The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess Novelization

With steady steps, Link was guided into the bowels of the ancient oak. The passage eventually opened into a great, man-carved hollow. At the back of the chamber stood a round door set high upon a small bluff. Two wooden staircases had once reached it, though both had long since collapsed into the weeds below. In their place, a curtain of vines clung to the sheer face, offering a precarious route upward. Link crossed the chamber and pulled on the vines to test their strength. They held fast, and he climbed the bluff without trouble. At the top, he brushed the dirt from his hands and studied the door before him. It was fashioned from thick oak, its design plain but solid. A red swirl had been painted across the weathered surface. Link did not recognize the symbol. Perhaps it belonged to the builders of the Forest Temple. It doesn’t matter, he told himself. A brief inspection revealed no handles or knobs. Link attempted to lift the door, but it did not move. When he pulled it to the left, however, the slab shifted slightly. Interesting… With a grunt, he forced the heavy door aside and stepped into the chamber beyond. It appeared to be the temple’s main concourse. Identical round doors were set into each wall, all reachable by a crumbling wooden boardwalk suspended around the centre of the chamber. The monkey tugged urgently at Link’s pants before scampering ahead. He followed her to the far side of the chamber behind the boardwalk, where another monkey sat imprisoned inside a wooden cage. It looked much like his guide, though its fur was a darker grey and its larger build suggested it was male. As Link approached, the implications became impossible to ignore. The cage looked nearly identical to the one that had once held Talo. Bokoblins, he thought, frowning. What are they doing here? Looking for the forbidden power? Link wedged his sword between the bars and pried the cage open. Once free, the monkey burst into a quick celebratory dance before racing toward its brethren. They turned and beckoned for Link to follow. “Looks like they want you to follow them again,” Midna said. Link looked down at his shadow. “Think there are more monkeys trapped in here?” “Maybe. Only one way to find out.” Link climbed the boardwalk and followed the monkeys to the northern door. When he pushed it open, a powerful gust of wind struck him, making his eyes water. Holding his cap in place, he stepped outside and found himself standing at the edge of a yawning abyss. Dozens of towering trees rose from the dark ravine. Their dense canopy swallowed most of the sunlight, leaving only scattered shafts of light filtering through the leaves. Wooden bridges and narrow boardwalks connected the surrounding trees to the giant oak. The only way forward was a weathered bridge leading to the nearest hollow tree. As Link stared out at the sprawling ruins, he realized he had greatly underestimated the Forest Temple’s size. It wasn’t merely a temple. It was the remains of an entire civilization. His imagination drifted, picturing the temple as it must have once stood, alive with people and purpose. What had happened to those who built it? The monkeys tugged on his pants, pulling him from his thoughts. They pointed insistently toward the door across the bridge. Right, Link thought. No time for sightseeing. Link and the monkeys stepped onto the bridge, which swayed violently in the wind. This doesn’t feel safe. He glanced down into the dark ravine below and felt a shiver run through him at the thought of falling. He lifted his gaze and continued forward as the old planks groaned beneath his weight. As Link concentrated on placing one foot ahead of the other, a shriek cut through the wind. The monkeys cowered as a large silver-furred baboon appeared at the far end of the bridge. It raised a white boomerang and threw it. Link ducked just in time. The weapon whistled over his head, but it sliced through several of the ropes holding the bridge together. Link’s blood ran cold. Oh no… The suspension snapped, and Link instinctively wrapped a rope around his arm. The shattered bridge swung down and crashed into the trunk of the smaller oak. The impact forced the air from his lungs, and he struggled to hold on as he dangled beneath the baboon. The creature greeted him with a cruel cackle, catching the returning boomerang before retreating into the hollow of the tree. Clinging to the bridge with one hand, Link grimaced as pain tore through his shoulder. Each time he tried to inhale, he sputtered and coughed. I…can’t…breathe…! His chest burned like it was on fire. When he glanced down into the dark ravine, a wave of vertigo nearly tore his grip away. The monkeys rushed to his side, tugging at the shattered planks and helping him secure a better hold. At last, Link forced a full breath into his lungs, and his heart began to slow. “Thank you,” he said hoarsely. The monkeys chattered to one another before scrambling up the broken bridge like a ladder. Link followed, moving slowly and carefully. When he reached the top, he hauled himself onto the ledge and collapsed onto his back. He exhaled shakily and stared at his trembling hands, letting out a nervous laugh. How am