| GCB Fanfics: The Fanfiction Project |
August 3rd, 2003Preshow: "Last Waltz of the Night" Vercetti, you are truly the ultimate man... thought an exhausted Tommy Vercetti as he walked out onto the balcony, stretching his arms out and yawning. Last night... well, it had been interesting, to say the least. And rather surprising... she wasn't kidding when she said 'fully functional'... what sort of ****in' perverts built her, anyway? Yes, the gangster was rather sore—whatever the Master Chief had done, apparently the android had been set to 'insatiable'—she just couldn't get enough. She's like a ****in' machine... okay, yeah, that's one of the stupider things I've said in my lifetime. I need more sleep, dammit... Tommy Vercetti shook his head, laughing softly to himself. The crime boss turned to watch the sun slowly rise. Not many of the competitors were awake at this time of morning—hell, if it were a perfect world, Vercetti would be sleeping right now. But for some reason, the gangster couldn't sleep. Just... just a weird feeling. Probably ate somethin' funky last night... Yawning again, Vercetti felt the breeze blow past him. It was much stronger than usual, he mused. There usually wasn't much wind at all in this place... hell, the only time he could ever remember there being many clouds at all was during the red-headed kid's match, when he had done that lightning-bolt... thing. However, there was no question about the breeze now—although it was rapidly becoming more than a breeze. Far beneath him, the girl named... damn, what was her name? Eris? Iris? Something like that... was walking from the dorms to the small garden she had planted upon arrival here. Apparently, he wasn't the only one sleeping. As she walked, a sudden gust of wind caught her, and she had to hold her dress down to prevent it from blowing up. The Vice City lord cracked an amused smirk. That smirk rapidly faded as a voice came from within his bedroom, "Tommy, honey, what are you, like, looking at?" Oh, crap... ---- In the training center... The dummies popped out at him from all sides, swarming, mobbing him. A lesser warrior would have been overwhelmed by the flood. Ganondorf, on the other hand, was no lesser warrior. Purple lightning flashed over and over again, the warlock's massive hand smashing through the dummies, shattering them. Pathetic. These are shells, no life, no struggle. This is no better than smashing rocks. Still, this should be more than enough practice to handle the likes of that parlor magician. Ganondorf snickered. This Magus was merely a warm-up for his confrontation with Link in the next round. The powerful dark wizard shrugged, kicking a featureless stone head into the wall where it shattered into millions of microscopic shards. The training is never as sweet unless they're fighting for their pitiful life. Satisfied that his powers were as strong as ever, the wizard began to walk to the exit. Before he made it outside, though, someone else entered the facility through the single door, and the two collided, falling to the ground. "Hey, you little punk! Why don't you watch where you're going!" snapped the powerful dark lord. "I could kill you with a thought, if I felt like it." The other figure climbed to his feet, brushing dust off of his teal tunic. Crono shrugged, giving Ganondorf a small smile. "But you don't feel like it. You want to save all your energy for Magus, don't you?" Ganondorf glowered at the shorter boy. He was barely up to his chest, and yet this youth was talking to him as an equal... "I need not concern myself with this 'Magus' type, child. His only purpose is to prove my superiority over the one who wields the Master Sword. Now, I suggest you get out of my way, before I move you by force." Crono repeated his motion, standing to the side. "Your choice." "Yes. It is indeed my choice, as it is my choice to spare your life. Thank whatever spirits you believe in that I do not possess the full Triforce now, child. If I did, no set of rules could prevent me from destroying every single being in the tournament, including you." Without waiting for a response, the warlock turned and stalked away, exiting the training facility. The first thing he noticed as he stepped outside was the darkness. It was the afternoon, and it should have, by all reason, been rather light. However, it felt more like dusk. A powerful gust of wind blew past the usurper of the throne of Hyrule, ruffling his cape, causing it to snap in the wind. "Wind? It's not usually this windy here... Ganondorf looked to the sky, and frowned. Aside from the normal fluffy, white, cumulonimbus puffs that normally hung in the sky, the only clouds Ganondorf had seen in the surrounding area were that stupid, weak, fox, and the even stupider swordsman. However, the sky above was completely