Sora Versus Toon Link Part 5: The Ultimate Showdown!!! -Act I
Somewhere far away, in the not-to-distant past.......
Act I
"........Where am I? Is anything real this time, or all just another dream?.........."
The young man struggled to awaken from his slumber, it felt to him like it had been years since he had suddenly ceased to exist. And yet, Sora was finally awake somewhere and for some reason. What had happened to him before wasn't quite apparent yet to the Keyblade Master, but it was obvious that he wasn't alone in that cold, gloomy foyer of Hollow Bastion. Sora had company, and they were closing in fast. He didn't know why he was in his current situation, but it was apparent to the teenage hero that if he unless he readied his guard then it wouldn't be long until Sora returned to the dark abyss from whence he had just emerged.
"Sawra, yurr'e alive! Downald, come quick!" "It's a miwracule!"
Fortunately for the still-groggy hero, it wasn't hostile company that awaited him this time around. Instead, Sora easily recognized the voices of his best buds in the whole world- Donald Duck and Goofy, the two brothers in arms that had stuck with him through the good times and the bad. The Disney heroes flew down the steps to greet the person they had thought dead just an hour before. At the bottom of the stairway, in front of the fountain where they had first dueled Dark Riku, Team Disney was finally reunited. The oninous mood of the musty foyer belied the excitement of the meeting that was taking place at the moment.
"What happened to me?", the Keyblade Master weakly asked to his best friends. "How did I end up here?" Sora struggled to come to his senses, but he dimly realized that for him to be reduced to his current state, lying prone in the middle of an unfamiliar hall with little recollection of his own identity or the events of just a few minutes before, that something very significant had just occurred- to Sora, it was almost as if he had died and somehow returned to life.
Fortunately for him, Donald and Goofy seemed to be very relieved to have found their leader. Realizing the currently amnesiac state of the Keyblade Master, the pair decided to elaborate from the beginning.
"Hyuck Hyuck, it's such a rulief to see you again! We thought you were a gwoner for shure! One moment you were standin' in front of Kairi, and then you just vwanished in to nuthin'!"
The name seemed to rouse the revived hero back to some semblance of mental clarity. After all, Kairi was Sora's best friend of all and he swore an oath to do anything for her. The thought slowly crept in- if this is what happened to Sora, then where's Kairi? Didn't Riku say that-
"Donald! Where's Kairi? Did it work, is she okay? Did I really.... you know.....die???" The Keyblade Master pleaded with the despondent duck for some answers, but the mallard, replendent in his wizard robes and showing a rare moment of calm, only glanced down and began to utter what he had to do. To Donald, it was somewhat of a vindication for himself. He and Goofy had tried to warn Sora, but the reckless teen hero actually had gone through with the deed. The duck was more than a little surprised that Sora had revived, to be sure, but now was the moment that he and Goofy had feared. Now was the time for them to reveal the truth.
"Sawra, cawm down for a sec. We twied to warn you, but you picked up Riku's Keybwade and impawed yourself with it! And then... you just evapowated. Kaiwi..... didn't wake uwp. Her hawt was inside yours, but she's stiwll lifewess.........It didn't work, something's still missing but I'm gwad your'e okay!"
Predictably, Sora wasn't cheered up by Donald's news. After all, he thought to himself, wasn't Kairi's heart the final one needed to open the Hollow Bastion keyhole so the world could be sealed from the darkness? That's at least what Maleficent and Riku had thought, although Sora realized the folly of trusting those who made their fortunes from decietful behavior. However, that didn't quite explain why the two were aiming for something that clearly had not worked. Perhaps, the Keyblade Master thought, Donald would have some more answers for him.
"How....did I end up here, Donald?" The last place Sora remembered being at was in the keyhole room, but that was at the other end of the castle. "Wewlll, uh,..." the duck responded with hesitation, "you were a Heartwess for a while. We would have killed you when we saw you, but something brought you back when Goofy was about to do it. Something guided you back here, and your body just came back somehow. We still thought you were a goner, and so we ran to spwead the news. I don't know how you came back to life, but we need you more than evwer!"
"And what about Riku?" The Keyblade suddenly recalled his former friend turned dangerous enemy. the leader of the Heartless, known only as Ansem, had lured the older boy to the side of darkness through promises of a Keyblade of his own. As it turned out, Sora used that same weapon in an attempt to free Kairi's heart. It obviously hadn't worked......
"Golly Gee, what ever did happen to him?", the amiable dog thought aloud. Goofy was resplendent in his yellow and green uniform and held the his Knight's Shield at the ready. As the captain of King Mickey's guard, that had been his training over a lifetime. Besides, without Hollow Bastion's keyhole being locked the Heartless still had free reign of the old place. They could expect a fight around any corner, and now that Sora was still alive, even the dimwitted dog was sure that Ansem, wherever he was at the moment, would keep coming for them.....
"Goofy, you big lug! Remwembwer, Sowa beat him right befowe our idiot buddy here killed himself!!! But then..... Ansem rose up and took him along again, and we haven't seen him since!!! He's still around here somewhere, and we need to get moving befowe he finds us!"
"Hyuck Hyuck, we didn't do so well against Ansem by ourselfs last time, did we?", Goofy blurted out before he realized the significance of his words. The dog was right, however- right now, with Sora just waking up, they were the prey of anyone, and any moment they could be wiped off the map like their leader just nearly was. They needed to find the others- Leon, Yuffie, Aerith, anyone else- and fast. Or else, the Seeker of Darkness would have his way and Hollow Bastion would go crashing down with them inside.
Despite his mental fog, Sora seemed to have the same realization as the others did right then- things usually worked that way for them, since they had been fighting the Heartless wherever they had appeared for several months now. Of course, it seemed to be a longer amount of time than that because the team was so in tune with each other. In any case, the Keyblade Master was grateful to the duck and the dog for having spared him from eternal slumber. Unfortunately, he thought, the same wasn't true at the moment for Kairi......
"Who's watching over the Kairi and the other princesses?!?!?!?", Sora demanded to know of his allies. He was gaining awareness of his surroundings fast, and the memories of recent events seemed to come at him all at once. "We have to save them, they are the only chance we have left against Ansem!" As of this moment, there were a number of princesses gathered whose hearts were needed to open the keyhole of Hollow Bastion. That, Sora realized, was why they were in this lonely castle in the first place- The plans of the late Maleficent had been to use their hearts to unlock the hole and gain ultimate power from it. Unfortunately for her, Team Disney had arrived just in time and they narrowly defeated the Mistress of All Evil. Riku, who was possessed by Ansem, then turned on the witch and smited her with the same dark Keyblade that Sora had just used on himself. While they were recovering there in the chapel, the unguarded and unconscious princesses could be attacked by the Heartless- or worse, used by Ansem or someone else to secure thje victory for ultimate darkness. If it was true that Kairi still hadn't been revived, then she would be in the utmost danger!
"Come on guys, let's go get Kairi before the Heartless do!", the Keyblade Master shouted, as the youthful hero leapt to his feet and his Allies struggled to keep up. For some reason, despite almost meeting his end Sora felt more alive and powerful than ever before. That silver and gold weapon of legend, the Keyblade, seemed to be as comfortable a partner as ever as the Keyblade Master ran at a breakneck pace through the orange-lit halls and past the glittering old statues of the castle. For as cursed as this place was, Sora figured, there was something majestic about it- perhaps the castle did have a life of its own, after all. Such were the passing fancies of the teenager's mind as he dashed through the halls. Donald and Goofy probably weren't happy with Sora's current pace, but if anything mattered to the Keyblade Master at that moment it was Kairi. He had sworn an oath to never leave her, but alas even his own sacrifice hadn't been enough to restore the innocent girl to life. There had to be something else, another piece to the puzzle, but it just didn't work out right now..... In any case, her welfare was Sora's first priority.
The mazes of the old castle continued, old staircases and stone walkways and bizarre old machinery, all a blur to Sora. For all he knew, it could have been already been too late. After all, since waking up he hadn't seen one person in his journey through the castle. The sense of uncertainty began to take hold, as the group finally came across the old Chapel where Maleficent had met her demise. For some reason, Sora didn't feel out of place here; the old gargoyles and dusty stained glass seemed like the perfect place to pause for a second and let his winded allies catch up for once.
"Gawrsh", Goofy said, breaking the stale silence of the abandoned Chapel, "this place gives me the Creeps! Downald, ya hangin' in there buddy?" The cantankerous duck, who relied mainly on his purple Mage's Staff for attacking and wasn't exactly accustomed to the exercise, didn't find amusement in the dog's encouragement. "Yeah wright," he retorted, "we're awmost to the sanctum. Let's gwo, and save the bantwer for when-" Donald was unable to even finish his joking sentence, and for good reason.
A thundering crash shook the foundations of the sturdy old Chapel, and the group realized it at once- the fight for Hollow Bastion, and the universe, was still going on! Sora, as usual, reacted first.. "Come on guys! We gotta go now! I'm not letting Ansem get away again this time!" Sora hadn't remembered the last time that someone had really gotten to him emotionally, but never before had the world that he and his friends called home been this close to oblivion. There was no time left anymore- no second chances, no time to regret or plan or apologize for the past- this time, the entire universe was at stake, and the only hope for it staying intact rode on the shoulders of Sora, Donald, and Goofy. The ground shook ever more loudly as the brothers in arms passed the atrium where not too long ago the Dragon of Maleficent had met its end. "At least then," Sora thought as the situation became more apparent to him every passing moment, "I had been in control of my destiny. Slay the dragon and win. If I can't make it to Kairi in time, I'll never forgive myself......all for the worst choice in the world!"
The roars and disturbances of battle grew ever louder as the brothers in arms approached the dark portal which led to Hollow Bastion's Inner Sanctum. This wasn't a war that was going on, it was a massacre. Whomever or whatever was responsible for the carnage inside those walls was obviously enjoying it, the evidence clearly echoing as deep laughter and roars of triumph through the dreary hallways. Sora, Donald, and Goofy hesitated to imagine what twisted being Ansem had turned into as a result of his lust for revenge against everything that stood for light in the world, or if it even could be him anymore. What sort of thing could possibly be so depraved as to not even spare the innocent? Such a concept hadn't really been apparent to Sora before- he had faced some heinous villains to be sure, but nothing of the repugnance of what lay just a few steps ahead of him. With just a second of caution, the three heroes entered the purple vortex- and their rendezvous with destiny......
The Grand Hall, previously the scene of so many prior struggles, fell silent as the Keyblade Master and his friends rushed up the stairways. No more yelling, no more explosions, just a quiet that saturated the air as if the graves had already been dug for the monster's victims. In fact, Sora would have ignored the mortally wounded hero, Leon, entirely unless the soldier had called out to him from a corner obscured by the shadows-
"You..... are too late.....Sora. That man.......came out of nowhere.......he won. We tried to stop him..... but there was nothing we could do for the others. Yuffie is dead.....Aerith and Beast also. You don't have a chance. Run for your lives, and don't return........Save yourselves.........for your future............."
