GCB Fanfics: The Fanfiction Project

"No More Heroes"

At the start of the tournament, sixty-four contestants had arrived filled with hope and ambition. They all knew what was at stake, but they also felt they had nothing to fear. A few of them had half-expected it to be a little retreat, just a simple contest to test their skills... against the most competitive fighters in the known universe.

Two fighters had run away from their matches in the face of insurmountable forces. A few had been brutalized almost beyond the point of recognition. And Samus marked the 11th warrior who's spirit returned to her own world, not by passing through a portal, but due to a violent death at the hand of one of her rivals.

But in addition to the sixty-four fighters, and the throngs of fans who had accumulated to witness their acts of destruction, there had been two others. The champion of time, and now champion of the multiverse had been allowed two consorts. Tingle the jester and mapmaker, and Kaepora Gaebora, oldest and wisest of all living things in Hyrule.

They were both insignificant in the calculations of the other fighters. Tingle would have been hard-pressed to put up a fight against AiAi, and Kaepora had practically taken on the role of local wildlife as the tournament had progressed. The creature had the forest to call his home, and had an eye on most everything that occurred within the dimension's supernatural borders.

Kaepora Gaebora had been born a man. In his time, he had been a sage of Hyrule, and fulfilled his destiny to combat the forces of evil, sacrificing his life to aid the legendary hero. But his spirit had been too strong to be quelled by something so simple as death. He had reincarnated as an owl, wisest of the beasts, and had begun a new life, furthering his knowledge and continuing to grow in wisdom. Even bereft of his powers, he was able to have an impact as the history of Hyrule began to play itself out once again. His whole life had been based around finding the next legendary hero, and aiding him in whatever way he could. Even as an owl, his abilities in flight and scouting made him an invaluable resource, and his knowledge of the forces at work in his world was limitless. Kaepora remained a creature of faith. His existence was in service to the world of Hyrule, and his purpose was to assist the legendary hero.

And now that hero had forsaken him. Even one such as he could no longer be blind to what was going on. For the last few weeks, Kaepora had kept himself out of everyone's way, only informing Link of what had been taking place in worried tones. One the fighters had apparently been slaughtered outside the context of a match. Another warrior had been kidnapped for a time by sinister forces. Skirmishes had frequently taken place, and Kaepora had done his best to keep track of the emeralds that were at the focus of many of the events...

But Link's responses had chilled every feather in his body. Link was only concerned with coercing an advantage from the events unfolding. Kaepora had provided him with a nearly limitless knowledge of everything taking place, but Link ignored his advice to help or intervene. Selfish motives were all the owl could see in his champion now. This was not the hero of Hyrule he knew. When Link had first arrived at the tournament, he had been a little cocky, but Kaepora believed he was only trying to disguise his own nervousness. The champion of courage was being asked to confront a group of fighters who would all be trying to slay him, and he also had to deal with his greatest foe, Ganondorf. His occasional slip-ups were understandable in that light. But Kaepora could not ignore what was happening any longer. It was clear Link valued him only as a spy, not as a counselor.

He had warned Link of the perils that were taking place in relation to the doom ship, but Link had instructed him to keep silent about the matter, saying he would take care of it. But to Kaepora's horror, Link had merely watched as half the tournament’s fighters nearly met their end, and had apparently even been willing to gloat over the tragedy to Crono.

It was unfathomable that the one known as Magus could have been right... that Link was in fact becoming the very thing he had fought to destroy. Link was desperate trying to keep his title, and the lust for victory had allowed an alien presence to take hold over the hero since his arrival in the tournament. Link had unleashed a power twice now that had left him as an utterly merciless force of sheer annihilation. Kaepora firmly believed that the Fierce Deity was the cause of Link's ills, both moral and temperamental. For his own good, Link had to destroy the mask, and free himself from the evil threatening to overrun his spirit. The Triforce of Power itself had rejected him twice... and Kaepora trusted the spirit of the Goddess Din even more than the hero of time himself.

Kaepora had to believe that his advice would be enough to save Link from his own inward crisis. Kaepora believed that even within the context of the tournament, Link's past sins could be atoned for. Kaepora believed that the prophesies of the legendary hero could not be undone so easily… that Link must still be within redemption.

Kaepora Gaebora had no idea how terribly late he was.

Scowling down at the streaks of blood on the tournament floor, Kaepora took to the night sky, searching for any sign of the hero who had kept himself in isolation. It would have been well nigh impossible to miss.

Scarcely a hundred feet to the east, the forest of Porta Dei was aflame.

All of Kaepora's concerns and misgivings were forgotten in an instant. The former sage spread his wings and flew into a dive towards the forest. Smoke was billowing out of forest in all directions from the center. Kaepora swerved over the tops of the trees, fighting back the pain the heat brought his aged form. Link must have been ambushed and trapped by one of his rivals. The fighter known as Snake must have laid a trap for his hero in revenge for Link had done to Samus. Trees were turning to ash all around him, as an ever growing sphere of flame penetrated every nook of the forest. A hellish nightmare of fire and flame began to singe Kaepora's feathers, forcing him to struggle to remain upright. The ancient owl willed every speck of power he had possessed in this life or the last to keep him alive long enough to swoop down and lift the hero out of the inferno threatening to consume him. Kaepora made a final dive into the center, finally spotting the dark silhouette of Link standing upright. What he realized next shocked him to his core.