overcast, gray with ominous, silent mist. The triangle embedded into the wizard's right hand started to shine with an ominous, golden, light... and all around him, the wind began to blow... ---- "The black wind begins to howl. One among you will shortly perish..." Magus opened his blood-red eyes slowly, two narrow slits of crimson. Outside of the warlock's sparsely furnished bedroom, he could hear the wind blow, whipping through the trees. Something was strange, the wizard could feel it... yet despite all of the Zealian Prince's intuition, nothing seemed to be happening. The blue-haired warlock was sitting in his darkened room, meditating, contemplating his upcoming match. Ganondorf was not a foe to be taken lightly, yet the wizard had learned much from the sheer power of Lavos, and Magus knew he could triumph. However, the screeching wind outside his quarters was an ominous portent; of what, the Prince of Zeal knew not. As he sat, the man formerly known as Janus Zeal became aware of another sound, this one more musical than the harsh symphony of chaos outside. Someone was playing a flute-like instrument somewhere close. Magus' eyes snapped fully open with recognition, suddenly. That had been one of Schala's favorite melodies, back in Zeal... it was a waltz, mournful and lovely, at once deadly and beautiful. Puzzled, Magus stood up, and exited his room, trying to track down the source of the mysterious music. He soon found it in the form of the swordsman Link, who was sitting in the deserted common room in the mansion by himself, holding some sort of instrument in his hands. As soon as he saw the warlock, the Hero of Time stopped, casting a suspicious glare at his rival's opponent. "Do you want something?" "I want to know where you learned that song." Magus kept his words steady, his tone even, not betraying a hint of the confusion, nor the annoyance at Link's attitude, that the mage was feeling. Link shrugged. "I made it up. Why is that?" The wizard bared his fangs in a slight predator's grin. "No reason... I am merely curious... what is it, if I may ask?" Again, the green-clad warrior shrugged. "I don't know. Some sort of requiem, I guess. Music's not really my strong suit, to tell you the truth." Magus chucked softly to himself, the wind outside howling stronger than before, if it were possible. His match was to begin shortly. "Ah, a requiem... thank you. You play it very well, I must commend you." A requiem... perfect for a waltz with death... Outside, the wind continued to blow... The Battle: "Dancing with Death" It was twilight. The last rays of the sun peeked over the horizon and rested on the ground. A pale yellow moon could be seen in the sky, illuminating the theater of war. A dark wind was fiercely blowing through the stands, chilling many of the contestants to the bone. The arena had a buzz of hushed conversation as the crowd filed in and took their seats. Today's fight pitted two formidable magicians against each other, and the crowd hoped it would showcase their skills just as the Gordon and Max fight had shown off what a gunfighter could do. Magus stood alone in the center of the arena. Ganondorf had apparently not yet deemed them all worthy of his presence. Magus was resting on one knee, leaning on his scythe. He paid no heed to the unseen wind rushing around him. His eyes were closed, but his face bespoke intense concentration. He had been given every opportunity to study Ganondorf. The man's pointless brutality had reminded him of the worst of the mystics of his day. He has a lust for power, but that is where his goals end. He has no use for power other than to destroy. Magus's soul burned as he thought of what Ganondorf had done. Ganondorf had destroyed another being with potential similar to his own, simply due to lack of restraint. Tidus had shown courage, power, and resolution-the qualities necessary to shape the world, if applied correctly. But he had been intimidated, and cut down before he was able to show what he was capable of. It was like listening to a brilliant symphony, only to have the conductor die of a heart attack before you could hear the end. It was like watching the development of a mighty oak, only to have it be cut down before it could reach its prime. It would be like watching a fight like this one, only to have one of the fighters win by a cheap shot before it even truly began. Tidus had reminded Magus of himself in some ways. Magus thought back to all that he had been. Trying to trace his life in any linear fashion was an exercise in futility. He was born over twelve thousand years before he first met Crono. They had first met each other on a night much like this one, on the top floor of his castle. The moon had shown brightly then too, silhouetting his caped form. He had fought Crono and his allies until both of