The Great King of Evil had returned, and Ganondorf was more heinous now than ever. The Gerudo Lord was no worse for wear, which seemed impressive considering that he had been turned to stone just a year prior to this moment. Ganondorf stood where Sora and Riku had dueled just hours previously, staring at the hypnotizing colors of Hollow Bastion's enormous keyhole. He seemed to be fairly amused at the Keyblade Master's arrival, but had nothing more to say about it. Donald, quick-tempered as he was, finally broke the uneasy silence. "Yow're not Ansem.....We fwought him before......Why would you dwo this to us?......" Sora was losing patience quickly, and he decided to interject as well with his own choice words. As he took a bold step towards the silent King of Thieves, he yelled, "Who are you?!?!?!? Come on, let's settle this!!! I'm not going to let the darkness win, especially for you!!! ANSWER ME!!!!!", he dared to call out to the man who had defined evil in another world for thousands of years. Alas, the echos rang hollow through the ancient halls- for all Sora knew, the man in front of him had done away with every sign of life in Hollow Bastion except for the four of them. Awaiting the inevitable response to his bold challenge, the Keyblade Master tensed his grip on the weapon that had chosen him, above all others, to wield it. Though the shining blade gave him a small measure of security, it also brought passing guilt to his mind, just for a second, at that very moment- "Would Leon still be alive if he had my gift instead??? He didn't have to die like this....."
After that passing thought, the Great King of Evil finally broke his silence. "After all," he reasoned, "I may as well gratify these fools by letting them know how they will meet their end!!!" The dialog between heroes and villain finally began, as the Gerudo King opened with a question. "You ask me why I'm here, but have you revealed the same for yourselves? You pathetic worms, I may not know you but I am not impressed by what I have heard. You say that you want to lock this world from darkness? YOU.....ARE.....DARKNESS!!!!! And so am I the great Ganondorf. I'm the one who strives to master it, become one with it! Consider this pathetic girl, one heart apparently above all others, except one-"
"NO!!!! You're not taking her away from me!!! Not like this!!!", Sora interrupted with a roar, as he suddenly realized the fiend's objective. This man clearly wasn't another Heartless, or another one of their puppets- he knew the secret to unlocking any Keyhole in the galaxy, and to do so he would be willing to take an innocent life. There was another Princess of Heart out there, somewhere, and without her power Sora couldn't beat this new enemy at his own game. Without her, Kairi would never see Sora's face, or the light of day for that matter, again. Without her, the Keyblade itself would be doomed.
Ganondorf waited a second, and then responded with amusement. "You got spunk, kid, and I'll give you that. Reminds me of the next person on my hit list.......speaking of which, I've got a score to settle. With both of the Princesses of Heart, in my possession, there's nothing you can do to stop me now-"
The duck had obviously seen enough of this treatment, as he started to loudly squawk to his teammates." Wet's show this piece of meat who he's dealin' with!!!", he shouted to Sora and Goofy. "Come on, wet's take him down!!!" The others agreed, and Team Disney made a direct charge at the Gerudo King. Ganondorf saw it coming before it happened, and his opponents never had a chance- it was a futile effort, as Ganondorf dissappated into a purple vortex of dark magic before the heroes could even strike a blow on him. It was as if the enemy they had just faced was a figment of their imagination, something that they feared Ansem would become but never had........
As the portal faded away, Ganondorf's laughter broke the silence of the Grand Hall one last time.
Goofy had been silent for this entire confrontation, but at last he made his opinions heard. "Well, that fellow ain't gonna stop us, now is he? We've been through everything together, we gotta find a way to follow him wherever he's goin.......I'm not lettin' Ganon win, and I'll say that to my grave!!!" Goofy's words seemed to be obvious, but considering the nearly impossible odds Team Disney now faced, could any of them take him seriously? Had darkness triumphed over the Keyblade Master once and for all? For what seemed like an hour, the Grand Hall was again silent. Eventually, Sora decided to speak up next.
"You're right....", the Keyblade Master replied with a renewed clarity as the shock of what had just occurred started to leave him. "I'm not giving up now- for you guys, for Kairi, for Leon, for myself..... "We'll find that bastard and Ansem as well, I swear it!!!!! Remember, what we promised, Donald, Goofy? All for one and-"
"One for awl.", Donald finished with a determination that was evident from the duck's tone and expression.
With the team reunited and the ghost of danger exorcised for the moment, an inevitable realization suddenly came to Sora's mind- the heroes that had fallen to Ganondorf's cruelty deserved an honorable funeral. The young man, only fourteen years of age, had gone in a few short months from playfully dueling his childhood friends to mourning the real deaths of real warriors. To Sora, warfare wasn't a game anymore- and having gone to the other side and back just a few hours ago, he resolved to do everything he could to protect the lives of his only allies left- Donald and Goofy. But honoring the dead came first and foremost, and they needed to work quickly to set up the funeral pyres- Hollow Bastion was still a treacherous place, after all....
The bodies were carefully lifted one by one onto Goofy's shield and carried outside, where the raging bonfire pierced the chilly night air. It was reminiscent of so many scenes from long-forgotten battles in the lost annals of history, but today it was as real as anything to Sora. Such was the final, bitter end of the road for these fallen martyrs, and one by one Sora eulogized their memories as their corpreal remains dissolved into light and smoke........
"Yuffie, the ninja girl that through her wittiness and sensitivity for others showed us the meaning of friendship.........Beast, whose kind heart belied his intimidation and showed that anyone, no matter how unfortunate, can change his luck.......Aerith, the caretaker of everyone, who would have given her life for any of us and instead did so for all of us..........Leon, the noble man who showed us that truth of life as a Warrior, that a better world is something worth fighting- and dying- for......................
The Chosen Keyblade Master, who had seen battle countless times recently, was unable to continue any further. Those people, now reduced to vanishing corpses, had been his family over this remarkable quest. Now, thanks in part to him, they would never get to witness a future without darkness................They were gone forever.
Donald and Goofy joined Sora in his tears.
The funeral pyre seemed to burn for hours, eventually smoldering into nothing but ashes. The past was dead, never to come back. But slowly, however, Sora realized that it wasn't the end for him- not yet at least. He'd go down fighting for the side of good, for a world still able to be saved from the cruelty of a few. Slim as it was, he reasoned, there was still hope- there was light behind the door, and he was destined to open it one day.........
Suddenly, Sora remembered a recent promise. He reached for his pocket- A charm was still there, a token given to him by Kairi. It was handmade, in a star shape that smiled at anybody who saw it. For the first time that he could remember he was able to do so, Sora smiled back. He'd see Kairi again, somehow, even if he had to travel to the end of the world and beyond. The charm would find its way back to her, or else the young man who possessed it would die trying to return it. The group would have to leave this old tomb soon, for whatever foreign world Ganondorf and Ansem had escaped to. But, they'd find a way to get there somehow, and a whole new land beckoned to be sealed by the Keyblade Master. Whomever lived there needed Sora's help, and he was obliged to provide it. The teenage hero was thus reminded of something else, a poem from Kairi- who was by then infinitely far away-
Thinking of you, wherever you are....
We pray for our sorrows end,
and hope that our hearts will blend.
Now I step forward to realize this wish.
And who knows,
Starting a new journey may not be so hard,
or maybe it has already begun.
There are so many worlds,
but they all share the same sky-
one sky, one destiny.
A new determination emerged in the Keyblade Master's heart: tomorrow was to begin a new chapter in his journey, this time to seal the whole galaxy from darkness.
"Hehehehe!!! Come on you sleepy head!!! Wake up, Big Brother!!! So, do you remember what day it is today????"
Another morning brought another thrilling awakening for the small island settlement, and its most famous resident, Link. It was his sister Aryll as always, and like usual she was tireless in her attempts to rouse her Big Brother into wakefulness. Link had fallen asleep in the watchtower overnight yet again, and her sister's excited tone seemed to indicate that today was indeed special. Belatedly realizing his sister's intentions for waking him up, Link stood up and stretched out with a yawn. Finally, when the dreams had faded back into the Hylian's subconscious he was able to mutter something resembling a rational thought.
"Thanks, Sis," he responded in a drowsy tone, "for getting me awake. Sure was comfy, though.... Oh, crap! Time to get up!!!" Link realized that today was indeed special, and there was somewhere that he needed to be soon. He wasn't quite accustomed to having to wake up early for anything, and it had indeed been a quiet six months for Link. The boy who had become the Hero of Winds a year prior was starting to take ever greater responsibility for his family- his dear Grandmother and little sister Aryll. Other than that, however, it was a carefree life for the Hylian, now thirteen and a half years of age, living on the quiet pair of rocks known to the few that visited them collectively as Outset Island. Link, who had experienced greater warfare in his youth than almost anyone else had in a lifetime, enjoyed it greatly. The name of Link was famous throughout the Great Sea, considering his exploits- he had gone from nothing to being the savior of his people in a short moment, but the somewhat shy boy had never quite felt at home in the comparative bustle of Windfall Island or any of the ocean's few other urban areas. Instead, the war-weary Link had decided to resettle down for a year or two and relish the peace that he had risked his life for against the reborn Ganondorf. That fiend had been finished off by himself and Princess Zelda (who, quite to the boy's shock turned out to be his best friend Tetra!) after an incredible effort.
As far as he was concerned, Link would have been content if he never had to draw the Master Sword against anything else in his life (except to show it's shining energy to the younger kids of the island as well as the occasional curious tourist). Link had never been one to relish killing anything, and he had only created his place in Hyrule's history because he had to in order to preserve its way of life against darkness. His current days were being spent doing what he loved most about life- conversing with the cheerful village folk, playing games with the other kids, and sparring with his kind and vigilant old sensei, Orca.
On this particular day, which would have most likely been not unlike all of the other recent ones, Link finally had a schedule for something different. One of the other kids on the island, Joel, had always looked up to him and wished to be as strong as skilled as the local hero. As it turned out, it came to pass that little Joel was to celebrate his twelfth birthday today.
On Outset Island, this had special significance for every young man because that was the year when they were considered to be adults, responsible for their families and willing to protect them if need be. Until slightly over a year ago, generations of boys went through this rite of passage without any special incident. That had changed, however, thanks to the role the ceremony had taken in the journey of Link. Nowadays, the celebration was undergone with great celebration and Link predictably took a presiding role in the ceremonies. On this day, Joel would don the green clothes of the legendary Hero of Time (who was said to be Link's ancestor) and also of the current Hero of Winds.
Today Joel would become a man, and as such he would also enter the tutelage of Sword Senseis Orca and Link (since the monster attacks of the previous year, the otherwise peaceful natives of Outset had decided to allocate a little more time for self-defense) With the realization that today was going to be more significant than any other in the past year, Link quickly climbed down the tall ladder of the watchtower, took a quick wash in the clear blue ocean water, and donned what was now his preferred outfit- the green tunic and cap known as the Hero's Clothes. Only the Hylian had the right to wear them all the time thanks to his accomplishments, but today was going to be different- Link was going to complete his own transition to adulthood by presiding over another boy's ceremony.