I still alive? “That was lucky,” Midna remarked from the safety of his shadow. “Yeah. No kidding.” “Next time, try not to die,” she said. “You’re no good to me if you’re dead.” I’m glad you care so much. Link rolled his eyes and rose to his feet as the monkeys rushed toward the open door. They want me to stop that baboon. Good. I could use a little payback. Link stepped into the hollow tree and crept down a dark corridor. The passage soon opened into a vast, dome-shaped chamber. A jagged hole in the high-arching ceiling allowed pale sunlight to filter slightly into the oak’s hollow interior. Six weathered stone totems formed a ring around a larger pillar at the centre of the room. The baboon perched atop the central totem, watching Link with bloodshot red eyes. It stood nearly as tall as he did, its frame was thick with muscle. A red plated headpiece rested across its forehead. The baboon hurled its boomerang, forcing Link and the monkeys to dive out of the way. As it passed, a violent gust of wind erupted from the weapon, lifting Link off his feet and hurling him into the wall. He pushed himself upright, scowling as he shook away the dizziness. How did a baboon get its hands on a magical boomerang? The creature bounded onto the totem closest to Link, and it swayed beneath its weight. He watched it rock as a plan formed in his mind. If he hit it hard enough, the pillar might topple. Link rushed forward, and the baboon answered with another throw. He dug in his heels, but the boomerang’s howling wind still blasted him backward. It’s no good, he thought. I’ll never get close while it has that boomerang. With the baboon wholly focused on keeping Link pinned in place, it failed to notice the female monkey circling behind it. She climbed the central totem and crept closer. Spotting the opening, Link charged. The baboon raised the boomerang to strike again, but the monkey leapt onto its arm and knocked the throw off course. The boomerang whistled harmlessly past Link, its magic missing him entirely. The second monkey jumped onto the baboon’s back and clawed at its headdress. The baboon quickly threw the monkeys off, but the distraction was enough. Link slammed into the totem with his shoulder, rocking it violently. The baboon staggered just as the returning boomerang smacked it in the face. Stunned, the creature was flung from the totem and crashed to the ground in a heap. Link approached the unconscious baboon cautiously and examined its headpiece. He reached out to touch it, then recoiled when it shifted. It was alive. The creature looked like a spider, but not one Link had ever seen. Its red armour was thick, its legs heavier than a Skulltula’s. From the base of its abdomen jutted a black stinger buried deep in the baboon’s forehead. A parasite, Link realized. One that controlled its host. That explained the baboon’s hostility. He slid his sword beneath the arachnid, careful not to harm its host. Sensing the threat, the creature tightened its grip on the baboon’s head. I have to be careful. With steady hands, Link pried the parasite free and tossed it to the ground. It skittered toward him, and he drove his sword through its body. The creature squealed, curled in on itself, then fell still. Freed from the parasite’s control, the baboon slowly sat up. It rubbed its aching forehead with a groan as the two smaller monkeys hurried to its side. The baboon gibbered to them in confusion, but the moment it noticed Link standing behind them, it froze. A shriek of terror burst from its throat. It scrambled onto a nearby totem and leapt through the hole in the ceiling. The male monkey followed close behind, leaving Link alone with the female. Was that it? Link swept his gaze across the chamber. Where’s the forbidden power? Nothing. No relic. No trace of the magic he had come searching for. He would have to keep looking. Link turned and halted mid-step. The white boomerang rested beside the central totem. As if sensing him, the weapon lifted gently from the floor and drifted through the air until it hovered before him. The moment Link touched it, the magic faded, and it dropped into his waiting hands. This will come in handy, he thought as he clipped it to his belt. The female monkey grabbed Link’s hand and pointed toward a second door across the chamber. You still want my help, huh? Link considered it for a moment, then shrugged and headed for the door. He had no idea where the forbidden power was hidden, and wandering the temple blindly was the last thing he wanted to do. If he was lucky, the monkey’s knowledge of the Forest Temple would guide him in the right direction. Link pushed the door open and stopped at the edge of another dropoff. A wooden boardwalk stretched to the left, connecting to a door on the far side of the massive oak. The monkey sprinted across it, Link to scrambling after her. Unlike the rickety bridge he had crossed earlier, the hardwood boardwalk held steady in the wind. Link reached the far door without trouble, much to his relief. When he pushed it open, distressed cries echoed from the cavernous darkness beyond. Link lit his lantern, and the warm glow revealed a small alcove at the back of the chamber. His guide led him straight to it. A monkey sat imprisoned in a tiny