them reached the brink of exhaustion. And then something unexpected had happened. Lavos chose that moment to respond to Magus's summons, and threw all them into the timestream. Ironically, Crono's ill-timed fight may have saved his life. In Crono's own time, there was no record of Magus ever winning the war, but he was assumed to have been killed. The mystics gave up, demoralized by his loss. If Crono had not arrived when he did, Magus could only assume he would have challenged Lavos on his own. And failed. It would have been a fight for the ages, a chance to have his own pure revenge on the monster. But that chance had been taken from him, and he had been tossed away, hurled thousands of years into the past. Twice in his life he had been thrown into the timestream without any control over his fate. The first trip came when his own mother used Lavos to send him away. She probably expected it to kill him. She had gone mad with power, she was beyond recognizing the consequences of her actions. The second trip sent him back to his own time, but before the fall of the kingdom of Zeal. He had disguised himself as a prophet, and used his knowledge of the future, and his intimate knowledge of the events to follow to gain stature and influence. To accomplish his ends, he became a different person, until the time was right. But in doing so, he became conflicted with himself. More specifically, a past version of himself. He had not always been Magus. Magus had been a construction to manipulate the mystics of his day. The brutes had needed a leader, he gave them one. But before he became the head of the army of magic-users, he had been Janus. A scared boy, and the prince of Zeal. Magus had been willing to do anything to accomplish his goals. And his younger self had been willing to go just as far to defend those whom he saw as his friends. He could have become someone much different if his life had not been stolen from him. He was shaped by circumstance, power, and a desire for vengeance. Tidus had seemed to him another example of potential stolen away. And the only use Ganondorf made of his existence was destroying those like Tidus. From what Magus had heard, Ganondorf had done far worse things than would even be allowed in the tournament held here. He only fought the weak, and killed those who had enough potential to be a threat. But tonight, he would learn to answer to his betters. An explosion rocked the arena. A puff of smoke billowed from the spot opposite Magus. Ganondorf had chosen that moment to arrive. He had teleported in by some magical spell. An evil grin spread across his face as he gazed at Magus. The crowd cheered at his impressive entrance. It was easy to see whom they favored already. Idiots. Power is not to be found in appearances. And the respect of fools is worthless, Magus thought. Ganondorf raised a gloved hand at him in a mocking gesture. The truly powerful have no need for a show. Power does not exist to be flaunted. His own pride shall doom him. Magus raised himself up straight and leveled his cold gaze at the other man. They were evenly matched for height. Soon everyone there would know if they were evenly matched in magical ability as well. ---- Link raced into the arena, trying to grab a seat near the front. The unusual scheduling of the fight today had messed up his schedule. Ganondorf was going to dispose of his last victim before Link had his chance to destroy him. Link's brow furrowed. The warlock must not be allowed to defeat him. If Ganondorf won the tournament... it would be horrific for everyone. Any price was worth preventing the dark magician from taking what he wanted. For now though, Link could only watch another fighter fall. But he still had to be there, to see Ganondorf in action. The better he understood how the dark wizard fought, the better his chances of winning. Fox had proved that much to him. He smiled to himself. Perhaps his last match had done him some good. Crono gestured to him a few seats away. The spiky haired warrior had saved him a seat. He was sitting beside another spiky haired fighter, Cloud. Link took the empty seat to Crono's right. "Thanks," he muttered. "No problem," Crono said. He was rubbing his hands in anticipation as he watched the fighters. "This oughta be good, you can count on Magus to make a battle interesting." Link had to wonder at that. "You know that guy?" "Yeah, pretty much." Crono waved down at Magus, and received only silence as his reply. Crono shrugged. "He's good, sorry about you having to fight him later." Link had to laugh at that one. The red haired fighter was amusing, that was for sure. Cloud and Crono were staring at him with puzzled expressions. Link regained control of himself and made his voice as serious as he could. "I don't care how skilled your friend is, he's