"Hurry up, Big Brother!", Aryll shouted from the about ten yards away on the beach. "We're running late, and it's your ceremony too, after all!", "Okay, geez sis!", the Hylian replied. "I gotta go get my things first. I'll catch up soon!!!" Things hadn't been exactly urgent at all recently for him, and Link was half afraid that he had lost a step or two because of his recent life of leisure. He was right in that he had to get his things first, however. The ceremony involved Link summoning the Triforce of Courage (which, now being reassembled, he intended to pass down to his own children someday) and symbolically bestowing the Hero's Sword and Shield on the newly declared adult. Such was the process that he had went through not all that long ago, and the smaller arms (rumored to have hailed from a long-vanished magical forest) had indeed served Link well in the early stages of his own adventure.
Now that peace had returned to the Great Sea, it was the intention that they would never be again used in warfare- instead, becoming ritual items to serve as reminders of the sacrifices of generations past. With the hour drawing near for the ceremonies to begin, Link entered his dear Grandmother's house and climbed upstairs. The Hero's Shield was hanging on the wall again, lovingly repaired by Link after having been damaged in several grueling conflicts. The Sword was mounted below it, in its scabbard as always and like an old friend eagerly awaiting the next moment it would be unsheathed. The Hylian reverently approached the memorial of his past deeds; to be honest he didn't quite feel comfortable removing the priceless artifacts. For a long, quiet moment, Link examined the maturing face that stared back at him in the sword's reflection. He was a little bit surprised by the person he was observing- "Wow, I'm not a little kid anymore........", he said quietly to himself. This was to be his first time conducting an adulthood ceremony, but even Link himself didn't quite feel grown up enough yet. He had plenty of responsibilities and respect to be sure, but it just seemed out of place for him.
The Hylian had barely set out on life's journey to begin with, but he was already being commemorated for the role he had played in the history of Outset Island. Now it was already time to pass on the torch to a new generation of heroes, and Link himself would sail off into the sunset- leaving his childhood behind. Link felt saddened in a way- his carefree days were coming to and end, and at some point he would become the leader of the village. Never again would he be ale to relive the innocence of his youth- Ganondorf had stolen most of that from him anyway, and the rest was vanishing to time itself- the one enemy he had no power to conquer. Even now, Link was starting to feel himself change. He was getting taller by the month, and he no longer fit in with the other kids' games. The Hylian was getting stronger as well, and it would have been safe to assume that had he continued his rigorous training after Ganondorf's fall that he would have been nearly invincible at this point of life.
Link hadn't been the only one to take notice of his changing self these days; his best friend in the world, the pirate girl Tetra, was starting to act a little strangely towards him as well! The two had grown close together through defeating the hated Ganondorf, but the girl who had the second identity of Princess Zelda could never get enough of adventuring at sea. She stopped by often to visit and was almost a member of the Outset Island family now, but where Link had put the restless life of a sailor aside, Tetra relished it. She remained the captain of her ship first and foremost, and was often away for weeks at a time without stopping back. They talked every so often via the chatting stones they shared, but their lifestyles had put them on different roads in life. That didn't hide the fact for Link, however, that Tetra was visiting Outset more often these days- and the boy suspected that it wasn't just because of loneliness. In any case, the Hylian was not that interested in girls just yet. For all he cared, Tetra would be just fine as a close friend- something that was obviously valuable to him considering the low juvenile population of Outset. Above anything else, the pirate girl was the rare person who Link could share secrets and stories with, and also be there to back him up in case of trouble- Tetra, even with her growing affection for Link, still had a very tough demeanor! If he ever needed help, the Hylian would just wink at her- and she would wink right back.
After a short while of self-reflection, Link finally remembered his goal of making it to the adulthood ceremony. "Man, I can't believe that this day is finally here.", the Hylian thought to himself. "It seems just yesterday that I was sailing around, free as the Ritos of the sky..... I hope that Joel gets to see as much as I did back then- Outset is nice and peaceful, but it can get boring after awhile............maybe I should go on another adventure myself..........." The idea certainly seemed interesting, as peace had returned to Outset so he could afford to leave his Grandmother and sister for a time. "Tetra does have a point.......", Link mused, "Life's for exploring new places and meeting new goals. I wanna make something of myself, and it's time for a new journey.........With the wind behind my sails,........."
"Thanks, Gramma," Link replied as he finally climbed back down the ladder. "Let's go, it's time to celebrate Joel's special day!" She had always been there for him, as he didn't quite remember anything about his own parents (she had promised to tell him when he got married himself). Grandma wasn't as dextrous as she used to be, but with Link and Aryll around to care for her she still had plenty of love to give. Link walked her out the door, and they joined the small crowd that awaited outside. The people of Outset roared as their hometown hero emerged from the humble residence, but none was louder than the man of the day- Joel, who now dressed in the same green clothes that generations of Links had made famous.
Once everyone had completed the trip up to the top, the crowd became hushed and the ceremonies began. As had been rehearsed earlier, it was Orca, the village elder, who spoke first. The old and weathered, yet still quite energetic, man congratulated Joel on his accomplishments so far in his twelve years of life and reminded everyone how this special ritual came to be- in order to remember and celebrate the accomplishments of ancestors past. The other members of Joel's family and other friends then took turns elaborating on how the youngster had grown up since he was a smaller child; they shared stories sweet and sad of the boy's adventures in life, and how he mattered to every one of them. Every person of Outset took a turn to speak on this special occasion over the next several hours, and they all eagerly awaited the final confirmation of Joel's coming of age. When the time finally began, Link had the opportunity to say something of his own to the boy who had idolized him in every way. Realizing the significance of occasion, Link paused for a second and let the gentle ocean breeze pass by, and then began his speech.....
"We should all be thankful that we now live in an age of peace and prosperity, and today we celebrate our good fortune by welcoming one of our own, Joel, into adulthood.. I'm not overstating at all when I say that he has been an inspiration to me as much as I have been for him. The day will come eventually when us kids become adults and we'll have our own children in turn- that's our responsibility to future generations of Hylians across the Great Sea.
We must never forget that as a people we are both one and different- the fortunes of the individual depend upon those of the community, and yet it has been the exceptional acts of a few chosen heroes that have also preserved our happiness on Outset Island. I had the special fortune of being called to serve as one of those individuals, to be a hero to everyone, but I don't think that I could have fufilled my destiny without the support and generosity of you, my friends and family. I believe that's the lesson that we all have learned over the past few years- no matter where our individual destinies lead us, we are all important and special in our own way. Joel here may never have to go through the life-and death struggles that I faced when I was his age, but that doesn't mean that he can't make his mark upon our world's history either.
Joel, be proud of yourself and never give up on your dreams. Things will no doubt be tough for you at times, as they were for me, but I'm utterly convinced that some day you can be just as strong and skilled as myself. There's nothing to stop you from becoming a hero in your own way, and that goes for all of us. And now, let us finalize the first chapter of Joel's amazing journey.........."
Per the ceremony, Link slowly walked across the wood plank bridge to the other mount of Outset Island, on the outskirts of the Forest of Fairies. A few gulls called out to the people of Outset as he crossed, but otherwise the scene was silent, as if the passing of an age was about to occur. The Hylian pulled out his magical Wind Waker baton, which was a gift to him from the gods of Hyrule that allowed him to control the forces of wind at his choosing. Link conducted a special song, and the Triforce symbol on his hand reappeared for the first time since he and Zelda had faced down evil a year prior. The breeze seemed to sing to the motions of the baton, and Joel began to cross the plank bridge.
Link had remembered the last time he was in this situation- his sister had been kidnapped by the Helmaroc King back then, but now there was no worrying as the sky was clear of any danger- in this new world, there was no reason to be afraid of darkness. As Joel started to cross underneath the summoned piece of the Triforce, the older boy waiting for him on the other end prepared to pass on the Hero's Sword and Shield to a new generation- so they could learn from the weapons the same lessons that they had helped to teach Link. When Joel finally got to the other side, the Hero of Winds presented him with a sword and shield, as well as a new title among his people- "Joel, you are a man now. be proud, and stand up for what you believe in." The audience roared one more time as the Triforce of Courage faded from view, back into the Hero of Winds' possession. Thus, the ceremony had ended without incident and Link had pulled it off without a hitch!
Now that Joel's maturity was official, the party then followed. Link enjoyed it very much- when he himself had come of age, he had no choice but to leave Outset Island in order to pursue evil. The Hylian was finally satisfied with himself- his struggles against Ganondorf had all been worth it to him, in order to secure Hyrule for the next generation of its people.
With the monumental ceremony finally completed and his hunger satisfied for the moment (with plenty of Grandma's special soup), Link decided to revisit something that he loved to do more than almost anything else- that was, to meditate and reconcile his inner self with the forces of nature around him. It had been a hectic morning for Link to be sure, and whenever the Hero of Winds felt the stress of life getting to him, he always liked to take a half an hour and regain his composure- meditation had been a part of his more advanced training with Sensei Orca, but it also took significance in Link's own religious views- as a legendary hero chosen by the gods of Hyrule, he had a noticeable (but by no means excessive) devotion to the three main godesses of his ancestors: Din, Farore, and Naryu. Therefore, by meditating on his inner thoughts Link also kept himself in tune to the powers that had given him the ability to become a hero in the first place. Like the founder of a long-lost tradition, he hoped to gain some divine enlightenment for his upcoming goals.
The Hylian then walked quietly away from the main group in the village (most had fallen asleep from a combination of the good food, the midday sun, and exhaustion from celebrating the occasion), and slowly made his way towards his favorite meditation spot on the whole island- a small patch of grass about a hundred yards from his house that was enclosed by some nearby canoes and faced out to the tan ocean beach. It was here that Link turned to find peace after a hard day's traveling, and surely enough on this moment it was as calm as usual. The gentle breeze passed by as always, but otherwise it was a perfect quiet for Link to do some more searching within himself. He had plenty to consider in these few moments that he would set aside, much to contemplate............When would he announce his decision to go on another journey?.....For that matter, where would he go?.......He had explored the Great Sea before, but he hadn't had any reason to go beyond that........What would he do for a boat?.........How would Tetra react...........and his family, for that matter?...........
For the Hero of Winds, those were questions that needed answers- but maybe not just yet. He had already accomplished more in a day then he had in over a year, and now was the time for some well deserved alone time. Without any further hesitation, Link sat between his heels in a kneeling position on the soft coastal ground, rested his hands on his thighs, closed his eyes, and relaxed.............
The issues of the day ricocheted through his isolated mind at first, but as the Hylian fell deeper into his meditative trance he gradually lost touch with the outside world and its petty concerns. He had been trained to achieve this state of internal awareness after some difficulty, and this past discipline had paid off here. The calming rustle of the waves carried his once restless mind off to somewhere else, and then then Link received a vision........
"Hey there," the boy calmly said to the surprised Hylian. "Oh, I'm sorry.....were you in the middle of something? a daydream? I understand......yeah, I was kinda just reminiscing myself. Of old times, those that I wish every day I could have back. To want another chance more than anything else, Link. Do you ever feel that way?........"