Link wasn't helpless, or trapped at all. Link was the source of the inferno.

In disbelief, Kaepora pulled upwards, freeing himself at last from the theater of pure destructive chaos. Panting and flapping his wings desperately in the air, Kaepora looked down, not willing to believe his own eyes. Link was calling upon the power of the Goddess Din with a force had never witnessed before... with a force that had likely never been matched since the creation of Hyrule itself. Link was remaking the world of Porta Dei in front of his very eyes.

The sphere of flame grew in intensity, liquefying all the natural growth it came into contact with. The blaze spread until it covered every inch of the forest. The spell finally reached its climax, then dissipated into the air. Kaepora was physically thrown upward into the air as the energies of the spell were freed.

Gasping for breath, Kaepora swooped downwards to reunite himself with his champion. Link stood impassively at the center of an enormous crater, with piles of ashen waste surrounding him in all directions. The fallout spread even beyond the borders of the forest... the newly created wasteland extended to the walls of the arena itself. Link was wearing his red tunic, but he was not even sweating from the heat. His face was a mask, with ill intentions resting just below the surface.

Kaepora began to hear Link's voice as he landed on the former forest floor, and perched himself awkwardly on the remains of a tree.

"They always said plants couldn't feel pain. That they weren't like us, that it was all right to snuff them out. We hold ceremonies to cherish the life of each pathetic human, we fret and weep for our animals, and shrug off each tree we fell for our own purposes. This is the hypocrisy of your world, Kaepora. The illusions your kind forced upon us. All life is equally worthless. Death is a merciful release."

Kaepora beak hung open in dismay. He tried to chatter out a response with his clumsy animal organs, but Link raised a finger.

"Hush. Listen. Can't you feel it?" Link took in a deep breath and closed his eyes. "Energy. Pure energy, everywhere. Even one as blind as you should be able to sense it. This whole place, this forest... just a construct to keep us busy, to distract us from where we were. A world to join all the worlds. That is the real prize they tried to hide from me last time. All these lives that stand in the way are just fuel for the fire."

"Link, hoot! We have to speak."

Link snapped at him angrily. "What is it, owl? Whatever news you bear, it had better be worth more than your head."

For a moment, Kaepora had the desperate urge to fly away from Link as fast he could, but his loyalties as a sage and guardian kept him steadfast. "Link, you face a grave and imminent danger, hoot! Your own friends forsake you! Your nature grows darker every day. You risk turning your back on all you learned, hoot! You are the hero of Hyrule, you must remember your princess..."

"SHUT UP!" Link yelled. "You stupid beast... you have no right to call me that anymore. We are no longer Link. The hero of time was a lie, a tool the Hyrulian royalty manipulated for their own ends. Zelda tried to open up the golden realm so she could claim the Triforce, but trapped me in time as a result. What have they ever done for me?"

"Link, it is your destiny to protect the family of Hyrule..."

"The weak have always needed the strong. But make no mistake, I have no need of you."

"Link, please stop this." Kaepora pleaded. "I know this is not who you wish to be, hoot. You must abandon the Fierce Deity, or I fear he shall destroy your soul."

Link laughed lightly. "You've always lied to me, Kaepora. Held back the truth. Set me up so I would do everything you wanted. Hid me from the dangers you knew I would face, and kept me from knowing everything you did. But no more. I now know more than you ever will. The Fierce Deity and I have already joined souls."

Kaepora nearly fell backwards onto the ground. "What??? How could you, hoot?"

"Our goals and purposes are identical. He chose me out of all the tournament because he saw I was the strongest. I accepted him because I needed to win. We are now one and the same. The most powerful force among all the universes."

Kaepora looked imploringly at Link as he began to advance. "Link, think of everything you've done, hoot! You can not do this! Your people respect and love you, hoot!"

"It is already done, sage. Your kind has already had its time. The royal family is a bunch of easily manipulated weaklings. They have held sway for far too long... but they are all insignificant compared to this world."

Kaepora tried to speak again, but Link interrupted him.

"Enough! You have already wasted too much of my time. You couldn't even let me know when Fox was conspiring against me, you did nothing about the mage who stole the power of my former goddess, and you can tell me nothing more of use. You remain only as a liability."

Kaepora flapped his wings, and tried to get airborne, but Link swatted him to the ground with the blunt of his sword. Kaepora lay prostrate on the ground, and raised his wing in self defense.

"Please, Link, you can't." A look of fear suddenly appeared in the owl's eyes. "What have you done to Tingle?"

Link raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Oh, don't worry. I sent him back at the start of the last round. I had even less use of him. To be honest, I think he was glad to leave. As you should be."

Kaepora backed away slowly but Link paced after him.

"This is what you will do if you want to live, beast. I believe you know your way to the portal. You will fly there with every bit of speed your flimsy muscles can give you, unless you want to see for yourself how far the arm of the Fierce Deity reaches. Fly back to the castle of Hyrule, where the scared little princess has hidden herself away. You will tell her..."

Link smiled as he looked down at the terrified Kaepora for a final time.

"Tell her that her king shall return soon. He shall bear in his right fist the power from all realms, and he shall bear in his left dominion over life and death. The universe will have found its master. And Hyrule shall witness the wrath of the gods as never before. Now go!"

Kaepora's last thought as he flew away with a supernatural speed was that the only hope left for their world, or any other, rested with one mercenary, and the spirit of the Goddess Din.

~Fin~


Today's Authors: BigCow
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