not going to get to fight me next round. Ganondorf is going to slaughter him. There's only one warrior destined to beat him, and that's me." Crono shook his head and shrugged. "I'm sure Ganondorf is pretty strong..." "Of course he's strong!" Link interrupted. "He just can't be beaten. He has the Triforce of power. He ravaged Hyrule for years. Only a warrior like me can beat him." Link pointed to the Master Sword knowingly. Crono shrugged again. "I still wouldn't want to be in his shoes right now." "Whatever," Link muttered. Apparently he'd have to wait for the fight to prove his point. Link relaxed into his chair. Ganondorf looked impressive out on the battlefield. His fiery red hair was a stark contrast to Magus's more mellow, long blue hair. Ganondorf was decked out in full armor, from his head to his toe. Cast iron boots and gloves protected his feet and hands. Jewels were encrusted all over his uniform, symbolizing the power which the man inside bore. All that was exposed of him was his head, and that showed his confidence even more. A sinister smile was gazing at Magus. Link could almost feel the power Ganondorf held, just waiting to be unleashed onto the hapless magician. Magus wore a red cape, and simple light tunic that left his upper arms exposed. He held a scythe in his right hand. He's relying on that physical weapon? Now that's just sad. Link breathed a sigh of anticipation. This was going to be good to watch. He had to see if Ganondorf had improved as much as he had since they last fought. ---- The dark wind began to circle through the center of the arena, like a miniature whirlwind. Ganondorf looked up at it and laughed. "Heh, the wind, it's blowing..." Magus nodded his head. It was a familiar omen. "The black wind howls. Death is in the air. One of us is going to perish here." Ganondorf laughed again. "Ah, so he admits it! Your fate has already been written, wizard. My destiny lies in the next round." Magus cocked his head to one side and looked at Ganondorf. "You know, I've never been a big fan of destiny." Ganondorf raised a gloved fist. "Then you must learn to accept your fate. This arena shall be your tomb. The last few minutes of your life will be the most glorious you have ever experienced, for you shall get to experience the most powerful force in existence firsthand. Prepare yourself!" Magus smiled, and raised his scythe. "Oh, I am. I have lived my whole life dancing with death. Are you prepared for the void?" Ganondorf snarled and approached Magus. They were only a few feet away from each other. The audience was deathly silent. The only sounds that could be heard were Ganondorf's labored breathing and the dark wind blowing in the night. Magus's cape fluttered behind him in the wind. He spoke calmly. "If words were weapons, this match would already be over. Go ahead, take your best shot." Ganondorf's powerful right fist flew forward at the magician. The Triforce embedded in his palm glowed, and erupted in a burst of power, striking Magus in the chest. Magus stumbled back, gasping from the blow. He hid his pain, and stood up straight, laughing. "Is that the best you can do?" Ganondorf threw another powerful punch at him, but Magus ducked under the blow. Too predictable. He prefers to rely his strength alone. Even Crono knew better than that. Ganondorf roared and came at Magus with a flurry of fists. The first one caught him in the stomach. Bearing the pain, Magus dodged to one side and swung his scythe in a lateral cut. The doom scythe glittered wickedly as it sought to claim another life. Ganondorf gasped in disbelief as he felt the weapon scrape, then penetrate his armor. He spun to face Magus and grabbed him by the cape. Ganondorf hurled him across the arena floor. Magus made no effort to try to stop his movement, but let himself slide away from Ganondorf. He rose to his feet again and raised one beckoning hand. Moonlight shone off his cursed weapon as he raised it high in the air. Ganondorf growled and raced forward. Magus tried to use his scythe again, but Ganondorf slammed into him before he had a chance to react. He fell onto the floor again, reeling from the attack. Ganondorf growled again, incensed. Dark energy began to flow from his fingertips. "Enough games! Do you even know who I am, wizard?" Magus tried to catch his breath, and nodded his head. "You were the king of the Gerudo. You were the only male born into a tribe of women, and so you became their leader. You're the fulfillment of a prophesy which takes place once in a thousand years. You became the first among the insects that surrounded you, forced to hide away in a valley with rejects like yourself. You're nothing but a common thief." A burst of dark energy flew from Ganondorf's palm. Magus rolled to one side and stood up, barely avoiding the blast. Ganondorf