"You..... are too late.....Sora. That man.......came out of nowhere.......he won. We tried to stop him..... but there was nothing we could do for the others. Yuffie is dead.....Aerith and Beast also. You don't have a chance. Run for your lives, and don't return........Save yourselves.........for your future............."
Sora, for one, refused to take no for an answer. He had known Leon since the beginning of this quest, and the honorable warrior also known as Squall Lionheart was one of the few enemies that had managed to defeat the Keyblade Master himself in combat. "Leon!!!! Don't give up now!!! Don't give up..........," the desperate young man pleaded in vain. But it was no use, and Leon's wounds had proved fatal. The facts were clear that at the top of that purple staircase and in front of the keyhole awaited somebody more cunning and ruthless than any villain Sora had encountered before. As the brothers in arms finally reached the top, a smug sinister laugh became audible-
"Hmmm hmmm hmm haaa haaaaaaa..........I've been waiting a long time for you, kid.............."
The Great King of Evil had returned, and Ganondorf was more heinous now than ever. The Gerudo Lord was no worse for wear, which seemed impressive considering that he had been turned to stone just a year prior to this moment. Ganondorf stood where Sora and Riku had dueled just hours previously, staring at the hypnotizing colors of Hollow Bastion's enormous keyhole. He seemed to be fairly amused at the Keyblade Master's arrival, but had nothing more to say about it. Donald, quick-tempered as he was, finally broke the uneasy silence. "Yow're not Ansem.....We fwought him before......Why would you dwo this to us?......" Sora was losing patience quickly, and he decided to interject as well with his own choice words. As he took a bold step towards the silent King of Thieves, he yelled, "Who are you?!?!?!? Come on, let's settle this!!! I'm not going to let the darkness win, especially for you!!! ANSWER ME!!!!!", he dared to call out to the man who had defined evil in another world for thousands of years. Alas, the echos rang hollow through the ancient halls- for all Sora knew, the man in front of him had done away with every sign of life in Hollow Bastion except for the four of them. Awaiting the inevitable response to his bold challenge, the Keyblade Master tensed his grip on the weapon that had chosen him, above all others, to wield it. Though the shining blade gave him a small measure of security, it also brought passing guilt to his mind, just for a second, at that very moment- "Would Leon still be alive if he had my gift instead??? He didn't have to die like this....."
Sora quickly shook the thought from his mind, but he didn't have much longer to contemplate his situation anyway. After a few more tense seconds, the standoff was broken as the Great King of Evil finally turned to face his three current opponents.
A smirk came to the man's dark, weathered face as he sized up his trespassers- a talking duck, a dog with a shield, and a youth who barely looked older than his old rival. Surely they weren't the heroes he had heard about from the pathetic boy, right? When he had tried to infiltrate his world with those monsters, it had broken the spell that Link and Zelda had fought so hard to impose on him. Ganondorf the Great had another chance at redemption, without the usual wait of a few hundred years. Why wouldn't the pragmatic Gerudo Lord exploit the chaos that inevitably arrived wherever the Heartless set foot? He had a score to settle with the real enemy, Link, and Riku had promised all the power of the Triforce, and more, in return for a little "help". Of course, the strange young man would be no match for the Great King of Evil later on- after this little errand was run, what little remained of Hyrule would fall to his armies, the ultimate darkness- Moblins, Invisibles, Stalfoses, Behemoths, Darknuts, Wyverns, and plenty more that he didn't even know of yet. Once the Hylian race was extinct and their islands reduced to ashlands, then he could turn his forces against the adolescent fool who was naive enough to break his magical seal. And then......nothing at all would end the reign of Ganondorf the Great. All he needed was the one other true Princess of Heart. That was the current errand Riku had sent him on, and with her latent power Ganondorf could set his own foul designs into motion. The keyhole of the world of Hyrule could be unlocked, and its powers could be used to conquer the universe. In fact, the only other surprise at the moment to the Gerudo Lord was the notion that the supposed Princess in question looked to be nothing but an unconscious corpse, a piece of human trash yet so innocent at the same time. At the moment, she lay on the ground, soulless, at his feet. "Kairi....", he thought to himself. "What a curious name for a princess........".
A smirk came to the man's dark, weathered face as he sized up his trespassers- a talking duck, a dog with a shield, and a youth who barely looked older than his old rival. Surely they weren't the heroes he had heard about from the pathetic boy, right? When he had tried to infiltrate his world with those monsters, it had broken the spell that Link and Zelda had fought so hard to impose on him. Ganondorf the Great had another chance at redemption, without the usual wait of a few hundred years. Why wouldn't the pragmatic Gerudo Lord exploit the chaos that inevitably arrived wherever the Heartless set foot? He had a score to settle with the real enemy, Link, and Riku had promised all the power of the Triforce, and more, in return for a little "help". Of course, the strange young man would be no match for the Great King of Evil later on- after this little errand was run, what little remained of Hyrule would fall to his armies, the ultimate darkness- Moblins, Invisibles, Stalfoses, Behemoths, Darknuts, Wyverns, and plenty more that he didn't even know of yet. Once the Hylian race was extinct and their islands reduced to ashlands, then he could turn his forces against the adolescent fool who was naive enough to break his magical seal. And then......nothing at all would end the reign of Ganondorf the Great. All he needed was the one other true Princess of Heart. That was the current errand Riku had sent him on, and with her latent power Ganondorf could set his own foul designs into motion. The keyhole of the world of Hyrule could be unlocked, and its powers could be used to conquer the universe. In fact, the only other surprise at the moment to the Gerudo Lord was the notion that the supposed Princess in question looked to be nothing but an unconscious corpse, a piece of human trash yet so innocent at the same time. At the moment, she lay on the ground, soulless, at his feet. "Kairi....", he thought to himself. "What a curious name for a princess........".
After that passing thought, the Great King of Evil finally broke his silence. "After all," he reasoned, "I may as well gratify these fools by letting them know how they will meet their end!!!" The dialog between heroes and villain finally began, as the Gerudo King opened with a question. "You ask me why I'm here, but have you revealed the same for yourselves? You pathetic worms, I may not know you but I am not impressed by what I have heard. You say that you want to lock this world from darkness? YOU.....ARE.....DARKNESS!!!!! And so am I the great Ganondorf. I'm the one who strives to master it, become one with it! Consider this pathetic girl, one heart apparently above all others, except one-"
"NO!!!! You're not taking her away from me!!! Not like this!!!", Sora interrupted with a roar, as he suddenly realized the fiend's objective. This man clearly wasn't another Heartless, or another one of their puppets- he knew the secret to unlocking any Keyhole in the galaxy, and to do so he would be willing to take an innocent life. There was another Princess of Heart out there, somewhere, and without her power Sora couldn't beat this new enemy at his own game. Without her, Kairi would never see Sora's face, or the light of day for that matter, again. Without her, the Keyblade itself would be doomed.
Ganondorf waited a second, and then responded with amusement. "You got spunk, kid, and I'll give you that. Reminds me of the next person on my hit list.......speaking of which, I've got a score to settle. With both of the Princesses of Heart, in my possession, there's nothing you can do to stop me now-"
The duck had obviously seen enough of this treatment, as he started to loudly squawk to his teammates." Wet's show this piece of meat who he's dealin' with!!!", he shouted to Sora and Goofy. "Come on, wet's take him down!!!" The others agreed, and Team Disney made a direct charge at the Gerudo King. Ganondorf saw it coming before it happened, and his opponents never had a chance- it was a futile effort, as Ganondorf dissappated into a purple vortex of dark magic before the heroes could even strike a blow on him. It was as if the enemy they had just faced was a figment of their imagination, something that they feared Ansem would become but never had........
As the portal faded away, Ganondorf's laughter broke the silence of the Grand Hall one last time.
The three heroes had utterly missed their target, and immediately they started to consider their present situation. Ganondorf had escaped using dark magic with Kairi in tow, and if the Great King of Evil was to be believed he also held the other Princess of Heart- with their powers, he could open any keyhole that he desired and bring forth a new age of tyranny to the universe. That wasn't all, though- Ansem was still on the loose as well, and Sora struggled against the magnitude of the challenge they now faced. Team Disney's greatest allies, who had introduced Sora to his responsibilities and served almost as parents to him, had been slaughtered without mercy by someone who was obviously experienced in the practice of villainy. Any illusion of a choice for Sora and his friends had disappeared; Ganondorf had to be stopped at all costs. Everyone knew that, but the finality of the past events weighed heavily on their hearts. Finally, somebody mustered up the nerve to speak out......
"You're right....", the Keyblade Master replied with a renewed clarity as the shock of what had just occurred started to leave him. "I'm not giving up now- for you guys, for Kairi, for Leon, for myself..... "We'll find that bastard and Ansem as well, I swear it!!!!! Remember, what we promised, Donald, Goofy? All for one and-"
"One for awl.", Donald finished with a determination that was evident from the duck's tone and expression.
With the team reunited and the ghost of danger exorcised for the moment, an inevitable realization suddenly came to Sora's mind- the heroes that had fallen to Ganondorf's cruelty deserved an honorable funeral. The young man, only fourteen years of age, had gone in a few short months from playfully dueling his childhood friends to mourning the real deaths of real warriors. To Sora, warfare wasn't a game anymore- and having gone to the other side and back just a few hours ago, he resolved to do everything he could to protect the lives of his only allies left- Donald and Goofy. But honoring the dead came first and foremost, and they needed to work quickly to set up the funeral pyres- Hollow Bastion was still a treacherous place, after all....
The bodies were carefully lifted one by one onto Goofy's shield and carried outside, where the raging bonfire pierced the chilly night air. It was reminiscent of so many scenes from long-forgotten battles in the lost annals of history, but today it was as real as anything to Sora. Such was the final, bitter end of the road for these fallen martyrs, and one by one Sora eulogized their memories as their corpreal remains dissolved into light and smoke........
"Yuffie, the ninja girl that through her wittiness and sensitivity for others showed us the meaning of friendship.........Beast, whose kind heart belied his intimidation and showed that anyone, no matter how unfortunate, can change his luck.......Aerith, the caretaker of everyone, who would have given her life for any of us and instead did so for all of us..........Leon, the noble man who showed us that truth of life as a Warrior, that a better world is something worth fighting- and dying- for......................
The Chosen Keyblade Master, who had seen battle countless times recently, was unable to continue any further. Those people, now reduced to vanishing corpses, had been his family over this remarkable quest. Now, thanks in part to him, they would never get to witness a future without darkness................They were gone forever.
Donald and Goofy joined Sora in his tears.
The funeral pyre seemed to burn for hours, eventually smoldering into nothing but ashes. The past was dead, never to come back. But slowly, however, Sora realized that it wasn't the end for him- not yet at least. He'd go down fighting for the side of good, for a world still able to be saved from the cruelty of a few. Slim as it was, he reasoned, there was still hope- there was light behind the door, and he was destined to open it one day.........
