by N Felts
coming attack. Bolting across the room at imperceptible speeds, the floating globs of crimson liquid stretch into unstoppable blades, smashing through the hero’s magical defense as if it were made of glass. Landing squarely on his shield, one of the bloody blades throws him off his feet, the spot where it landed permanently marring the slab of steel with a deep indentation. Quickly burning through his glove, Link is forced to drop his shield, the attack deforming the metal to the point of uselessness. Only just realizing his approach, the hero sees no way out this time around, Ganon’s blade already hanging over his shoulder, ready to come down with a vengeance. In this critical moment, the beast hears the distinct sound of a chain snapping apart somewhere behind him.
Glowing brilliantly blue with Nayru at her side, Zelda has finally broken free, her light arrow already fixed on its target. A quiver of unimaginable irritation quakes Ganon’s very bones as he turns to deal with the new threat. The arrow screams across the room, a trail of vibrant light radiating in its wake as it reaches for the demon’s soul. With an effortless swing of his mighty blade, the monster slaps the arrow aside, sending it into a distant wall as a portal to the Sacred Realm is opened. Sighing for an extended moment, the queen hesitates before she summons another arrow and fires. Again, the beam of purifying light is batted aside, another portal of darkness opening near the ceiling and aggressively pulling against the Gerudo king’s form. Channeling her power into her chosen, Nayru gives Zelda a potent charge of energy before vanishing, both the goddess and the queen merely attempting to slow the beast down. Three more successive shots are knocked away before Ganon reaches the pest that escaped his imprisonment. With a furious swing, he intends to obliterate the woman, but it stops short as Zelda invokes a much more potent shield than Link possesses. Caring little for the extent of her defense, the demon continues to beat upon her shell, the honeycomb texture of the blue defense slowly but surely beginning to relent. As her energy begins to fade, the queen is forced to a knee, the blue force field gradually cracking at the point of so many successive impacts. Seeing the look in her eyes, Link feels as if he can read the single word on her lips as he gathers what strength he has, and races through the room.
“Rift,” Zelda pleads, looking right past her charging hero to the figure standing in the doorway. Zig-zagging up the massive door frame agilely with a series of wall vaults, the figure kicks off the peak of the archway to descend back to the floor with exceptionally more momentum.
“Now,” a boy’s voice calls, the word echoing through the room as Ganon prepares to smash his way through the queen’s defenses at long last. Dropping from the ceiling like a lightning bolt, Rift smashes his forearm against the back of the demon’s neck, perceptively jarring the monster for a brief moment. Far beyond any previously visited level of anger or rage, Ganon slowly turns, his entire body shaking as he flips the handle of his blade around within his grasp. Stopping in his tracks, Link is stunned by the unexpected turn of events, the damnable boy actually coming to Zelda’s aid. The final portal to the Sacred Realm slowly closes, and for the briefest moment, the room falls silent. His hand drifting up the small of his back, Link catches on to the plot quickly, dashing to the room’s perimeter. Staring up at him curiously, the boy doesn’t move a muscle as the beast lifts his sword overhead and stabs down at the foolish child.
“Noooooo!” Din shrieks, suddenly appearing before her chosen and reaching out helplessly.
“Now!” Rift commands, dropping through the ground at the last possible moment. Ganon’s blade chases the boy through the portal, failing to connect as the boy glances back at him with a smirk. Having already thrown a flat slab of stone across the room, Link watches and waits as it soars at the monstrous foe’s back, Rift dropping out just before it reaches him. The demon’s sword stabs through the open portal, slicing through his waist before the stone smashes against the wall, crumbling to pieces. Utterly ignorant as to what just occurred, Ganon lifts what is left of his blade, only to find himself unable to support his own weight any longer. Giving her chosen one final glance of agitation and pity, the goddess of Power turns her back to him before vanishing herself within a rush of wind and flame. Shrinking back to his original stature while his pig-like features fade away, the Gerudo continues to look about the room, failing to understand what went wrong. With one last choking gasp, he doubles over, then loses his balance completely, falling to his knees and toppling onto his back simultaneously. A wave of silence spills over the room, and though no one present respected the man, they all realize the importance of his death.