began to gather the energy for another shot, as Magus continued speaking. "But of course, that wasn't enough. You feigned allegiance to the King of Hyrule, manipulating him for your own ends. You tricked Link into opening the sacred realm for you so you could claim the Triforce for yourself." Ganondorf fired an enormous dark beam at him. The black energy crackled through the air, and Magus barely had time to erect a magic wall. His barrier strained, but withstood the barrage. The spell would absorb magical attacks up to a point, but the protection worked both ways. It limited the magical attacks he was able to use. Ganondorf ceased his spell, and laughed at the wizard's verbal and magical efforts. "I see you've done your homework. A commendable effort. I envy you. I never had the opportunity to learn from another greater than myself." Magus resumed his story, ignoring the wizard's taunt. "You took the Triforce, but failed in your goal. Power, wisdom, and courage were within your grasp... but you did not have all those qualities in yourself. You claimed power as your own, but lost the other two elements." Ganondorf snorted. "Power is all I need. What use is anything without power? The powerful take what is theirs by right. The weak exist to serve them. It is the natural order of things." "But there shall always be one more powerful than you. I learned that myself. The weak, together, can defeat the strong... as long as you are blind to your own weaknesses, you can never win." Ganondorf shook his head. "Pathetic. I would have thought that even an excuse for a wizard like you could recognize true greatness." "Oh, I know what you're capable of, Ganondorf." Magus stood on edge, preparing for another attack. "I've seen your power firsthand. Killing half the crowd here would be nothing to you. I know you, Ganondorf. But despite that, I'm not worried." Magus paused, and smiled at Ganondorf's expression. "You should very well wonder at that. Do you know me?" Ganondorf hurled a ball of shadow energy at Magus, and was met full on by a wheel of lightning. The two magical spells twisted and convulsed upon each other. The lightning spell cut its way through Ganondorf's dark sphere and struck the warlock in the chest. The warlock twitched involuntarily, literally shocked by the attack. His own missile continued on unimpeded, and hit Magus's barrier, and the sheer force of the spell knocked Magus backwards. Ganondorf rose up into the air, looking down on Magus with an evil glare. "For one who knows so much, you're still ignorant. Enough talk. This ends now." Magus used his own magic to lift himself up in the air, hovering lightly above the ground. "Indeed." Link leaned forward, breathlessly. Ganondorf was no longer holding back. His legendary nemesis began firing midnight black blasts out of his palms, while Magus was simply straining to avoid being annihilated. The lesser magician raced through the air as the dark forces pounded the ground below him. If there had been anything alive on the arena floor, whether it was animal, plant, or microscopic bacteria, it was dead now. Magus halted, suspended in the air. A dark vortex of energy appeared around his hands, sucking in Ganondorf's attacks. The dark wind which had stayed with them for the entire match seemed drawn to it, spinning around Magus's form. Magus hurled the black hole at Ganondorf. Ganondorf's eyes widened. Link held his breath, waiting to see what Ganondorf would do to counteract the attack. Ganondorf spread his hands apart and let loose another powerful spell. The black hole grew larger as it absorbed more energy, but Ganondorf concentrated his force around the edges of the black hole, attempting to compress it. The Gerudo King managed to tighten the edges of the black hole, but it continued to speed forward at him. Gritting his teeth, Ganondorf raised his fists and directed all his energy downwards. The black hole slammed into the ground below them, forming a hole hundreds of feet deep. The King of Evil roared in triumph and fired an enormous blast at Magus, who tried to counter it with a dark bomb. Intense energies crackled through the air, beyond the likes of what most of the crowd had ever seen, or believed possible. Ganondorf's blast was several feet wide, but Magus's spell began growing upon contact with Ganondorf's discharge of energy. The dark bomb exploded in a maelstrom of power, surrounding Ganondorf's own spell and threatening to reach the magician. Ganondorf gritted his teeth and let another spell loose. It blazed through the air, piercing through both of their attacks. What was left of all of their energies slammed into Magus. His barrier collapsed upon itself, and his entire body felt like it was being destroyed from within. Ganondorf flew through the air and slammed Magus into the