Suddenly, Sora remembered a recent promise. He reached for his pocket- A charm was still there, a token given to him by Kairi. It was handmade, in a star shape that smiled at anybody who saw it. For the first time that he could remember he was able to do so, Sora smiled back. He'd see Kairi again, somehow, even if he had to travel to the end of the world and beyond. The charm would find its way back to her, or else the young man who possessed it would die trying to return it. The group would have to leave this old tomb soon, for whatever foreign world Ganondorf and Ansem had escaped to. But, they'd find a way to get there somehow, and a whole new land beckoned to be sealed by the Keyblade Master. Whomever lived there needed Sora's help, and he was obliged to provide it. The teenage hero was thus reminded of something else, a poem from Kairi- who was by then infinitely far away-
We pray for our sorrows end,
and hope that our hearts will blend.
Now I step forward to realize this wish.
And who knows,
Starting a new journey may not be so hard,
or maybe it has already begun.
There are so many worlds,
but they all share the same sky-
one sky, one destiny.
A new determination emerged in the Keyblade Master's heart: tomorrow was to begin a new chapter in his journey, this time to seal the whole galaxy from darkness.
______________________________
".........The door has been opened??? What do you mean???..........."
 |
| This new day also begins a new quest for Toon Link...... |
"Hehehehe!!! Come on you sleepy head!!! Wake up, Big Brother!!! So, do you remember what day it is today????"
Another morning brought another thrilling awakening for the small island settlement, and its most famous resident, Link. It was his sister Aryll as always, and like usual she was tireless in her attempts to rouse her Big Brother into wakefulness. Link had fallen asleep in the watchtower overnight yet again, and her sister's excited tone seemed to indicate that today was indeed special. Belatedly realizing his sister's intentions for waking him up, Link stood up and stretched out with a yawn. Finally, when the dreams had faded back into the Hylian's subconscious he was able to mutter something resembling a rational thought.
"Thanks, Sis," he responded in a drowsy tone, "for getting me awake. Sure was comfy, though.... Oh, crap! Time to get up!!!" Link realized that today was indeed special, and there was somewhere that he needed to be soon. He wasn't quite accustomed to having to wake up early for anything, and it had indeed been a quiet six months for Link. The boy who had become the Hero of Winds a year prior was starting to take ever greater responsibility for his family- his dear Grandmother and little sister Aryll. Other than that, however, it was a carefree life for the Hylian, now thirteen and a half years of age, living on the quiet pair of rocks known to the few that visited them collectively as Outset Island. Link, who had experienced greater warfare in his youth than almost anyone else had in a lifetime, enjoyed it greatly. The name of Link was famous throughout the Great Sea, considering his exploits- he had gone from nothing to being the savior of his people in a short moment, but the somewhat shy boy had never quite felt at home in the comparative bustle of Windfall Island or any of the ocean's few other urban areas. Instead, the war-weary Link had decided to resettle down for a year or two and relish the peace that he had risked his life for against the reborn Ganondorf. That fiend had been finished off by himself and Princess Zelda (who, quite to the boy's shock turned out to be his best friend Tetra!) after an incredible effort.
On this particular day, which would have most likely been not unlike all of the other recent ones, Link finally had a schedule for something different. One of the other kids on the island, Joel, had always looked up to him and wished to be as strong as skilled as the local hero. As it turned out, it came to pass that little Joel was to celebrate his twelfth birthday today.
On Outset Island, this had special significance for every young man because that was the year when they were considered to be adults, responsible for their families and willing to protect them if need be. Until slightly over a year ago, generations of boys went through this rite of passage without any special incident. That had changed, however, thanks to the role the ceremony had taken in the journey of Link. Nowadays, the celebration was undergone with great celebration and Link predictably took a presiding role in the ceremonies. On this day, Joel would don the green clothes of the legendary Hero of Time (who was said to be Link's ancestor) and also of the current Hero of Winds.
Today Joel would become a man, and as such he would also enter the tutelage of Sword Senseis Orca and Link (since the monster attacks of the previous year, the otherwise peaceful natives of Outset had decided to allocate a little more time for self-defense) With the realization that today was going to be more significant than any other in the past year, Link quickly climbed down the tall ladder of the watchtower, took a quick wash in the clear blue ocean water, and donned what was now his preferred outfit- the green tunic and cap known as the Hero's Clothes. Only the Hylian had the right to wear them all the time thanks to his accomplishments, but today was going to be different- Link was going to complete his own transition to adulthood by presiding over another boy's ceremony.
"Hurry up, Big Brother!", Aryll shouted from the about ten yards away on the beach. "We're running late, and it's your ceremony too, after all!", "Okay, geez sis!", the Hylian replied. "I gotta go get my things first. I'll catch up soon!!!" Things hadn't been exactly urgent at all recently for him, and Link was half afraid that he had lost a step or two because of his recent life of leisure. He was right in that he had to get his things first, however. The ceremony involved Link summoning the Triforce of Courage (which, now being reassembled, he intended to pass down to his own children someday) and symbolically bestowing the Hero's Sword and Shield on the newly declared adult. Such was the process that he had went through not all that long ago, and the smaller arms (rumored to have hailed from a long-vanished magical forest) had indeed served Link well in the early stages of his own adventure.
Now that peace had returned to the Great Sea, it was the intention that they would never be again used in warfare- instead, becoming ritual items to serve as reminders of the sacrifices of generations past. With the hour drawing near for the ceremonies to begin, Link entered his dear Grandmother's house and climbed upstairs. The Hero's Shield was hanging on the wall again, lovingly repaired by Link after having been damaged in several grueling conflicts. The Sword was mounted below it, in its scabbard as always and like an old friend eagerly awaiting the next moment it would be unsheathed. The Hylian reverently approached the memorial of his past deeds; to be honest he didn't quite feel comfortable removing the priceless artifacts. For a long, quiet moment, Link examined the maturing face that stared back at him in the sword's reflection. He was a little bit surprised by the person he was observing- "Wow, I'm not a little kid anymore........", he said quietly to himself. This was to be his first time conducting an adulthood ceremony, but even Link himself didn't quite feel grown up enough yet. He had plenty of responsibilities and respect to be sure, but it just seemed out of place for him.
The Hylian had barely set out on life's journey to begin with, but he was already being commemorated for the role he had played in the history of Outset Island. Now it was already time to pass on the torch to a new generation of heroes, and Link himself would sail off into the sunset- leaving his childhood behind. Link felt saddened in a way- his carefree days were coming to and end, and at some point he would become the leader of the village. Never again would he be ale to relive the innocence of his youth- Ganondorf had stolen most of that from him anyway, and the rest was vanishing to time itself- the one enemy he had no power to conquer. Even now, Link was starting to feel himself change. He was getting taller by the month, and he no longer fit in with the other kids' games. The Hylian was getting stronger as well, and it would have been safe to assume that had he continued his rigorous training after Ganondorf's fall that he would have been nearly invincible at this point of life.
Link hadn't been the only one to take notice of his changing self these days; his best friend in the world, the pirate girl Tetra, was starting to act a little strangely towards him as well! The two had grown close together through defeating the hated Ganondorf, but the girl who had the second identity of Princess Zelda could never get enough of adventuring at sea. She stopped by often to visit and was almost a member of the Outset Island family now, but where Link had put the restless life of a sailor aside, Tetra relished it. She remained the captain of her ship first and foremost, and was often away for weeks at a time without stopping back. They talked every so often via the chatting stones they shared, but their lifestyles had put them on different roads in life. That didn't hide the fact for Link, however, that Tetra was visiting Outset more often these days- and the boy suspected that it wasn't just because of loneliness. In any case, the Hylian was not that interested in girls just yet. For all he cared, Tetra would be just fine as a close friend- something that was obviously valuable to him considering the low juvenile population of Outset. Above anything else, the pirate girl was the rare person who Link could share secrets and stories with, and also be there to back him up in case of trouble- Tetra, even with her growing affection for Link, still had a very tough demeanor! If he ever needed help, the Hylian would just wink at her- and she would wink right back.
After a short while of self-reflection, Link finally remembered his goal of making it to the adulthood ceremony. "Man, I can't believe that this day is finally here.", the Hylian thought to himself. "It seems just yesterday that I was sailing around, free as the Ritos of the sky..... I hope that Joel gets to see as much as I did back then- Outset is nice and peaceful, but it can get boring after awhile............maybe I should go on another adventure myself..........." The idea certainly seemed interesting, as peace had returned to Outset so he could afford to leave his Grandmother and sister for a time. "Tetra does have a point.......", Link mused, "Life's for exploring new places and meeting new goals. I wanna make something of myself, and it's time for a new journey.........With the wind behind my sails,........."
He remembered yet again that his loyal boat and mentor, the King of Red Lions, could no longer join him on his adventures. The talking boat, who was secretly also the lost King of Hyrule, had vanished into the ocean when Ganondorf had fallen. It was in fact the king himself, Daphnes Johansen Hyrule, that had saved Link and Zelda from the Great King of Evil's reign of darkness. The brave man was therefore just as instrumental as the Hero of Winds in combating the fiend and restoring peace to his lost kingdom. Daphnes had told Link and Tetra that the future belonged to them, but that didn't make it any easier for the Hylian to return to the Great Sea without the King of Red Lions as his vessel.
However, something inside that he couldn't quite identify made sure that his internal dialogue didn't end there. With the old sword and shield slung behind him, Link walked to the other side of the wood house's upper level, towards his bed area. He only slept there when it rained outside, which didn't occur too often. However, as with any other teenager if Link had a special place for his memories then it was here in his old bedroom. The trophies of his past adventures were to be found here, in the drawers and hung up on the wall- the Master Sword, the Mirror Shield, the Hero's Bow, the Hookshot, and all of the other treasures that the Hylian had risked his life to win from the depths of many dungeons. "Things are different, now that Ganondorf's gone....." Link quietly told himself as he slowly dusted them off, "The time of war is over, never to come back. In a hundred years, my great-grandkids will look at these weapons as obsolete, and their parents will only be able to tell them the old stories of bravery and adventure that I've lived. They won't have to fight and suffer like I did. They'll be safe, thanks to kids like Joel who will protect them and the Sages' power as well..... That'll be what I'm remembered for."
Link had one more memory to recall at the moment, and that last one was what had led him to his sleeping quarters in the first place. On the nightstand next to his bed sat a picture frame, and it contained one of the many pictographs of his old questing days. The picture showed Link and the King of Red Lions, with the wind at their backs, sailing triumphantly out of the Forsaken Fortress and into the brave unknown. It was Link's favorite, and to him it symbolized the spirit with which he had approached his prior adventures- with a youthful exuberance and a desire to change the world for the better. "Daphnes would have wanted me to go back to the sea, where I belong," Link concluded to himself. "He said that it was my responsibility to found a new Hyrule.....I gotta do it, for everyone's future. Man, it feels so strange to start all over again......but I guess that's what everyone says on the first day of the rest of their lives. A week from now, I'll call up Tetra and see if she wants go exploring too, and I won't stop until I find what I promised to him............a whole new world!!!"