“Who’s next?” Rift seems to mumble to himself, unintentionally speaking too loudly. “Okay,” he agrees, confusing the three people he still shares the room with. Marching toward Zelda with emotionless eyes, the boy clearly has no intention of helping her to her feet.
“Ahhhh!” Link roars, thoroughly tired of the boy’s ceaseless attempts on both his, and Zelda’s lives. The descending chop is slapped aside as Rift turns to engage. A rapid flurry of blade strokes are parried before the boy lands a stepping kick to the hero’s torso. Thrown back a step, Link is confused by Rift’s sudden explosion of confidence, marching toward him with glowing eyes beneath his signature hood. Having lost Farore’s enchanted techniques, and his trusty shield, the hero is rapidly succumbing to frustration and anger once again. Twisting into his signature attack, Link spins aggressively, but even so, Rift doesn’t break his stride. Lifting a single clenched fist up near his face, the boy allows the blade to break apart piece by piece as the hero continues to spin, each rotation causing another section of the sword to shatter against the dark gauntlet. Completing the maneuver, Link throws the useless remains of the blade aside, ducking past Rift’s right cross to land an uppercut to the boy’s stomach. A twitch of irritation clouds Rift’s expression for only a moment before he initiates a rapid combination, landing several successive kicks. Spotting his moment to counter, Link is denied the chance when Mai appears, dashing out of Rift’s form and rocking his head to the side with a left hook. The onslaught becomes endless, every instant the boy isn’t attacking becoming Mai’s window of opportunity. Reeling from the endless blows, the hero is finally knocked off his feet by a devastating cross kick.
Returning his sights to Zelda, the boy dashes over to her in sudden blurs, her weakened state not allowing her to fight back, though she doesn’t think she would hurt the boy if she could. Nayru has made her choices clear, and the queen has chosen the path of peace over the path of strife. Standing tall, and with dignity, she has no intention of running or resisting. As Rift debates the fastest way to put her down, Zelda finally has her chance to attempt to reach him.
“What are you doing, Rift?” She asks, shaking her head disgustedly.
“Saving the realm,” he declares, continuing toward her.
“Saving it from what?” She shrugs, trying to understand what lies he has been told.
“From you,” he concludes, reaching out and seizing her by the shoulder.
“She’ll kill everyone. You must know that, right?” She points out, staring him in the eyes as he hesitates. “She twists the truth to confuse you. The goddesses could never trust her. She didn’t hide her armor in all those temples, they were hidden from her. She wants to end all suffering by ending all life. To her, ending the realm and saving it are the same thing.”
“You’re wrong,” Mai whispers, far from threatened by Zelda’s influence on her chosen.
“You’re wrong,” Rift repeats, too far gone to be reached any longer.
“Why don’t you ask her?” Zelda insists, noting that Link is back on his feet.
“I don’t have to,” the boy points out, recalling the state of bliss he entered upon fusing with the goddess. He now knows such a degree of happiness is only obtainable through Mai. He won’t settle for anything less anymore. “This is what we want,” he reveals, cocking his fist back.
“Release her!” A long silent vo
ice bellows from the boy’s left. Shifting his gaze over the boy finds Midna scowling down the length of a conjured arrow of shadow, radiating darkness all around her. More of his own accord than because of her order, Rift releases Zelda and begins to walk toward the queen of Twilight.
“Wait! Everyone hold on a second,” Zelda insists as events continue to escalate. Stealthily moving closer, Link searches for the ideal time to strike, inadvertently kicking a noisy piece of stone. Turning to catch the hero approaching, Rift’s curiosity and peripheral vision betray him as he catches a glimpse of his right palm, the incorrigible desire to gaze into the void overtaking his reason. Lifting his hand, he stares deeply into the swirling glow as the indecipherable voices begin to speak to him. Stars and spirits weave outward, entangling his eyes in a hopeless embrace. “Rift! Stop!” Zelda suddenly screams, utilizing the last of her strength to summon one final light arrow. “Please listen to me! The void is consuming you!” She adds, lining up the shot, though she doesn’t want to fire. Far beyond the reach of words or distractions, the boy stands still as a statue, looking beyond his hand,