ground. The prince of Zeal gasped in pain as he felt Ganondorf's iron boot pressing down on his chest. Ganondorf laughed at his helpless opponent. Public humiliation was his favorite kind. Magus's hands were twitching helplessly, and he was muttering something. Ganondorf leaned over Magus's face, and spat on his brow. "A pity do to do so well only to fail. How would you like to die, weakling?" Magus mumbled something else. Ganondorf leaned over to listen and laughed. "What's that? It doesn't matter?" "No..." Magus whispered. "Dark... matter." Zeal's civilization had represented the peak of scientific and magical studies for the human race. The gurus of reason, life, and time had worked to unlock the mysteries of the universe, and sought to understand time, space, and reality itself. Their achievements were only beginning to be matched fourteen thousand years after the fall of Magus's kingdom. The pinnacle of their studies had been an understanding of matter itself... and its parallel opposite, anti-matter. They were like fire and water to each other. When the two opposite manifestations of matter collided, they destroyed each other, and released pure energy. With the right magical manipulation and channeling of natural forces, it was possible to produce a sufficient quantity of anti-matter to destroy anything that existed in the physical plane. Ganondorf, of course, understood none of this as the unreal projectile began to fly at him. He watched it curiously as it pulsated and grew in size. Had he studied what Magus had, he might have recognized the nested triangles in it as a three dimensional projection of a fourth dimensional object. But what his own senses and mind could not comprehend, he soon felt. The blob of surreality tore at his armor, annihilating it. Ganondorf screamed in pain as he felt the skin around his heart being eradicated. Only his own magical energies saved him-he desperately tried to force the spell away. Its destructive force finally collided into the ground, having consumed an equal part of his skin for what it had lost. Ganondorf fell onto the ground. He was bleeding from the chest. It was getting hard to think, let alone move. And yet he chuckled. Magus picked himself up and looked down on the Gerudo warlock. His expression was without remorse or pity. "Enough. This battle is ended." Ganondorf laughed bitterly. "You said it yourself, wizard, one of us is going to die here." Ganondorf's eyes began to burn with fire. "Only it won't be me..." ---- Link was watching the fight with disbelief as Crono cheered Magus on. His pride was wounded at the idea that an unknown like Magus could actually be a match to his legendary foe. How can Ganondorf be losing? This Magus... But Link's reverie was interrupted as Ganondorf's laugh began to fill the arena. The dark wind started to accelerate, and turn into a swirling tornado. The arena had suddenly gone pitch black. The moon no longer shone... the only light that was visible shown from Ganondorf's palm. The Triforce... Link realized. He gasped, forgetting his concern about the outcome of the match entirely. No...! Ganondorf began to laugh manically... his voice growing deeper and deeper. Light began to shine out from every pore of his skin. He screamed, and the light flowing from him reached its apex. The burst temporarily blinded the entire crowd. When they looked again, Ganondorf was gone. Ganon stood in his place. He was the lord of darkness again. The giant pig towered ten feet above Magus's head. The prince of Zeal stood calmly, analyzing the new development. Ganon held an enormous pitchfork in his right hand, and a hammer in his left. He raised his enormous tusks in the air and roared at the crowd. A blast of fire flew out of his pitchfork, crashing into the stadium wall. The audience screamed, and backed away as the concrete began to melt from the supernatural force. Ganon no longer even seemed concerned with his battle with Magus. He smashed his hammer onto the ground, letting the ground ripple from his blow. Link heard Zelda scream elsewhere in the arena, and back away to the edge of the stands. Well, she won't be any help... Link knew what he had to do. The entire crowd was acting chaotically, and Magus was just standing there. Link dived onto the ground floor as another blast of fire destroyed part of the Stadium's wall. Link raced forward at the giant pig, screaming. "GANON!" "Stay back, Link! This is not your fight!" Magus stopped whatever he had been doing to yell at Link. Link groaned. Magus simply couldn't hope to beat Ganon like he was now. Ignoring Magus's request, he drew a light arrow and fired it straight into Ganon's eyes. The pig roared in pain and began lumbering towards Link. Magus shook his head. "No! Not now..." Magus fired off a quick lightning spell at Ganon, but