With his mind thus concluded, Link felt a little better about the transitions that would come with today's ceremony. After a lot of soul-searching, he had realized that today was to indeed be the end of one phase of his life- but also the beginning of another one. The journey of life wouldn't end for the Hero of Winds after he grew up; instead, it meant for Link the dawn of new possibilities and new adventures.
It felt like a lifetime to Link as he stood there, gazing into himself- almost as if time had stopped for a moment until the Hylian was ready and willing to catch up. That didn't change the fact, however, that Link was running late for the most important event to occur on Outset since he had returned from his quest. Concerned that her child had gone off daydreaming again (which as it turned out, had been true), Link's Grandmother had entered the house and softly called up to him. The Hero of Winds recognized her voice immediately, as always-
"Link, the party's about to begin. I know you're a little nervous, but we all are. This is a big day for little Joel, he's looked up to you ever since you put on the Hero's Clothes yourself......I can't believe how fast the time's gone since then. Just be strong, Link, and be yourself. You'll do great, I know it.......and I'll be proud of you. After the ceremony's done, we're all going to have your favorite soup for dinner! Yes, I hadn't forgotten about you. Everyone loves my special soup, and I figured that I'd make a whole potful for the occasion!"
However, something inside that he couldn't quite identify made sure that his internal dialogue didn't end there. With the old sword and shield slung behind him, Link walked to the other side of the wood house's upper level, towards his bed area. He only slept there when it rained outside, which didn't occur too often. However, as with any other teenager if Link had a special place for his memories then it was here in his old bedroom. The trophies of his past adventures were to be found here, in the drawers and hung up on the wall- the Master Sword, the Mirror Shield, the Hero's Bow, the Hookshot, and all of the other treasures that the Hylian had risked his life to win from the depths of many dungeons. "Things are different, now that Ganondorf's gone....." Link quietly told himself as he slowly dusted them off, "The time of war is over, never to come back. In a hundred years, my great-grandkids will look at these weapons as obsolete, and their parents will only be able to tell them the old stories of bravery and adventure that I've lived. They won't have to fight and suffer like I did. They'll be safe, thanks to kids like Joel who will protect them and the Sages' power as well..... That'll be what I'm remembered for."
Link had one more memory to recall at the moment, and that last one was what had led him to his sleeping quarters in the first place. On the nightstand next to his bed sat a picture frame, and it contained one of the many pictographs of his old questing days. The picture showed Link and the King of Red Lions, with the wind at their backs, sailing triumphantly out of the Forsaken Fortress and into the brave unknown. It was Link's favorite, and to him it symbolized the spirit with which he had approached his prior adventures- with a youthful exuberance and a desire to change the world for the better. "Daphnes would have wanted me to go back to the sea, where I belong," Link concluded to himself. "He said that it was my responsibility to found a new Hyrule.....I gotta do it, for everyone's future. Man, it feels so strange to start all over again......but I guess that's what everyone says on the first day of the rest of their lives. A week from now, I'll call up Tetra and see if she wants go exploring too, and I won't stop until I find what I promised to him............a whole new world!!!"
With his mind thus concluded, Link felt a little better about the transitions that would come with today's ceremony. After a lot of soul-searching, he had realized that today was to indeed be the end of one phase of his life- but also the beginning of another one. The journey of life wouldn't end for the Hero of Winds after he grew up; instead, it meant for Link the dawn of new possibilities and new adventures.
It felt like a lifetime to Link as he stood there, gazing into himself- almost as if time had stopped for a moment until the Hylian was ready and willing to catch up. That didn't change the fact, however, that Link was running late for the most important event to occur on Outset since he had returned from his quest. Concerned that her child had gone off daydreaming again (which as it turned out, had been true), Link's Grandmother had entered the house and softly called up to him. The Hero of Winds recognized her voice immediately, as always-
"Link, the party's about to begin. I know you're a little nervous, but we all are. This is a big day for little Joel, he's looked up to you ever since you put on the Hero's Clothes yourself......I can't believe how fast the time's gone since then. Just be strong, Link, and be yourself. You'll do great, I know it.......and I'll be proud of you. After the ceremony's done, we're all going to have your favorite soup for dinner! Yes, I hadn't forgotten about you. Everyone loves my special soup, and I figured that I'd make a whole potful for the occasion!"
"Thanks, Gramma," Link replied as he finally climbed back down the ladder. "Let's go, it's time to celebrate Joel's special day!" She had always been there for him, as he didn't quite remember anything about his own parents (she had promised to tell him when he got married himself). Grandma wasn't as dextrous as she used to be, but with Link and Aryll around to care for her she still had plenty of love to give. Link walked her out the door, and they joined the small crowd that awaited outside. The people of Outset roared as their hometown hero emerged from the humble residence, but none was louder than the man of the day- Joel, who now dressed in the same green clothes that generations of Links had made famous.
Outset Island's citizens cheered and sung together in celebration, as its newest adult member was carried in the air on top of his mother's head and the group undertook the long walk up the cliff pathway by the watchtower to the island's high plateau. This was the tallest point of Outset, home to only a few grasses and short tress, and one could see for miles off into the endless ocean horizon. Link himself paused for a second from escorting his grandmother in order to gaze into the distance; fond memories came rushing back to him of a time when he had first climbed this hill- the journey had been the start of so many others for the Hero of Winds..
Once everyone had completed the trip up to the top, the crowd became hushed and the ceremonies began. As had been rehearsed earlier, it was Orca, the village elder, who spoke first. The old and weathered, yet still quite energetic, man congratulated Joel on his accomplishments so far in his twelve years of life and reminded everyone how this special ritual came to be- in order to remember and celebrate the accomplishments of ancestors past. The other members of Joel's family and other friends then took turns elaborating on how the youngster had grown up since he was a smaller child; they shared stories sweet and sad of the boy's adventures in life, and how he mattered to every one of them. Every person of Outset took a turn to speak on this special occasion over the next several hours, and they all eagerly awaited the final confirmation of Joel's coming of age. When the time finally began, Link had the opportunity to say something of his own to the boy who had idolized him in every way. Realizing the significance of occasion, Link paused for a second and let the gentle ocean breeze pass by, and then began his speech.....
"We should all be thankful that we now live in an age of peace and prosperity, and today we celebrate our good fortune by welcoming one of our own, Joel, into adulthood.. I'm not overstating at all when I say that he has been an inspiration to me as much as I have been for him. The day will come eventually when us kids become adults and we'll have our own children in turn- that's our responsibility to future generations of Hylians across the Great Sea.
We must never forget that as a people we are both one and different- the fortunes of the individual depend upon those of the community, and yet it has been the exceptional acts of a few chosen heroes that have also preserved our happiness on Outset Island. I had the special fortune of being called to serve as one of those individuals, to be a hero to everyone, but I don't think that I could have fufilled my destiny without the support and generosity of you, my friends and family. I believe that's the lesson that we all have learned over the past few years- no matter where our individual destinies lead us, we are all important and special in our own way. Joel here may never have to go through the life-and death struggles that I faced when I was his age, but that doesn't mean that he can't make his mark upon our world's history either.
Joel, be proud of yourself and never give up on your dreams. Things will no doubt be tough for you at times, as they were for me, but I'm utterly convinced that some day you can be just as strong and skilled as myself. There's nothing to stop you from becoming a hero in your own way, and that goes for all of us. And now, let us finalize the first chapter of Joel's amazing journey.........."
Per the ceremony, Link slowly walked across the wood plank bridge to the other mount of Outset Island, on the outskirts of the Forest of Fairies. A few gulls called out to the people of Outset as he crossed, but otherwise the scene was silent, as if the passing of an age was about to occur. The Hylian pulled out his magical Wind Waker baton, which was a gift to him from the gods of Hyrule that allowed him to control the forces of wind at his choosing. Link conducted a special song, and the Triforce symbol on his hand reappeared for the first time since he and Zelda had faced down evil a year prior. The breeze seemed to sing to the motions of the baton, and Joel began to cross the plank bridge.
Link had remembered the last time he was in this situation- his sister had been kidnapped by the Helmaroc King back then, but now there was no worrying as the sky was clear of any danger- in this new world, there was no reason to be afraid of darkness. As Joel started to cross underneath the summoned piece of the Triforce, the older boy waiting for him on the other end prepared to pass on the Hero's Sword and Shield to a new generation- so they could learn from the weapons the same lessons that they had helped to teach Link. When Joel finally got to the other side, the Hero of Winds presented him with a sword and shield, as well as a new title among his people- "Joel, you are a man now. be proud, and stand up for what you believe in." The audience roared one more time as the Triforce of Courage faded from view, back into the Hero of Winds' possession. Thus, the ceremony had ended without incident and Link had pulled it off without a hitch!
Now that Joel's maturity was official, the party then followed. Link enjoyed it very much- when he himself had come of age, he had no choice but to leave Outset Island in order to pursue evil. The Hylian was finally satisfied with himself- his struggles against Ganondorf had all been worth it to him, in order to secure Hyrule for the next generation of its people.
With the monumental ceremony finally completed and his hunger satisfied for the moment (with plenty of Grandma's special soup), Link decided to revisit something that he loved to do more than almost anything else- that was, to meditate and reconcile his inner self with the forces of nature around him. It had been a hectic morning for Link to be sure, and whenever the Hero of Winds felt the stress of life getting to him, he always liked to take a half an hour and regain his composure- meditation had been a part of his more advanced training with Sensei Orca, but it also took significance in Link's own religious views- as a legendary hero chosen by the gods of Hyrule, he had a noticeable (but by no means excessive) devotion to the three main godesses of his ancestors: Din, Farore, and Naryu. Therefore, by meditating on his inner thoughts Link also kept himself in tune to the powers that had given him the ability to become a hero in the first place. Like the founder of a long-lost tradition, he hoped to gain some divine enlightenment for his upcoming goals.
The Hylian then walked quietly away from the main group in the village (most had fallen asleep from a combination of the good food, the midday sun, and exhaustion from celebrating the occasion), and slowly made his way towards his favorite meditation spot on the whole island- a small patch of grass about a hundred yards from his house that was enclosed by some nearby canoes and faced out to the tan ocean beach. It was here that Link turned to find peace after a hard day's traveling, and surely enough on this moment it was as calm as usual. The gentle breeze passed by as always, but otherwise it was a perfect quiet for Link to do some more searching within himself. He had plenty to consider in these few moments that he would set aside, much to contemplate............When would he announce his decision to go on another journey?.....For that matter, where would he go?.......He had explored the Great Sea before, but he hadn't had any reason to go beyond that........What would he do for a boat?.........How would Tetra react...........and his family, for that matter?...........
For the Hero of Winds, those were questions that needed answers- but maybe not just yet. He had already accomplished more in a day then he had in over a year, and now was the time for some well deserved alone time. Without any further hesitation, Link sat between his heels in a kneeling position on the soft coastal ground, rested his hands on his thighs, closed his eyes, and relaxed.............
The issues of the day ricocheted through his isolated mind at first, but as the Hylian fell deeper into his meditative trance he gradually lost touch with the outside world and its petty concerns. He had been trained to achieve this state of internal awareness after some difficulty, and this past discipline had paid off here. The calming rustle of the waves carried his once restless mind off to somewhere else, and then then Link received a vision........