cage. When it noticed them approaching, it cried and tugged desperately at the bars. Link cut it free at once, and the monkey chattered with joy at its sudden freedom. “Another monkey?” Midna asked. “How many are there?” Link started to reply, but movement in his peripheral vision cut him off. He dove aside just as the jagged edge of a machete carved through the air where he had been standing. He rolled to his feet and faced the attacker. A lone Bokoblin stood before him, weapon raised. I was wondering when they’d show up. Link drew his weapons as the Bokoblin charged. The creature’s machete slashed at his head, but he slipped aside with practiced ease. In the same motion, he drove his sword into the Bokoblin’s arm. It staggered with a yelp, but Link gave it no time to recover. Two quick slashes raked across its chest, forcing it to retreat as it caught the blows with its machete. Desperate now, the Bokoblin swung wildly. Link snapped his shield up and deflected the strike, then answered with a brutal kick to the gut that sent the monster crashing into the wall. While it staggered, Link rushed forward. He knocked aside a clumsy swing with his shield and tore his blade across the Bokoblin’s throat. Its disconnected head flopped on its shoulders, and the body stumbled a few steps before collapsing to the floor. For a moment, Link stood over the Bokoblin’s remains, staring at its twitching body in stunned silence. The sight was grim, yet he could not look away as nausea crept into his stomach. The monkeys broke the moment by clapping excitedly. Their cheers left Link feeling revulsed. What he had done was not worthy of celebration. He had taken a life. Chattering in frantic gibberish, the monkeys motioned for Link to follow. They scampered off toward a tunnel in the nearby wall. “What are you waiting for?” Midna asked. “Follow them!” Link gave the dead Bokoblin one last glance before following the monkeys. They led him down a long, winding corridor filled with dormant Baba Plants. The group moved cautiously, careful not to disturb the carnivorous plants. Soon they reached the far end of the passage and stepped into a larger room. A narrow stone walkway stretched across a shallow pool of murky water toward a door on the far side. Weathered marble pillars stood on either side of the path, suggesting the room once held some importance to the temple’s inhabitants. With a small shrug, Link stepped onto the walkway. As Link crossed the room, something stirred behind him. He raised his lantern, eyes narrowing when one of the floor tiles ahead seemed to shift. He watched it carefully. Nothing moved. The moment Link stepped forward, the floor erupted beneath him. Something slammed into him, knocking him flat on his back. What in the world…? He tried to sit up, but his attacker lunged forward and pinned him to the ground. A massive subterranean worm loomed over him, its bulbous orange eyes glaring above four jagged mandibles. It must have been hiding beneath the tiles, waiting to ambush the first creature that passed overhead. The worm snapped at Link with its mandibles, and he shoved his forearm against its jaws to keep them at bay. Saliva dripped onto the collar of his tunic as the creature’s attacks grew more frantic. Link reached for his sword, but he couldn’t draw it from where he lay. Dammit! The monkeys grabbed the worm’s tail and pulled with all their strength, but they couldn’t pry it off. Still, the distraction gave Link the opening he needed. He pulled the boomerang from his belt and threw it blindly. A burst of wind lifted the worm into the air and hurled it into the pool. The creature writhed and thrashed in the water, but the struggle lasted only seconds before it sank beneath the dark surface. As the monkeys helped Link to his feet, the boomerang whirled back and dropped into his waiting hand. It almost seemed to have a mind of its own. Good thing I brought this with me, Link thought as he hooked it back onto his belt. “You sure are good at nearly getting yourself killed,” Midna remarked. Link shot an irritated glare at his flickering shadow. “You’re welcome to lead the way if you think you can do better.” Midna had gotten under his skin again, and the worst part was that she was right. He could not keep brushing this close to death and expect to walk away every time. Eventually, his luck would run out. He had to be more careful. Link pressed on through a few dark, cavernous rooms before arriving once again in the temple’s main concourse. This time he entered from the west side of the chamber, and the monkeys hurried toward the door across the room. They’re persistent, Link thought as he followed. I just wish I knew what they wanted. The chamber beyond the concourse’s east door was wide and eerily empty. A wooden bridge stretched across another pond of stagnant water. From the ceiling hung the shrivelled remains of several Baba Plants, and a dead subterranean worm drifted silently across the murky surface below. The stench of rot filled the room. The remaining Bokoblins must have been responsible. Link and the monkeys crossed the bridge and stepped outside. A long boardwalk stretched toward another hollowed tree in the distance, and the monkeys immediately raced ahead. Inside the smaller