the monster shrugged it off. His skin and armor was simply too tough. Link smiled as he saw Ganon approaching him. "Good, now you'll see..." Ganon swung at him with his hammer and knocked him sideways. Sprawled on the ground, Link tried to pick himself up but was struck in the chest by Ganon's hammer. His body went limp, and Ganon roared in triumph. Magus felt like collapsing as well, but he had no choice. He's just too powerful. This has to stop. I didn't survive the darkness just to die in some dimension that shouldn't even exist. This can not go on. Magus raised his hands and threw up an enormous magic wall. Ganon bounced back against the blue shield. He grunted, and glared at Magus. The spell surrounded them both. Ganon begin to move in on Magus, raising his pitchfork, intending to skewer the magician. Magus was running out of options fast. He readied his spells, and hoped for the best. I only have one chance here. I am the prince of Zeal... I must not fail. Three giant chunks of ice appeared around Ganon's form. He bashed his way through the one in front of him and kept moving. A giant circle of fire appeared around the pig, threatening to incinerate him. Ganon merely walked through the flames with an evil grin. The ice and fire stayed around him, assaulting his skin with no effect. Magus gathered the energy for his most powerful spell, and cast dark matter once again upon his foe. Even that showed no effect. The unreal object couldn't even penetrate Ganon's armor. I see now why Link thought only he could beat him... But there was no time to obtain the Master Sword from Link. Ganon was only a few feet away. All three of Magus's spells were surrounding him, uselessly. It was time to complete the incantation. Magus was sweating intensely. Ganon was almost upon him. Concentrating as hard as he could, he began to attempt to combine the ice, fire, and dark matter spells. Their energies coalesced upon each other, amplifying the destructive power of the anti-matter attack. The opposites of heat and cold combined somehow, bringing the dark matter to its extremes. It was this or nothing. He had no other choice. Magus screamed out the words as Ganon began to reach out to stab him with his pitchfork. "DARK ETERNAL!" Magus felt the pitchfork pierce his chest as the ultimate destructive force began to be unleashed upon Ganon. The dark pig screamed and howled in agony. Ganon's eyes began to turn an intense shade of black. Somehow knowing that Magus was the cause of his troubles, he tried to lean forward to stab Magus again. The dark wind was spiraling around them, and threatening to lift them both into the air. Magus held his ground, and maintained his spell, letting the dark energies take their toll. Ganon's body begin shaking. His skin turned red. With one last primal effort he screamed as his entire body began to fade away. Magus collapsed onto the ground. The wind disappeared as though it had never been. There was no trace of his opponent. His blood, and gaping chest wounds were the only sign that any fight had taken place there. His torment was nearly over. He had won, but he was dying. He looked at the blood gushing from him. He had no chance to survive. Schala... farewell... Aftermath: "Requiem" Zelda was clinging to the wall at the back of the stands. All thoughts of Sheik were gone. Ganon had returned to terrorize her, and she had been too afraid to use her newfound power. The monstrous creature from her nightmares had returned, to destroy half the arena. He had burned away the walls of the arena, mindlessly destroying whatever he came in contact with. But he was gone again... like a bad dream. She tried to come to grips with what had happened. She knew who she was again... for once, she had no need to retreat inside her mind. Something puzzled her though. The crowd was still hushed, even though Ganon had been destroyed. She looked down to see what had their attention. Magus was lying down, bleeding in the center of the arena, while Link lay motionless. Pangs of guilt washed over Zelda. She ran down the steps of the stadium and leaped into the arena. The motion was easier than she had expected. She was still dressed up as Sheik. She ran over to Magus first. The magician's accomplishment had been incredible... she had only believed Link to be capable of fighting Ganon. Clearly, outside her world, there were other powerful forces as well. She kneeled down next to the battered wizard and rested one hand on his chest, feeling the wounds. Magus turned his head and spoke to her in a raspy voice. "You should attend to your boyfriend first. Your efforts would be better spent there." "Hush..." Zelda whispered. Healing light poured out of her hands, filling Magus's body. She held back the flow of blood from his chest and tried to seal the wounds... but the