Whether it was an indication of the future or a flashback, Link couldn't quite tell. The sky was peaceful, and he was floating through the air wherever the winds took him. The Hero of Winds felt totally free, and yet he also had an obligation somehow- Nayru's Pearl had to be returned eventually. That, however, meant leaving the air- taking responsibility when there was no reason for him to have any of it. However, Link somehow didn't feel fufilled without a goal when there was obviously a purpose to his existence in the vision.He had to return the Pearl to its rightful place....where it was destined to belong. As if he was a leaf gently falling to the ground, Link descended to the small triangle island. The Pearl fit perfectly into the statue's hands, and the Hylian's job was complete. He was finally satisfied.................
Link came back to reality over the course of a few seconds; the visions or dreams he experienced in meditation were always something to reflect upon, but the Hero of Winds suddenly realized that someone was sitting next to him on the coastline. It was a visitor, and a person that Link had never encountered before in his life..............and would never forget for the rest of his days.
"Hey there," the boy calmly said to the surprised Hylian. "Oh, I'm sorry.....were you in the middle of something? a daydream? I understand......yeah, I was kinda just reminiscing myself. Of old times, those that I wish every day I could have back. To want another chance more than anything else, Link. Do you ever feel that way?........"
Link was even more surprised than before that the stranger had known his name, and he quickly glanced at the person talking to him. The boy looked to be a teenager, but telling from his grown voice and height Link figured that the person was slightly older than him. He wore a yellow vest and blue pants, of a fashion unknown to the Great Sea. He looked calm and collected with his calm stare, eyes that could almost see right through their targets, cool almost to the point of cold- but not quite. The teen had gray hair and a somewhat tired expression, which the Hylian thought to be slightly unusual, but then again Link figured that whomever this person was, he obviously wasn't from around here..... This traveler had arrived for a reason, and Link was going to ask him why.......
"Sure I do," the Hylian replied. "I've seen a lot of things in my short life, some of them I regret. We all have choices to make that lead us in our own directions. But, what were your choices? How did you get here, and why do know my name?" Link was a little uneasy at the appearance of this visitor, and in fact he half thought that he was still under a meditative trance. Maybe it was indeed the Hylian goddesses that had brought him here.....
"The name's Riku," the young man responded calmly, "and I'm here because you're the only one that can help me now. Back in my homeland they said that every time that darkness threatens the world, a hero will be sent by the gods to drive it away and restore peace and prosperity to the innocent. For a while, I thought that hero was me; one night in my dreams I was awoken as a chosen wielder of the Keyblade, a special weapon that can seal the hearts of worlds from darkness. However, the dream also brought a warning- I'll never forget it for the rest of my life- "The closer you get to the light, the larger your shadow becomes." I knew they were coming, and I traveled all over looking for a way to protect my world from the approaching evil. In the end, though, I was too late...........They came and destroyed everything, killed my friends and family, everyone who had a heart of light- for they called themselves the Heartless........"
"The Heartless..... you mean, those without hearts?", Link guessed back after a slight pause. It was a natural conclusion to make for him, as through his travels the Hylian had seen many dark adversaries. Still, though, he was puzzled at how something without a heart could even be alive. Link had never heard of anything quite like it- Ganondorf's monsters were all beasts or machines, nothing made of pure hatred.....
"You're right," Riku replied back- Link could almost feel the guilt shame in the teenager's voice as he spoke. "I fought them off in my dreams, but they then invaded my world. There was nothing I could do to stop them. But that wasn't the worst part, not by far- as my home, the Destiny Islands, crumbled into the darkness from whence it had originated, I saw my own best friend there- he had betrayed me for them........"
"Sora was his name, and he had been jealous that I had been chosen as the Keyblade Master and not him. He had brought the Heartless with him as a means of evening the score, but in doing so he also unleashed dark powers that he was unable to control. Sora had become a puppet, and he answered to the man who ran the show for the Heartless, he called himself the Great King of Evil....."
"Sora was his name, and he had been jealous that I had been chosen as the Keyblade Master and not him. He had brought the Heartless with him as a means of evening the score, but in doing so he also unleashed dark powers that he was unable to control. Sora had become a puppet, and he answered to the man who ran the show for the Heartless, he called himself the Great King of Evil....."
"Ganondorf.......," the Hero of Winds finished in disbelief. "So he's back already.....but how? I just defeated him a year ago, he should be a rock at the bottom of the Great Sea! I guess that's why you're here- you had nowhere left to go." Link felt truly sorry for this Riku's plight; the Hylian had sailed far and wide helping others in their problems, but he had never heard anything as serious as this before.......Ganondorf had to be stopped!
"When the end of my world finally came," Riku concluded, "I was spared from my own death on account of my pure heart and the Keyblade. There was nothing I could do for the others, however- Sora and his Heartless had them all killed and their spirits created new soldiers for his dark forces. You see, he also had gotten a Keyblade by then- but his he used for evil, unlocking worlds so they could be consumed by the Heartless. He left with his allies in darkness: a duck who practiced witchcraft, a dog who used his shield for evil deeds, and Ganondorf- the latter saying that he had a score to settle with an old enemy. From my previous research, I concluded that they were headed here. I figured that you were the only one left who knew how to stand against Ganondorf, and stop him from causing the destruction of even more worlds. I failed, Link, but hopefully you can be my final chance. Maybe I can't get my home back in the Destiny Islands, but I won't stand by and let Sora destroy yours!"
Link was roused from his tired state by this dire news- the Great Sea was in peril once more from his eternal enemy, but now he also had a new power at his disposal as well......Riku seemed to be telling the truth, Link reasoned, because of the detail with which he recounted his sad narrative. Besides, why else would he have arrived on Outset in such distress? "I'm so sorry for you........", the Hero of Winds finally said to his new friend, "I have no idea how Ganondorf has returned, but I'll help you to banish him once and for all."
Ansem had to make a conscious effort not to let up his act- the kid really was as gullible as Ganondorf had told him, and Link was buying every word of his story. The Seeker of Darkness hadn't planned to get himself involved in the politics of a distant land, but he had come to Outset due to necessity. Even before he had fought Sora in front of the Hollow Bastion Keyhole, Ansem had known that something wasn't coming together about the prevailing theory on how the keyholes worked. Through the tedious process of research and referencing obscure texts in his old castle's library, he had come across an obscure narrative of a distant world- one called Hyrule. This land was the home to three forces, three powers that together formed one Triforce. The Seeker of Darkness was naturally drawn to these stories, as owing to his nature as a Heartless he had no goal other than to pursue dominion over others through any means necessary. He hadn't expected, however, to find a demon as cunning as him under the Great Sea- he had tried to use Ganondorf as he would any other puppet driven by greed, but for some reason this new ally wasn't playing by the rules Ansem usually set. What Xenohort's Heartless was really looking for above anything else, however, was the other true Princess of Heart- and Ganondorf seemed to know exactly who she was.
So, then, the Seeker of Darkness had made a deal with the Great King of Evil; in return for full revival and command over the Heartless, Ansem would gain support against Sora as well as access to the other Princess of Heart. Ganondorf was already on his way to Hollow Bastion to finish off the task at which Riku (under the control of Ansem) had failed; once he returned with Kairi, The two would combine their forces and destroy any light left in the world of Hyrule. Of course, after that was accomplished the Seeker of Darkness would dispose of Ganondorf like every other pawn he had used previously! This little kid that sat before him now didn't have a clue of what was to come; this Link hardly seemed to be the mighty hero Ansem had read about in the books! He would be the backup plan, a tool to be used against Sora and then thrown away like trash- but he did seem to have a close bond to the Princess...........
"Thanks.......," the possessed Riku then continued, "but I hope that I'm not too late. Maybe there's hope for us after all, but I'm afraid that my status as a Keyblade Master means that the Heartless could follow me here- they are drawn to that which they hate. Perhaps the door has already opened......"
Link was puzzled by the young man's sentence- it was like a riddle that led him nowhere, and the only one who knew the answer stood right next to him. The Hero of Winds needed to find out the truth. "The door has been opened? What do you mean?", he said cautiously. Riku paused for a second while gazing off into the endless sea, and then answered Link's question. "The Heartless may already be here, and if so there's no time to waste. If they consume the heart of a world, then both it and its inhabitants are lost. I'm counting on you to stop Ganondorf as only you can, and if you succeed then I can lock Hyrule from darkness with my Keyblade. We'll need all the help we can get- do you know anyone who you can trust till the end of all things?"
Link knew the answer to that question before Riku finished his sentence- He would need Tetra's help to slay Ganondorf once more- the fiend had nearly defeated both of them before. The Hero of Winds didn't want to cause any panic in the village, however; it was best to spare the innocent, he reasoned. Link felt the magic stone in his pocket- the glowing blue rock on a string enabled him to reach her at any time, and he would certainly use it in these dire circumstances.
"Yes", he replied without hesitation. "She can be here by sunset. do we even have that much time?" Link knew that Tetra was always at sea, and even if he called her now it would be several hours until she arrived to help. With this point in the front of his mind, the Hylian waited anxiously for Riku's answer. "Maybe," the teenager said, "but I don't know for sure. from what I know of my own experience, the forces of darkness arrive swiftly and terribly. I must now go and try to find the keyhole of this world. You need to get ready- or else your world will perish like mine did. Your home reminds me a lot of mine, a peaceful and isolated oasis- but the Heartless don't care. Their only purpose is to destroy the light of others. Do you understand?"
Link could almost hear the soft tune of the afternoon breeze at that moment- he would have been relaxing on the beach right now on any other day besides this, but now the tables had turned against him. The Hero of Winds could no longer afford to wait on the sidelines of history......
"Yeah. I won't let you down, Riku, not for anything. I'd rather die than see my home fall to Ganondorf. You need to go, I'll plan for him. Good luck........"
"This is way too easy," Ansem thought as he faded away from the Hylian's sight. Even the boy whose body he now controlled had put up more of a fight than Link! If the Heartless would have had the capability, he might have felt sorry for the naive boy- but that wasn't how the universe worked. Ansem would get his way against Ganondorf, and then prove to Sora what that insolent kid had needed to know all along-
"Every light must fade, every heart return to darkness............"
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Man, this is going to be a great battle.
ReplyDeleteI like how you're including the battle up in Acts.
I like your start. it starts really good with Sora, Donald and Goofy. For someone who has not played the games, you already managed to get me familiar with sora. Now, with this start of the story, I really do get a good picture about the games. I also like the way you portray Donald and Goofy, altough i do know know how they act in the games, the style of talking was really good done. My compliments. Cannot wait to read more about this battle.
ReplyDeleteMy sir, My compliments!
Hey man I gotta say that already your narrative impresses me! I feel that you have gotten all three characters perfect and that you have set up the beginnings of a compelling story! The three are brothers and arms against all evil, and i really can't see how the deal with (presumably Gannandorph according to the poll) and ulitametely the hero of winds himself.
