Ghirahim’s footsteps echo through the destroyed marble room as he walks down the few steps from the throne to Link. I bang on the barrier again, but nothing happens.

“There, there, calm down sweetie. I’ll get to soon enough,” he says threateningly.

“Link!” I scream. His sword and shield are ready, and he barely flicks his eyes over to us before focusing his sights back on Ghirahim. “Don’t you dare die!” I yell in desperation—we absolutely have to kill Ghirahim. “Let us out, dammit! Let us go!”

Ghirahim snarls. “Know your place, filth.”

I smash my fists into the barrier. “What’s wrong? Scared to take us on all at once?”

“I’ll get to you soon enough,” he repeats with ferocity that quietens me. “Now, focus on what’s in front of you, Scum chosen by the Goddesses. I’ve heard rumors of your strength and skill with a sword, but I want to test the rumor for myself. Is your strength true, or false?”

With that he lunges at Link, who barely puts his sword up in time. The two blades grind against each other and sparks start to fly. They both push, neither one stopping—until suddenly, Ghirahim’s eyes widen and he teleports back to the throne. Link’s blade swings at empty air.

“I suppose I should give you a little backstory before you’re killed.” I roll my eyes. “Then you will see how far my determination has gotten me.”

“Fire away,” I say sarcastically from behind the barrier. I’m not sure if it’s soundproof but he scowls, and then gets a euphoric look and starts his short little story.

“I am not looking to conquer Hyrule or any other kingdom...” he starts. “I’m looking to conquer the world. Which includes the Five Realms of Legend: the Light Realm, which is the one you stand in, the land of Hyrule, where magic and fantasy collide. The Twilight Realm, where the dark parts of every realm combine and criminals are sent. The Sacred Realm, made especially for the Goddesses and Gods of every realm. The Terrae Realm, which is where little Lively One over there is from... Where science and principals overrun magic. And finally, the Underworld Realm, where every living thing from every realm goes to when they die.

“I will own them all—but not on my own. I’m here with the Twilight Mirror to resurrect my master, Demise. Centuries ago, Master’s soul was taken; thrown into the Twilight Realm without mercy. Like the other criminals and humans labelled with doing something indecent, he was meant to be killed by the Twilight. But unlike the other weaklings, he fought against the Twili. Opposed to being killed by those grotesque beings, he slaughtered the lot of them and he remains there, alive.

“But his soul is started to fade. Like a candle, it’s almost snuffed out. He only has a little bit of time to keep his fire going, so I must return him to the light before his life will burn out and disappear. I can communicate with him, of course. He tells me what to do, commands my actions, and I do them without objection. However, Master’s voice has been weaker as of late.

“When he first arrived in the Twilight Realm, courtesy of that royal brat’s predecessors, he informed me that he cursed the princess! Yes, he turned her to an ugly little weak imp, and she fled her people. Can you believe how unfaithful she is to her people? It’s unbelievable.

“And the Goddesses decided to bring a person here to help! No one in Hyrule fit the Triforce of Essence’s specifications, so they dragged some worthless life form here from the Terrae Realm that did accept and qualify for it. That girl isn’t worth anything, she’s just the doll that the Goddesses are controlling for entertainment.

“They even destined her to get some weak sword, which is the rumored ‘Servant of the Goddesses’. There’s a reason it’s called a servant, because she can’t do anything but obey. She can’t even fight—she just turns into a pointless and powerless sword.

“Finally, they labelled some boy with a Triforce much too powerful for him, and called him ‘hero’. Just branded him and sent him to the battlefield, without any preparation. The Goddesses are manipulative, controlling, and arrogant, misuse their powers, and only using them for whatever they want.

“But Master conquered the Twilight Realm, and once I return him here, his lost energy will return to him and Demise shall rule all Five Realms of Legend!” Ghirahim laughs like he heard the best joke on the planet, and it reverberates off the walls and destroyed floors.

Midna looks murderous, and is on the verge of tears. She clearly remembers being cursed by Demise. Link looks absolutely enraged, and his grip on his sword has tightened. Fi looks determined and unmoving, and Zelda has almost lost consciousness. She’s heard every word, but is too exhausted to exhibit any emotional response—and then there’s me. I don’t even know what to do. My hands are pressed against the cool blue barrier, and I just fall to my knees.

The Goddesses aren’t that cruel, are they? Even though we want to object, we know what he said was true, as painful as it is. Ghirahim’s laughs finally die down. “The mirror is slightly run down, though. It requires some power, a jumpstart if you will, to get it going again. A soul, just one soul, would get it in tip-top condition once more. Not any soul, though,” Ghirahim mockingly wags his finger. “A soul imprinted with the Triforce. That’s right, I just need to kill either the Princess, the Hero, or that darling girl you have tried so hard to protect. What was her name again? Sherry? Berry?”