oak, a narrow tunnel led them into another large chamber. Sunlight poured through a jagged hole in the high-arching ceiling, illuminating the room below. A corridor lined the far wall, reachable only by a stone walkway that curved along the chamber above. An eroding staircase to Link’s left offered a path to the upper level. The monkeys led Link up the stairs and along a dark corridor until they reached its end. As he stepped forward, the female monkey suddenly grabbed him from behind. Link looked down. A large hole gaped in the floor at his feet. One more step and he would have fallen straight in. A rusty metal ladder descended into the darkness below. Link ran his fingers along the metal rungs. The rest of the temple was built from wood and ancient stone. The Bokoblins put this here. What are they up to? Link pushed the thought aside. If the monsters were searching for the forbidden power, he couldn’t afford to waste time coming up with theories. Link secured his lantern to his belt and slid down the ladder, descending deep into the bowels of the Forest Temple. When he reached the bottom, he followed the monkeys into a large, open chamber. Thick tree roots crawled across the walls, while several pillars along the perimeter supported the heavy dirt ceiling. The shrieks of another imprisoned monkey drew Link’s attention to the back of the chamber. The monkey – another male – was guarded by two Bokoblins. They sat beside a small fire, muttering in their native tongue as a large slab of meat roasted over the flames. Here we go again. Link advanced, and the Bokoblins noticed him at once. They rose from the fire and lifted their wooden clubs. “Hylian, you no belong here,” one growled. Link drew his sword and shield as one of the Bokoblins began circling him. He was outnumbered, and he had never faced two opponents at once before. He was more skilled than either of them, but would that be enough? Maybe I should try the diplomatic approach again. “I don’t want to fight,” Link said. “We can pretend I was never here.” The Bokoblin behind him laughed harshly. “You come for relic. We under orders to find it first. Trespassers die!” Under orders? From the King of Shadows? Link never got the chance to ask. The Bokoblin lunged, and he dove aside as its club smashed into the ground. He rolled to his feet, but the second Bokoblin was already on him. Its club struck his chest and sent him staggering back with a grunt. Link blocked the next blow with his shield, forcing himself to ignore the pain as he reset his stance. When one of the Bokoblins stepped forward, the two monkeys jumped onto its back and yanked on its ears. The creature yelped and thrashed wildly, giving Link the opening he needed to focus on the other Bokoblin. It swung its club, but Link ducked beneath the strike. He kicked the Bokoblin in the shin, sending it crashing to the floor with a howl of pain. Before it could recover, Link leapt into the air and drove his sword deep into its chest. The Bokoblin coughed blood and gurgled as the blade pierced its lung. Enraged, the remaining Bokoblin threw the monkeys aside and tackled Link to the ground. It punched him in the face, then it raised its club overhead for the killing blow. Before it could strike, Link grabbed its arm and threw it back. “I kill you Hylian!” the Bokoblin barked. “You pay!” Link braced for another attack, but the Bokoblin suddenly froze when drool dripped onto its cheek. A Skulltula – one that was far larger than the one Link encountered in the bog cave – emerged from a hole in the ceiling above. Thick saliva dripped from its mandibles as it stared down with its beady green eyes. No sudden movements, Link warned himself, even as the Bokoblin panicked and bolted. The Skulltula reacted instantly. A strand of webbing shot out and snared the Bokoblin, hoisting it screaming into the air. Its cries were cut short when the spider plunged its fangs into its neck. The Bokoblin went limp as the venom took hold. Moments later, the Skulltula wrapped its prey in silk and dragged the cocoon back into its nest. Desperate to avoid the same fate as the Bokoblin, Link freed the caged monkey, and together they made a break for the door at the back of the room. Link shut the door behind him, then wiped the sweat from his forehead as he breathed a sigh of relief. He turned from the door and took in his surroundings. They were outside again, so deep within the ravine that the darkness was nearly absolute. One of the giant oak’s roots rose from the shadows below, leading toward a massive door on the far side. Unlike the other doors in the temple, this one was carved from stone and etched with ornate patterns. Link looked up to see several monkeys watching from atop the root. They remained perfectly still, and their silence left him with an uneasy feeling. Something important waited beyond that door. The bridge that once spanned the gap was gone – probably destroyed by the Bokoblins. The monkeys pointed toward the giant door, then at a long vine hanging from the top of the tree root. They want me to swing across, Link realized. But I can’t reach it from here… Unless… Link grabbed his boomerang, and his arm vibrated as the weapon sprang to life. Let’s hope this works. He aimed just to the