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From a young age, Link had been told the legends of Hyrule.
The legend of Zelda, the princess who was cursed to eternal sleep generations ago and caused a grief-stricken prince to decree that all women born into the royal family would share her name.
The legend of Ganon, the dark beast who had risen and fallen throughout history and so recently returned with a horde of allied monsters, causing those throughout the kingdom to wait with baited breath as they prayed for him to be vanquished once more.
The legend of Link, his namesake, the hero reborn throughout history to embody courage, wisdom, and power in equal measure as he protected Hyrule against the many faces of evil.
The legend of the Triforce was new to him, at least in its modern incarnation. He had known how the Triforces of Wisdom and Power were held by the royal family and always assumed they were named that just for their shape, that the oft-forgotten third piece never actually existed. It wasn’t until a symbol appeared on his hand that Impa had told him the secret passed down between generations of the royal family, how the fabled Triforce of Courage didn’t only exist but was the catalyst for Zelda the First’s magical slumber. Once he was told of its place in the Great Palace, it was up to him to traverse Hyrule, asking around all the villages and settlements he came across to pinpoint the six guardians he needed to defeat to break the palace’s barrier
And now the adventure was over.
In the depths of the Great Palace, Link unsheathed his sword that had been embedded up to the hilt through the mouth of the Thunderbird. It came out clean, a fact that would be disturbing had he not learned of its artificial nature. In another time, perhaps the combination of flesh, sorcery, and artificery would have been replicated to protect many locations important to the royal family. Its outer shell alone would have made it an unassailable obstacle to many, only being cracked once Link had expended most of his magic as a thunderous shockwave. Instead, the secrets to its creation had been long forgotten, with the only example of its kind lying as little more than a heap of skin and scrap at the bottom of an ancient tomb.
Not that it mattered. What did matter was the faint glow illuminating the chamber beyond, heralding the end of Link’s quest.
The adventurer walked forwards, holding his hand to his chest and expending a little of his remaining magic as he did. His hammering pulse slowed. The sting of the various burns scattered around his body lessened. Several small cuts on his hands and face sealed themselves and healed entirely. It may have not been the most necessary use of his magic, but it would make returning to the surface less painful.
As with all other chambers of the Great Palace, the torches lining the extensive room lit upon being entered. They bathed Link in a deep orange glow while spreading heavy, yet entirely still, shadows across the floor. This made no impact on the triangular object itself as it continued radiating a clear, golden light. It was held atop a plinth several times Link’s height, itself on a platform raised from the rest of the room. Perhaps a final, simple protective measure to prevent the ill-prepared from coming away with their prize, but Link still had enough magic that he should be able to simply leap up and grab it.
The torches flickered as Link stepped onto the dais.
He froze. It wasn’t simply the brief change in lighting that made him do so, caused his heart rate to rapidly climb again. There had been a distinct change in the atmosphere, an aura which caused him to question his very right to be in the same room as the Triforce. Link looked over his shoulder, half expecting the Thunderbird to have come back to life. Its corpse lay motionless where he left it.
There was a change in the room again, this time giving the sensation that the floor was moving beneath the Hylian despite him remaining in the same place. Something dark shifted out of the corner of his eye.
Link turned back, holding his shield up in case he needed to immediately protect himself. No attacks flew through the air. Instead, he saw the room’s shadows shifting. No, he quickly corrected himself, it wasn’t the shadows in general that were shifting but his, as cast out by the room’s many torches. It ran out from beneath him, extending his silhouette until it reached the other end of the dais, stopping just short of the pillar. There the darkness coalesced, first making a spot so black it looked like it had been cut out of reality, and when it couldn’t get any darker it began to spread up.
It was slow at first, a slight raise in the shadow that Link couldn’t be certain wasn’t just his eyes struggling to comprehend the pure blackness. But as shadows continued to pour in it continued to grow. It extended off of the floor as a formless blob, similar to the Like Likes that he had come across in various dungeons, but once it reached his height it began to take shape.
Like an artist making a doll out of clay, it first formed the rough shape of a humanoid before rapidly having details carved in. Log-like extensions were shaped to imitate arms and legs, then refined further to give the silhouette of clothing. The ball on top was likewise shaped, gaining pointed ears and long hair which moved just like the real thing as a long cap sprouted on top. From its hands sprouted the tools of a hero, a sword in its left and a large shield in the right.
As the last of Link’s shadow got absorbed into the being, it held its shield forwards in the same position the Hylian did. Link held his sword to the side, daring the opponent to come closer. His duplicate did the same.
Even though any features were rendered invisible by the Shadow’s monochrome body, Link could feel its eyes bore into him. Its challenge was more than just replicating the original’s pose. Several of the reincarnated hero’s legends told of him fighting his own reflection as he sought to save the land. In order to take the Triforce, you would have to prove yourself as an equal to Link.
But Link wasn’t that Link. Everything that had brought him to this point had purely been happenstance. He had simply been in the right place to save Impa, causing her to deem him worthy of going on his quest. He was lucky enough to have cultivated just enough sword skill to survive his fights against the forces of evil and collect the silvered arrows which could pierce Ganon’s enchanted hide. The king’s spell that granted him the seal on his hand had only specified needing a man who was of age with ‘many kinds of experiences’. Just because he had done what was required of him didn’t mean he wasn’t terrified every second of it. It didn’t mean he held Link’s level of courage.