Link’s teeth clench at my name. “Neri,” he growls.

Ghirahim just continues like he didn’t even hear him. “Now that I’m finished, come at me when you’re ready, Hero,” he smirks, and holds up his sword. Link tenses.

If anything, Link can’t be aggressive or his fighting will be sloppy. He needs to get a hold of himself if he’s going to fight.

Sadly, Link screams in anger and launches at Ghirahim. The Demon Lord smirks, and teleports behind Link. Link looks confused, and Ghirahim raises his leg and kicks Link in the back, hard. He falls to the ground, and quickly rolls onto his back to recover. Ghirahim jumps into the air and holds his sword beneath him to pierce Link’s heart. The Hero holds up his shield, and the sword cracks the surface. Link grits his teeth as he tries to get out from under Ghirahim.

Why can’t I get out of here? I could help! But no, I’m weak and I can’t even break a stupid barrier. I’m apparently the holder of the Triforce of Essence, so why can’t I do anything right? Why am I always getting hurt, needing help, playing the part of the damsel in distress? I’m so...useless.

Never once have I had the time to hone the power of my Triforce. This is the result of that.

Ghirahim backflips off Link’s shield, and Link regains his footing swiftly. For just a second, I see Ghirahim look at me. An amused, threatening look.

“Don’t even look at her, you bastard!” Link yells, and runs at Ghirahim. He puts out his hand, and the sword doesn’t penetrate a thing.

“I’ll look wherever I want to, thanks. You’re the one who should be protecting her pretty little face,” Ghirahim says snidely. Ugh, the nerve of him.

Link shrieks, and all I see is the hateful azure orbs that have grown on me fall into darkness, and blaze with fury. Ghirahim wraps his fingers around the sword and pulls. Link, who was clearly unprepared for such a dirty move, actually gets his sword wrenched from his grip. The Demon Lord’s eyes sparkle with amusement.

“My, my, what a sword you have here!” He tosses it in the air and catches it.

All I can think is, Link is screwed. If he could just have calmed down and been in his right mind this wouldn’t have happened.

Ghirahim’s deep brown eyes dart to Link, and he throws the blade with unnatural speed. Any baseball team in the world would pay more than a million for a pitch like that. It looks like nothing more than a white laser being blasted through the air, it’s going so fast. Link rolls to the side and his sword is implanted in one of the demolished cream marble pillars. A small lock of dirty blonde hair floats to the floor. That was too close.

Link runs for the sword, and Ghirahim sees it as his chance. He flies at Link, and I scream. “Link! Behind you!” Link whips around to see the Demon Lord barreling for him. Frozen in shock, Link just stands there, unmoving. However, he has enough sense to raise his shield.

“Link!” I scream again.

In a split second, Ghirahim changes his course. He flies over Link’s shoulder, and plummets his cast-iron fist into the Hero’s shield. The iron crumples like tinfoil and Ghirahim’s fist slams Link’s own shield into his ribcage. A crack echoes and blood spurts from Link’s mouth. A green blur flies through the air and smashes into the wall with such force that the room shakes.

When the dust clears, a crater in the wall has caved in around Link’s body. My hands fly to my mouth. Link falls limply to the ground and before long, he shakily tries to stand again.

“This is just too easy, Hero. It was fun playing with you, but do I ever wish that the Goddesses would send someone more entertaining.”

Surprisingly, Link gets up. His hand grabs the sword and pulls it out effortlessly. Ghirahim’s eyes narrow. Link looks up, steadies his sword next to his wobbling body, and bolts and Ghirahim with a yell. “If you think I’m so weak, then why don’t you just finish me already?!” Link bellows.

The Demon Lord sidesteps and Link side slashes. Ghirahim jumps out of the way, the metal just an inch away from his exposed torso. He flips back again but much higher, and balances midair on a segment of the broke chandelier that didn’t fall, still barely attached to the ceiling.

“You are beginning to annoy me, brat!”

Ghirahim’s eyes close, and his hands come up. A small black ball starts to grow and grow, with violet electricity crackling around it. Ghirahim lets it go, and there’s too little time to dodge.

It hits Link point blank in the chest, and Midna screams and pounds on the barrier. A small explosion deafens everyone in the whole room from the impact of the explosion. When the light dims, Link lies on his front. His eyes are blank and blood streams from his lips.

“Link!” I scream. “Link, get up!”

He lays flat on his stomach, and coughs wrack his otherwise limp body. Link’s body is bathed in cold sweat and blood smears, his tunic torn and scratches cover his body. He has multiple bruises cutting across the gashes, all of which trickle slight blood. Link coughs again with his head down, and I see blood splatter the ground below his drooping shoulders.