left of the tree root and hurled the boomerang. It sailed past the vine before curving sharply on the far side of the gap. As it swept back toward him, the wind field caught the vine and dragged it along. Link snatched it from the air, and the magic faded as he clipped the boomerang back onto his belt. “This plan is crazy,” Midna grumbled. “Do you have a better idea?” When Midna did not reply, Link stepped to the edge with the vine in hand and peered down into the darkness below. He closed his eyes and let out a slow breath. Okay…here goes nothing. Before doubt could creep in, Link jumped and swung across the ravine. Reaching the far side, he released the vine and landed with a quick shoulder roll. That wasn’t so bad, he thought, adjusting his green cap. The monkeys did not follow him this time. Instead, they joined their brethren atop the tree root while Link approached the massive stone door and pushed it open just enough to slip inside. The chamber beyond was dim, though Link could still make out its towering interior. One of the oak’s massive roots rose from a deep pool of murky water that filled the back half of the room. Two waterfalls poured into the pool from narrow tunnels in the far wall. High along the left and right walls, Link spotted two additional tunnels leading deeper into the temple. A bridge had once connected the paths above the water, but it had eroded away like much of the ancient temple. “This looks like a dead end,” Midna said with a sigh. Then why would the monkeys bring me here? Link stepped toward the water’s edge and spotted a Bokoblin lying face down in the grass. When he rolled it over, he jerked back in shock. Most of its face was gone, melted away by what looked like acid. Link backed away slowly and noticed two more Bokoblins floating in the water, their bodies mangled and lifeless. Before he could determine what had killed them, bubbles began rising near the tree root. The surface rippled, and Link’s breath caught as two gargantuan Baba Plants erupted from the water. Viscous saliva dripped from rows of razor-sharp teeth as their towering stems rose above the water. Their red scales looked thick enough to deflect any blade. The chamber suddenly shook, and Link stumbled as something far larger burst from the water. The two Babas clung to its sides like parasitic growths. Most of its scaly crimson body remained submerged, but a long neck rose high above the pool, lifting a grotesque three-jawed head. The creature roared in Link’s face, revealing rows of jagged teeth, and a single orange eye at the tip of its slimy tongue. Panic surged through Link as he covered his ears and staggered away from the water’s edge. What do I do? The creature was unlike anything he had ever faced. How could he possibly defeat something so enormous? Link pushed his fear aside as one of the Babas lunged. He swung hard at its head, but his blade bounced off its thick scales. Not good. The creature slithered after him and snapped at his legs. It missed, but the strike still knocked him off balance. The three-jawed monster spewed a stream of purple bile from its maw. Link sprinted away, barely escaping the corrosive spray as it dissolved the tall grass behind him. “Did you see that thing’s eye?” Midna asked calmly. “That has to be its weak spot.” “How do I get to it?” “I’m sure you’ll think of something.” One of the Babas lunged and crashed into Link, sending him stumbling back. It hissed as it slithered after him. Link scrambled up and slashed wildly with his sword, slicing off the tip of its blue tongue. The creature shrieked and recoiled as green blood spilled from its mouth. The larger monster spat another stream of bile, some of which splashed across Link’s right forearm. A searing pain raced up his arm, and he cried out as he jerked away. The monster attacked again, using its massive head as a battering ram. Link caught the blow on his shield, but the impact still hurled him across the chamber. He landed hard on his back and grimaced. From his backside, Link slashed at the monster’s exposed eye, grazing the side of its tongue. The wound was shallow, but it was enough to make the creature recoil with an indignant screech. Link scrambled to his feet as one of the Babas lurched forward. He knocked the plant aside with his shield and retreated toward the back of the chamber. In the chaos of the battle, Link barely heard a monkey calling from above. He glanced up when the baboon appeared in the mouth of the tunnel on the upper left wall. The creature held up a black bomb flower, a rare fruit native to the Faron Woods. The volatile plants were highly sensitive to stress and capable of producing massive explosions. Talk about dumb luck. But how do I get it close enough to the monster? Link’s eyes dropped to the boomerang hanging from his belt. Of course! Grabbing a vine, the baboon leapt from the cave and swung through the air in front of the colossal monster, drawing the attention of both it and the Baba parasites. Link hurled the boomerang. The weapon sprang to life as it left his hand, snatching the bomb flower from the baboon and carrying it toward the nearest Baba. The fruit detonated the instant it struck the monster plant’s scales. The explosion ripped through the armour