damage was simply too great. The dark energies both fighters had wielded didn't make it any easier either. Magus groaned as Zelda continued her efforts to repair his battered body. Her own power was not enough, even with the Triforce of Wisdom. Reluctantly, Zelda began drawing on another power that rested within her... that of the Chaos Emerald. She began to feel a little lightheaded as the power rushed through her. The healing energy she was exerting began flooding out of her hands. The three holes in Magus's chest gradually sealed themselves up, and the purifying energy raced through his veins. Zelda had to make an effort to control herself as she began letting up on her power. Magus was still exhausted and lying flat on his back, but his visible wounds were healed. There was nothing more she could do for him. Zelda ran over to Link while she still had her wits about her and let her energies pour over Link. His bruises began to vanish, and he stood up opening his eyes wide. But he wasn't even looking at her, his gaze was in the direction of Magus. Zelda turned, and beyond the blue haired wizard, saw three triangles spinning in the air. "The Triforce of Power..." she whispered. Link immediately stood up straight and rushed forward. The Triforce flew up into the air, centered between Link, Zelda, and Magus. The Triforce faced towards Link. Though no words were spoken... the two seemed to be communicating somehow. What do you believe about power? Power belongs to those with the courage and confidence to use it. It is the right of the strong to protect and oversee the weak. The powerful let nothing stand in their way. Zelda was puzzled, the Triforce was just hovering in the air, it seemed to be evaluating Link. Your words belie your intentions. Your spirit is slipping into shadow. Having more power can not save you from that fate. You must look to yourself, champion of courage. The Triforce turned to face her. Zelda felt her spirit tug, reaching out for the magical force. It was if the Triforce spoke to her very soul. What do you believe about power? Power is necessary for protection. Without power, I am helpless. With power, I have control. Power is the right of those with the wisdom to use it properly. Zelda felt a pang of loss as the Triforce began to turn away. You are lost in the power you possess already. Your motives are clouded. You must regain yourself before you can hope to wield power properly. Know thyself, champion of wisdom. The Triforce spun slowly, and faced Magus. The magician was still motionless, lying on the ground without a word. Zelda hoped desperately that he was still alive. What do you believe about power? Power corrupts. Power destroys. The desire for power ruined my kingdom and destroyed my life. The weak strive to be weaker and yield control of their lives to someone else, while the strong strive only to increase their strength. The cycle has destroyed as many empires as it has individuals. Power as an end in itself is pointless. Power distorts life and serves its own ends. I wish I had never heard of power. Zelda watched in amazement as the Triforce began to descend upon Magus. Your embittered spirit speaks more truth than you may know, champion of self. You defeated the past bearer of this artifact. You have shown yourself able to wield and to oppose power. You have been judged worthy. May you wield your power with courage and wisdom. The Triforce of Power landed on Magus's chest and entered his body. Life and energy seemed to flow into Magus. Magus leaned forward, looking around dazed. Picking up his scythe, Magus raised himself up from the ground. He looked around confused. His wounds were healed. He saw Zelda staring at him, and nodded with understanding. "Thank you." Zelda said nothing, but merely gaped at him. Did he even understand what had just happened to him? Did anyone, aside from her and Link? The crowd erupted in applause. Link's applause had been loud, invasive to a degree... this was deafening. A chant of "Magus... Magus.... MAGUS!" rose from the stands. Magus looked around, and nodded at the crowd. He slowly stalked out of the arena, his cape flowing silently behind him. The crowd roared and clapped with enthusiasm bordering on hero worship. They had gone from excitement, to abject terror-fearing for their lives. Their concern for their own lives had turned into a worry for Magus's, and it ended with triumph. Magus had beaten the king of evil. Even the other contestants were clapping enthusiastically. Link glared up at the stands, seemingly resentful of the attention Magus was receiving. For some reason, Zelda didn't feel comfortable talking to him right then about what she had seen. Slipping into the persona of Sheik, she stealthily glided out of the arena, to where she could be alone again. Next Entry Back |