Perhaps, since he knew that, his shadow did too. Maybe that was why it was standing there, a dark mirror, blocking him from a prize he did not deserve.
But he couldn’t back down. Not now, so close to finally being able to break the curse.
He cautiously stepped forwards. The Shadow did the same. Their steps were in time with each other, but the chamber’s echo made it impossible to determine how identical their paces were as they moved towards the middle of the platform. The moment they were within distance of each other, they lunged forwards, swords pointing at the other’s neck.
With only a split second to react, Link brought up his shield, just managing to block the strike with its outer rim as the Shadow did the same. There was no loud clang as would normally result from a sword clashing against a shield, but the weapon was blocked the same. Their haste caused their shields to have been held at an angle, causing blade to slide across barrier as the two fighters were carried forwards by their own momentum, exposing their sides as they overextended. They both twisted hard, allowing their feet to slide out beneath them to both make an extra strike while attempting to evade the opponent’s identical move.
The Shadow’s sword nicked Link’s side, cleaving through his clothes and drawing blood with a superficial wound. Link’s sword met his foe identically, but was given no indication whether he managed to harm the creature. Both slammed onto the ground face-up, hard. Link reeled slightly from the pain, but the Shadow wasn’t as affected. It leapt to its feet, jabbing its sword down at Link, who could only barely roll out of the way in time.
The Shadow followed up the attack with a kick that Link wasn’t able to avoid, sending him skidding a short distance back on the platform, unable to avoid crying out as he felt one of his ribs snap from the blow. Powered purely by adrenaline, Link forced himself to scramble to his feet, only just able to raise his shield above his head as the Shadow leaped towards him, attempting to plunge its sword into the adventurer. Link’s arm nearly buckled under the Shadow’s weight, but held fast just long enough for him to thrust his sword up, gouging into the creature’s leg as it leapt away.
Link watched it land several meters away, staggering slightly before recovering. It didn’t approach again. Link held his hand to his chest, forcing what remaining magic he had left to knit his broken bone back together. Even as the pain subsided he knew it wouldn’t last, that it would only take another kick or short fall to undo his efforts. The Shadow made no such movement.
Link knew it was hurt. Even if it was impossible to tell for the most part, the Shadow not landing properly after taking a sword to the leg showed it was affected by his attacks like any other creature. He also knew, if he was in its position, he would be taking the opportunity to heal. This meant the creature couldn’t, or maybe just wouldn’t, use magic. It wasn’t the greatest revelation, given Link had just fully expended his own magic reserves, but at least he didn’t have to worry about it using a shockwave itself.
Link stared at the creature. The Shadow returned his gaze, standing motionless.
The Hylian sharply inhaled as he realized what he had to do. Perhaps there were other ways to pass this challenge, such as taking advantage of the Shadow’s limits or simply attempting to best his magical duplicate in equal combat. But in this situation, for this Triforce, all Link could do was stride forward and swing his sword once more, actions mirrored perfectly by his opponent.
The blade and its shadow duplicate clashed again and again, a dull thud echoing in the chamber each time they made contact. Link was initially worried that he made a mistake, but the longer they fought, the clearer it was that the Shadow wasn’t simply pulling from Link’s tactics. He was fighting his mirror image, each movement down to the rustling of their hair identical and inverted. His jab was blocked by a shield as he used his shield to block a jab. He stepped to the left in search of an opening as the Shadow did the same. A heavy swing was met with itself as the two swords pushed against each other, two equal strengths attempting to outlast themselves. After a second, they allowed their weapons to slip free. They bashed their shields into each other causing both to be thrown to the side, providing an opening.
Link thrust his sword forwards into the stomach of the Shadow, allowing it to do the same to him.
The two stood still in the middle of the dais, the pain of the wound not yet hitting. Fear started to once again creep into Link’s mind, if he had miscalculated his opponent’s endurance, if he would have to twist his sword and feel the agony himself. Before he could make a decision, the Shadow’s hand dropped from its weapon. For the first time since it first appeared its form wavered, edges blurring as it started to emit faint black wisps. Its head tilted towards Link’s, regarding him with an invisible expression.
Before anything else could happen, the creature collapsed, its form dissolving entirely on hitting the ground. The darkness rushed across the floor towards Link, returning to its rightful place as his shadow. His stomach erupted in pain as the sword disappeared from within him, causing Link to clutch the open wound. He barely had time to question if he would be able to gather enough magical energy before he bled out when the pain abruptly stopped.
Link slowly pulled his hands away. They were covered in fresh blood, but the wound itself had completely vanished. In fact, as he looked over himself, all the injuries he’d sustained and not yet healed were gone, from the cut in his side to the burns across his body.
He looked up. The Triforce was floating down from its pillar, radiant energy filling him even before he placed a hand on it. The light pulsed, forcing Link to blink as it briefly illuminated the room. When he opened his eyes he saw an old man standing behind the holy relic, clad in finely embroidered red robes. He nodded, a smile largely hidden behind his thick white beard.
“I see the kingdom is in good hands. Go forth, Link.”
The spirit faded away, leaving Link alone with the Triforce. He still didn’t believe he had any relation to the reincarnated hero beyond sharing his name. He was just a boy from a small village, completely unfitting of the legend’s title. But as the divine object floated in front of him, even he couldn’t deny that he had earned the right to at least be considered a hero.
Link reached out, allowing himself to be imbued with Courage.