plating, blasting away a chunk of the Baba’s head. It collapsed into the pond as blood slowly pooled along the water’s surface. The baboon released the vine and vanished into the tunnel on the right wall. Link caught his returning boomerang and bolted as the three-jawed monster spewed another wave of bile. The remaining Baba tried to intercept him, but Link somersaulted past its snapping jaws and sprinted onward. Too close… A moment later, the baboon returned with another bomb flower clutched in its hands. It called out to its ally and leapt from the tunnel. Link raised his boomerang to throw, but the Baba parasite lunged forward and smashed into the baboon. The impact sent the animal careening into the wall behind Link. It was unconscious before it even hit the ground. Link had no time to hesitate. As the bomb flower fell toward the water, he hurled the boomerang after it in desperation. By sheer luck, the spinning weapon caught the fruit in its whirlwind and carried it straight into the Baba parasite. The resulting explosion tore the creature apart. I can’t believe that worked, Link thought as he caught the returning boomerang. His relief faded quickly. Now what? With the baboon unconscious, there was no easy way to reach the monster’s exposed eye. He would have to lure it into revealing the weakness again. But how? The beast swung its massive head at Link, and he barely sidestepped the blow. He drove his sword into its neck, but the blade jammed between two thick scales. Before he could pull it free, the monster reared back and flung him into the air. Link plummeted toward the water below until his hand caught one of the creature’s scales, stopping his fall. The monster thrashed wildly as he clung to its side and crawled toward his embedded sword. Grabbing the hilt, Link reached into his pouch and pulled out the last bottle of lantern oil. This is all I’ve got left. Striking a match, Link dropped it into the bottle and ignited the oil inside. As the three-jawed monster reared back to fling him away, he shoved the burning bottle into its open mouth. The glass shattered against its teeth, and flames danced within the creature’s maw. It wailed in agony and crashed to the ground. Link wrenched his sword from the monster’s neck and collapsed to his knees, dizzy with nausea. He blinked away the vertigo before forcing himself back to his feet and approaching the creature’s exposed eye. It dangled limply from the monster’s flaming mouth, staring up at him helplessly. Link drove his blade into the eye, and it popped like a bubble. The creature recoiled and thrashed, sending water spraying across the chamber. Its violent spasms slowly weakened as its massive body turned black. Then it died. The corpse froze upright for a moment before exploding into hundreds of black particles. The fragments spiraled together in the air, forming a shadowy object that dropped to the ground at the pond’s edge. Link sheathed his sword and stood in stunned silence. I did it. He had just slain a monster so vile it darkened the forest. How am I still alive? After a moment, Link exhaled deeply and turned toward the object lying at the edge of the pond. He picked it up and examined it. The artifact was carved from dark grey stone, its surface etched with strange glyphs. It looked remarkably similar to the headdress Midna wore. A cold sense of dread crept through Link as he held the artifact, as though its aura were slowly suffocating him. Why did it feel so…wrong? At that moment, Midna emerged from his shadow and snatched the object from his hands. “You found it!” she said excitedly. “This is exactly what I was looking for!” Link’s eyes never left the artifact. “That’s the forbidden power?” Midna nodded. “It’s called a Fused Shadow. Do you remember what Faron said about matching the King of Shadows in strength?” “Yes, but how will this–” “There are two more Fused Shadows hidden in Hyrule,” Midna interrupted. “When we gather them all, we’ll have enough power to challenge the King of Shadows.” Link frowned as he looked up at Midna. The dark sensation that had filled him while holding the Fused Shadow still lingered, leaving him deeply unsettled. Was it truly wise to hunt for the other two pieces? This one had become a monstrous abomination. What horrors might the others unleash? Familiar doubts crept back into Link’s mind. Could he really trust Midna with such power? Her motives were still hidden, and she had given him no reason to believe she would ever reveal them. Despite his misgivings, Link knew he had no choice but to gather the remaining Fused Shadows. If they were the only way to defeat the King of Shadows, the risk was unavoidable. The greater good demanded it. “Okay…” Link sighed. “What’s next?” Midna snapped her fingers, and the Fused Shadow vanished into whatever pocket dimension she used for storage. “We find the next Fused Shadow, wherever it may be. Are you ready to get out of here?” Link glanced back at the unconscious baboon and gave a silent nod. Midna called upon her magic, and his body began to dissolve into dark particles. As the Forest Temple faded around him, Link remembered the promise he had made to his village. He had to find the children. If the Fused Shadows were a means to that end…so be it…