ReplyDeleteWhen you have time, please check out and leave your thoughts on my preview of Noble vs. Delta, it will help me in determining which direction I want the match to go!
Hey i just want you to know that this is seriously one of the best narratives I have ever read, much better then mine, and I encourage you to continue whenever you are able. As I said in my previous paragraph you really got the characters down, and your music and picture choices are excellent!
ReplyDeleteHello again! i cannot tell you how awesome your work it is; it really is superb. It makes me feel like I am back in Kingdom Hearts, and in fact makes me want to play both games (need to get my Ps3 set up) !
ReplyDeleteI am glad you chose Gannondorph; the premier villain of the Link series needs to be featured!If I had to guess Riku-Ansem is the opponent for Lin, correct?
Also I take it Tetra/Zelda is another princess of hearts, which will make an interesting battle when Sora has to face her.
Keep it up this is seriously one of the best stories I have read!
Thanks for the early comments, everyone. I really tried to outdo myself when it came to Sora's intro- more than besides giving him a reason to fight the Great King of Evil, I wanted to make clear that Ganondorf is a truly wicked foe that's not to be underestimated. Team Disney is in for a helluva fight in Act 2 to be sure.
ReplyDeleteI also tried to put myself in Sora's shoes and consider how he would deal with the loss of his family. Believe me, I was as moved in writing it as you guys were in reading it! I don't think the game stressed it enough, but in reality I believe that such a calamity would have severe impacts on a young teenager's mental state. However, I also took Sora's emotional maturity into account as well. Hopefully, readers will be touched by Sora's situation and actually care about him in the fight in turn.
That's my goal with Link's intro, as well. His will be slightly less dramatic, but still suited to furthering the story's plot. You are correct in that his opponent will be Dark Riku, and they will most likely throw down in Act 3. Again, look for quite an emotionally charged confrontation with some intrigue to boot!
That's as much of the plot as I'm willing to reveal for now, but thanks for your comments and I'll keep you posted on Jay and Kirby's.
Hey man I am loving this battle! I like how you portray Link's life as rather idyllic, and only concerned with a few growing pains, which sounds kind of like Sora pre-heartless invasion, minus the desire to "get out". Oh and I remember you writing somewhere that all of Destiny Island died with the heartless invasion, well never fear as they are all alive in Kingdom Hearts 2.Of course this Sora doesn't know that
ReplyDeleteYeah, I really wanted to contrast Sora, for whom every day is a struggle against death, to Link, who has settled down and renounced violence. The reason that Link doesn't exactly want to "get out" like Sora did is that he's seen it all before- he had to grow up at a very young age, and he's realized that violence isn't all that it's cracked up to be. He's also troubled by the memory of the King of Red Lions, who vanished at the end of Wind Waker. Of course, he'll soon be questioning these assumptions as the beginning quote(I like to use them to foreshadow things) suggests.
ReplyDeleteActually, I didn't know that the Destiny Islands had survived either! Remember, I never played KH2 but I did know that Sora eventually returned to them someday. I was just surprised that in the first game Sora didn't show much grief for his family, who was presumably killed by the Heartless. I wanted to show that the Keyblade Master does indeed have emotions of grief amid loss, as the poignant funeral scene indicates. In my story, Sora's carrying a lot of emotional baggage which I think is perfectly reasonable and probably more realistic than the game's version (which I guess didn't focus on it because of the E rating)
Link's intro is halfway done as I type this, which means that we'll be getting to the combat acts soon! Thanks for following as always, and your Sarah vs. Alex looks excellent so far as well.
Great. I wonder about one thing though.
ReplyDeleteThe coming of age as you have described with Joel;
Did you make this ritual up or does it exist in the zelda games?
If you made it up, my compliments sir!
The ritual was largely my own invention, but it's based loosely on what Toon Link went through on his twelfth birthday as well.
ReplyDeleteFor Link, he wore the green clothes of his ancestor, the Hero of Time, as a commemoration of his heroic deeds. Now that Link is a hero as well, I tried to imagine how the traditions of Outset would have changed through his actions. In the game, there is a character named Joel who wants to be just like Link. Through his celebration, then, I can tie my own original story to that of the game.
Heh heh, I bet that many of you were expecting Joel to be kidnapped or killed in the middle of the ceremony.... that would be too easy! Rest assured, though, that Link's idyllic lifestyle will change very soon and the real enemy will become apparent for him.
By the way Ares, do you have a final prediction for Sora vs. Toon Link?
Damn man, it's been months, but after reading all of this and seeing it for myself I am forced to conclude that there wasn't a second of waiting that wasn't worth it XD You are amazing!
ReplyDeleteSeriously, this whole narrative is just so damn amazing. The contrast between the sadness that GAnnon is striking in Sora's life and the happiness of Link's day is so amazing!
God, I nearly wept when I read the part where Sora and friends mourn for their fallen comrades.
This shall be epic!
Hey man this is turning out superb! Sorry I was gone a couple of days, had a event to attend to and a huge essay.
ReplyDeleteAnyway I love what you have done so far; even though its peaceful I feel that a shadow of suspense hangs over the reader, as they know something bad is about to happen (Darth Riku showing up) but the fact that everything seems calm heightens the anticipation!
Just wondering how many acts do you plan on doing?
Also now that my essay's done I will be updating my battle more, though Skyrim may slow that down a bit :(
I also had some things to do, so I took a short break from this to regain my creativity. As you can see, I'm introducing Riku as somebody who approaches Link as a wolf in sheep's clothing. It's important to create a reason for these two to fight, so I'm phasing him in gradually. The ominous music of course indicates his true intentions!
ReplyDeleteAs it is now, I'm almost done with Act I. I'm planning on five acts for now, but with the plot now organized the writing should come easier than before- I find that when I'm actually writing a story instead of just a battle it takes time to make it interesting and fill any plot holes out there. It'll be like a Shakespearean play, with the leadup fights in Acts 2-3, the main fight in 4, and the resolution and epilogue in 5. In any case, I'm going to pull out all the stops to get this done by the awards podcast!
I want to get Skyrim too (loved Morrowind), but I already have way too much to do between school, work, and hobbies so I can't spare the time. In any case, I feel that producing something of value for the enjoyment of others is more fufilling than video games. See ya around, and let me know your perspectives on this developing story!
Hey man, great way to introduce Riku...your did a great job in explaining the plot. I look forward for the moment when Toon Link realizes Riku is a snake, and when the two heroes finally encounter each other!
ReplyDeleteYou are doing a great job at devloping the story!
I just saw the finishing part with Link and Riku/Ansem. i have to say that I'm really really impressed with you. You truly have made this worth the wait :) I'm jealous of you man ;) I couldn't do work this good. You must teach me :D
ReplyDeleteGreat work, dramatic, dark and amazing end quote there.
Good luck on school and this story ;)
Ta
Master of the Boot
Hey man, I kind of wrote a long message on this two days ago, but apparently it didn't go through....
ReplyDeleteAnyway this is one of the best stories I have read for Deadliest Warrior, and I am curious as to where it will go from here. Will Toon Link find out that Dark Riku is a snake before fighting Sora and pals? How will Sora defeat the mighty Gannondorph?
I think your idea of Past Opponents is going to work out really well and it would be interesting to see it apply to your other two matches in the far future...not sure how it would work for Redneck vs. Gangsta, but I think it could work for Harry vs. Ash
Also I agree with Jay and Kirby in that we need to pin down more concrete information on the blogger episodes.
That is why you should accept my and Ares's invitation on fb for the group....Mike (Ihonk), Jay Kirby, me, Ares are all in it, as well as many other familiar faces.
Rest assured that all of your questions and more will be answered in the subsequent acts to this story- I've just started on Act 2, and am looking to release it during Thanksgiving break in its entirety (as it's going to have a fight, I feel it's best to put it out all at once).
ReplyDeleteHonestly, the past opponents have been both a blessing and a curse for this match. While Riku and Ganondorf add extra detail and plot complexity to the fight, working them in is also taking a lot of time. Since this matchup has taken so long to create and will probably be my most detailed, it's justified here. In the future, though, the past opponents may only have minor roles in the story to put more focus on the warriors themselves.
I have given it a little thought for Match 1, and maybe Larry and Kody's crews will take on state cops or Mexican gangs. For Harry vs. Ash, my early choices were already worked into the teaser- you'll find them if you look hard enough!
For the blogger episodes, sooner is better for the general episode but I'm gonna need time to finish this before the awards! A lot of folks haven't put anything out in a while, and it would be beneficial to get them back to writing. Even we both have plenty of things to do besides this, but maybe the holiday breaks will give some time to put some good work out.
I'd be interested in joining your group, but I can't seem to find it. A little direction please?
Hope Mercer's profile is going well!
Well done man Well done.
ReplyDeleteFrom the getgo I feel that you captured the grief that Sora feels, both over the death of Kairi and his other friends. Its clear that he now hates the Gerudo King with a passion at least as great as his for Ansem's .
You also seems to be capturing the group dynamics extremely well: Goofy's upbeat in even a terrible situation such as this (really, what would get this guy down? he's like on some sever anti-depressants 24/7) and Donald's an irritable old duck who shows he has a heart by not waking Sora up.
Woah, Donald has a formal accent! lol. Still, I prefer it to reading a page of barely comprehendable gibberish on a important plot piece (not dissing your work, talking about his speech impediment).
Like the Kingdom Hears references scattered throughout.
i rather enjoyed the inner monologue with Sora. Yes Outlet Island is very similar to Destiny Islands, and that is a similarity i had not noticed before. Both characters started on an idyllic island with no real dangers or stresses, and then both were suddenly thrown into the fight.
ReplyDeleteAnd I can see what you mean by misunderstanding...Sora's conclusions are going to put him in a direct collision course with Link, as will Link's with Soras.
I am curious as to why Sora couldn't seal the key hole....is the Master sword needed to do it?
Can't wait for the fight with Ganondorf!
Their shared backgrounds are a big part of what makes this an excellent match, since both of these warriors are heroes who fight for largely the same things but in different ways. Their viewpoints are also slightly different- not by much, but enough that a misunderstanding between them could put them on the warpath against each other.
ReplyDeleteThink about it- Link doesn't want to fight anymore but he will do anything for his home and family if need be. Sora, on the other hand, lost his home and family so he he has goals from a wider perspective in addition to the powerful motivator of love for Kairi. Their causes have much more in common than otherwise, but if they are convinced that the other one is the enemy then all hell will break loose. Of course, there will be more to the story than that!
Sora's Keyblade not working will be explained later (I have considered a few options for how that part will fit in), but for that scene I mostly wanted to emphasize the tensions between Sora and Riku by facilitating an encounter between them. I don't want the warriors' parallel stories to be completely separated, so it was also a reminder that Sora and Link's sections occur in the same timeframe. Eventually their paths will intersect!
Coming up will be a shorter section from Link's perspective, and then Ganondorf will of course show up to wreak some havok. I'm biasing Acts 2 and 3 towards the warriors who are fighting in those episodes, so look for more emphasis on Sora in Act 2 and Link in Act 3.
Thanks for commenting!