Rebirth

Chapter 58: Last Quest

Now that Ganon had been defeated, the Guardians within the castle no longer bothered to attack Zelda and Link as they raced back into the Sanctum at the very top. The massive hole in the center remained from when the hero faced Calamity Ganon and waiting on the other side was Fi, still in her human form. By her feet was Ghirahim back in his normal state, but the duo couldn't tell whether he was dead or alive.

"Master, come quickly," she called out to him.

Link and Zelda ran around the pit before them and made it over to the two sword spirits. The princess watched as Link knelt beside the demon, clutching his hand tightly as a spark of fear came from his eyes.

"Ghirahim!" the hero cried. "Ghirahim, please, wake up!"

Fi looked down at Link kneeling beside the demon. "Master, Ghirahim is still very much alive. There is no need to worry."

The blond glanced up at the sword spirit, blinking away the small tears that threatened to escape his eyes, with his mouth agape.

"He... He's alive?"

Fi nodded. "Yes. However, the malice had absorbed much of his energy, and when Ganon was defeated the malice took that energy away as it disappeared and replaced it with the Calamity's. I predict only a 10% chance of him surviving this..."

"O-Only ten pe-percent?" Zelda gasped, her hand flying to her mouth in shock. "But... But how? He's a demon. Surely he could survive dark magic!"

"I'm afraid this is not just dark magic, Your Grace," the sword spirit sighed. "This is pure and unadulterated evil that is consuming him. Remember that Ganon has abandoned his human life and form, and so his energy has changed with him. Eons of lack of exposure to darkness have made Ghirahim vulnerable. He is more Hylian than demon at this point in time."

"Her Grace's influence on his form has taken over. He knew it was a bad idea to let her turn him into a sword spirit, but he went through with it anyway. What a fool," Fi thought to herself.

Link stared at Ghirahim's pained face as Fi explained the situation. He could see the man was suffering. Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead as his jaw was clenched, his lips retracting to show his gritting fangs. His breathing was uneven and ragged. His body felt cold, different from his normal temperature, but he was sure the demon was dying of heat.

And he definitely noticed the small, black cracks that consumed Ghirahim's abdomen and forearms, and it seemed they were slowly extending to the rest of his body.

The hero looked back at his sword spirit with pleading eyes.

"Fi, is there any way we could save him?"

"Yes," she replied. "But it will be a long journey, and I am afraid there is not much time-"

"I don't care what it takes!" the hero exclaimed. "I just... I just want him to be safe. Even if I have to fight Ganon all over again!"

Fi was a little taken back by her master's sudden shout. Yet, she couldn't help but smile to herself internally. He wasn't that different from the other Link, and at the same time, they were total opposites.

The Hero of the Sky, much like this Link, was young and inexperienced in battle. At least in the beginning. Eventually, they both grew as both people and as warriors with help of their courage deep inside of them. They were both kind to their companions, were willing to sacrifice so much for them, and manage to befriend even the most unlikely of people. Yet, this Link...

He wasn't like the other in that he was willing to move on from the past. She recalled how the first pleaded and begged almost every night for things to go back to normal throughout their journey. For everything to return to the way it was before he discovered his destiny, but reluctnatly endured it nonetheless. This Link affirmed what happened to him, knew full well he couldn't change a thing, and was more than happy to adapt.