The Legend of Zelda: The Magician

11: Room of Illusions

"Link! Skychild! Oh, I beg of you, Skychild, return to me!" Ghirahim's hysterical voice pulls me from the inky blackness of my mind.

Slowly, I open my eyes. However, I can't open my right eye. Why? Then, the events that recently happened crash back into my mind. The Water Temple, battling Dark Link, getting wounded on my right eye, absorbing him. Will my eye be able to heal?

Looking up at Ghirahim, my body feels weird as I lay on my stomach, and Ghirahim's earthy eyes are filled with worry and confusion. Why confusion? Did something else happen while I was out? I try to stand up, only for my limbs to be wobbly, so I stay on all fours. Looking down at the water, I freeze. My reflection doesn't show an injured, battle worn Hylian like I'm expecting. Instead, a golden-blonde and white wolf face stares back at me, one piercing red eye wide in shock, while the right eye is closed shut, blood matted into the golden fur. And a red, vertical slash stretches down from my brow to my cheek.

"This transpired as you were combating against Dark Link when he was attempting to consume you internally. You do not remember this component of you. Am I correct?" Ghirahim mentions, his voice calm and soothing toward me, his soulmate, whom ought to be a Hylian!

I shake my head and look down at this wolf body I am in. Golden-blonde fur covers most of it with stark white all around the neck, on the muzzle, above the eyes, on the cheeks, and outlining the ears. Looking to my left, I see white, almost thunder-like patterns on the sides and attaching to the white on the neck, along with a pure white belly. A white tip is on the fur of the tail and the paws are completely white, with some grey fading between every part where gold and white connect.

Why am I a wolf? Looking up at Ghirahim, I stare at him with bewilderment and fear, looking for answers it sounds like he can give, considering his earlier statement. Hopefully.

"Allow me to illuminate, Skychild," He coos, placing a hand atop my head, his warmth seeping through my fur and tingling my cold, confused body. "In your previous life, you saved me of my corruption, but some of it tried to consume you. Your hero spirit and connection with the Triforce of Courage prevented you from becoming tainted by transforming you into a noble wolf. Magically speaking, when one attempts at corruption, concentration on that specific form must be taken. If the form changes at any point, the procedure is reset, but the magic user has still lost all that power they used before. Thus, you drain them of energy and prevent them from overtaking you. It's quite ingenious. I've got a similar spell reserved in case anyone almost possesses me again."

My hero spirit and the Triforce are what made me like this? Was it because Dark Link was about to overtake me? It seems so. I look at the water once again, sitting down and wrapping my tail around myself. A noble wolf... But wait, how do I turn back? Am I stuck as a wolf forever? Frantically, I look up at Ghirahim once more, my eye wide with fear that I will never again be my Hylian self.

He seems to notice, since he starts to rub my head softly, causing me to tilt my head into his massaging touch. "Do not fret with those puppy eyes of yours. Well, eye. I can instruct you on how to transform back. I have assisted with this during our previous life. This time will be insultingly easy."

Staring up and into Ghirahim's earthy eyes, he smiles softly toward me, giving me comfort in this foreign situation.

"Where is his dark side in this reflecting room? Hmm? I doubt he doesn't have one. He is a demon, after all... He can't be trusted... He could be corrupt!"

Dark Link's words echo through my mind. Why didn't Ghirahim have a dark side appear in this room? Why has one still not shown up? Could he really be already corrupted? Are his comments and his tactics all a way to make me feel a false sense of security? I can't help but worry over this. I don't want to. Especially since, if he is possessed, it's entirely my fault this time. But that dream I had of him when he was used last life...it felt so real. It was so raw and fearful. I don't want to lose him when we only just met again this life.