“Link!” I scream, but they ignore me. Ghirahim grabs Link by the scruff of the neck, and his head lolls back limply, but the familiar courageous fire burns bright in his eyes.

Ghirahim sneers and brings Link’s head up again, then harshly drops him on the ground. His body just sags like an overused cloth, and his body is wracked with more coughs.

The Demon Lord’s sneer disappears, and he raises his sword with both hands.

“Link, please get up! Fight back! LINK!” I scream desperately, but he just lays there.

Slowly, he gets up onto his knees, but looks like just a touch could knock him over. Before he can comprehend it, Ghirahim thrusts the longsword downward and straight through Link’s abdomen. He looks up in surprise, his ocean eyes wide in pain. Blood streams from his mouth and then he collapses on his front in a pool of crimson.

“LINK!” I scream, and my hands rocket into the barrier. I feel it waver from the force, and then shatters. Glass rains down on us like lethal snow. I run to him, stumbling, and pull him onto my lap.

“Link.... Please, Link...” His head slowly turns to me.

“Neri...” he whispers.

Midna pounds the floors with her small turquoise fists. “Link, you can’t die... You have to keep living, so we can defeat Ghirahim... So you can see my true form... So you can send Neri back to her world!”

She collapses on his front in a heap of sobs. Her small body shakes, and she continues to hit the floor weakly. Across the room, Zelda is crying. Tears silently streak down her face but she can’t wipe then away because of the chains and cuffs restraining her.

“Fi...” I whisper. She gives me an understanding gaze, and flies at Ghirahim, kicking him in the stomach unexpectedly. If Fi can hold him off, maybe I can heal Link. Maybe being the operative word.

“Neri...” he whispers again, and raises his arm to brush away a lock of my chocolate hair. “You’re so...”

I hold his cold hand against my cheek. “Link, stop.”

I let my hands fall, and place them around the wound near his heart. He’s losing blood much faster than I did when I was stabbed because all of the arteries gather near the heart, and all of those arteries and capillaries have been severed.

Focusing my energy, I close my eyes and start to think of my powers and the desperation we’re in. I feel nothing happen whatsoever. My hands lift up, and more blood has leached the forest green fabric of his tunic. Why won’t it work? I put my hands down again and focus, but nothing happens. I put my hands down again, panic settling in and tears in my eyes. Chilled hands wrap around mine and I see Link looking at me, already looking paler and gaunt.

“Neri, stop...” Link whispers. “Stop wasting your energy...”

“Link, please, I can bring you back! Just let me try!” I plead with him desperately. He shakes his head, and holds onto my hands.

“I remember the first day... I saved you...” He pauses, and licks his lips. “You were so....calm...when the wolves almost killed you.”

“Stop, Link, please!” I cry. He just continues.

“I remember your music, I remember your laugh...” A tear slides down my cheek, and his hand shakily raises. He rests it on the side of my face, and brushes the tear away with his thumb.

“Don’t cry... Don’t be sad... You’ll get back to your world soon.”

I sniffle. “That’s not why I’m crying, Link. That’s not why I’m crying.”

He gently pulls his hand, and brings my face to his bloody chest. I feel his cold skin, and the warm blood. I hear his distant heartbeat, slowly weakening.

“It’ll be alright, no matter why you’re crying... Everything will turn out fine, Neri.” I feel his chest lift up in a big breath, and then the air releases and it falls.

I gently lay my hands on his chest, and swallow back all my fears. This can’t be happening. Why won’t my powers work?

Link lifts my head again, with his weak hand under my chin. “I want you...to remember the happy things...” he whispers. I gulp, and my tears start falling.

“Remember us dancing...in Castle Town. Your smile made my heart stop... And when you woke me up...as soon as you said that breakfast was ready...” His eyes look up blankly at the ceiling. “When we were looking for crystals, and when you almost left...I didn’t want you to go... And when you did leave, I didn’t say anything...the whole time you were gone.” I sniffle, and close my eyes.

“Link, why are you...”

“But the best moment...was when I saved you... I remember holding you in my arms...when I brought you back from the forest. I could’ve sworn that...you really were a fallen Goddess...” he finishes. My shoulders sag, and tears stream from my eyes like Niagara Falls. “Please, remember...” He gulps. “Remember this above...the others... That even though we fought, we joked...we danced, we sang... You never left my mind.” I cover my eyes, and try wiping them away with my palm.

“And for that... I love you, Neri.”

His hands slips from my chin and his chest falls from the exhale. Link’s sapphire eyes lose their courageous fire, and his head lolls to the side. My heart is in my throat, and I feel on the verge of a breakdown. I press my bloody hands to his bloodier chest, and confirm the question everyone wants answered.

Link’s heartbeat has stopped.