding light launched overhead. As it slowly drifted down in front of him, the light faded. He couldn't see her face, but he knew it was her.

Zelda...

Ganon returned to his spectre form once again, unable to even maintain the pure, enraged form any longer. Using the power of the Triforce, Zelda summoned a sphere of light. Ganon tried to flee its grasp, but acting like a black hole, being sucked in was inevitable.

The Calamity was defeated, the 100 year struggle was finally over. The land that had succumbed to the darkness was finally brought back to the light.

We did it... We actually did it! Link... he-

The soft footsteps coming from behind immediately grabbed her attention.

Keeping her back to him she said, "I've been keeping watch over you all this time... I've witnessed your struggles to return to us as well as your trials in battle. I always thought-no, I always believed; that you would find a way to defeat Ganon. I never lost faith in you over these many years..."

Taking a deep breath she turned towards him, the man she waited 100 years for, with her hands held tightly to her chest.

"Thank you, Link... the hero of Hyrule."

She offered him a smile, a smile only meant for him, a smile filled with the hope that the man she loved remembered his feelings for her, remembered his promise to her.

I know we just reunited, but I have to know. I need to know...

"May I ask... Do you really remember me?"

A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. Link basically dominated that entire fight, and this is just from my own playthrough. If there was something I felt was lacking in the game, it was difficult boss battles. Dark Beast Ganon in particular was incredibly underwhelming. Sure, the attacks take a ridiculous amount of life away if you don't have a fully upgraded armour set, but the attack patterns are so easy to follow that it really is elementary to fight them. This story is just getting started, and there are a lot of avenues I want to cover before this is finished, so stay tuned.

Remember to leave a like, share it, and comment your thoughts below. If this story reaches my goal, then you already know I'll make another. It's a symbiotic relationship.

Anyways, see you guys in the next chapter.