At first, Daemos didn't move when Luce broke down the balcony doors. He stood still enough that he almost resembled a statue. Then he spoke.

"So the traitor has returned," he turned to face the group, "and you have brought the Holders as well." Link was taken aback by Daemos' appearance. His shoulders were slouched, his refined stance no longer present. Dark bags hung under his eyes, given further emphasis by his thin, haggard face and pale skin. It was like he had spent months withering away in a room away from any sunlight whatsoever. His lip curled back into a snarl as he glared at Ganondorf. "If you think this will excuse your betrayal, then you are mistaken!"

"I don't intend to help you any longer," Ganondorf said. "I only wish to help the man I grew up with, not the demon that has possessed him."

Daemos' gaze darkened. His hand grasping the railing clenched into a fist. "You gifted this power to me, Dragmire? And you call me a demon?"

Ganondorf shook his head. "N-no, I—"

"Silence!" Daemos cut him off with a forceful bellow. Driven by instinct, Ganondorf fell silent.

We will give you one chance to surrender yourself, Daemos, Resa said. Please take it.

Daemos looked away from Ganondorf, searching the group. "Who said that?" His gaze went to Fira, then Resa as she crossed her sashes. "You must be the Aegislash Overseer," he said. "You are a fine specimen of a Pokémon, even with one made with a temporary soul."

Resa's aura flared with irritation, though it was nothing compared to the deep sorrow that was overtaking it. If you are still in there, Daemos, please stop this, she said. Think of what your mother would say if she were here, think of her feelings.

Daemos' face fell blank momentarily, his posture straightening. "My... mother," he murmured as he began to tremble.

Remember your mother, Resa repeated. She would tell you to stop this, this isn't who you are!

Daemos' trembling grew into shudders that wracked his body. It wasn't with sadness, but rage. "Shut up!" he shouted. "None of you... say another damn thing," he continued in a growl. His gaze turned to Link and Zelda, and Link protectively moved in front of her. "You two... All I need from you is your power!" His aura burst into gold with divine power, and Link's heart jolted in panic.

"C-call them, Zel!" he shouted, but his voice was drowned out by a roar from Daemos. It sounded like one, a primal roar from an untamed creature, A powerful pulse of energy swept out from Daemos, knocking everyone off-balance in an instant.

Link's mind was scattered in an instant by the pulse, his core reverberating with crackling energy. All he could do was flail his arms as he tried to regain his footing. Through his blurred vision he saw Daemos running at him, not walking, running. Just as he got his feet back under him, the king was looming over him. The next thing he knew, he couldn't breathe as Daemos' hand closed around his neck.

Link gasped in shock and instantly began choking. His first instinct was to breathe, and he clawed at Daemos' hand with his free one. Daemos had taken a swipe at Zelda as well, but she had allowed herself to fall to the ground, and Daemos grabbed empty air. At least he hadn't grabbed her as well. Despite his struggles, Link was unable to stop the Gerudo from lifting him clean off the ground. Daemos was inhumanly strong, likely fueled by his power.

"Stop this struggling," Daemos said to Link in a dangerous tone. Link ignored him and tried to send out a pulse of Courage, only for Daemos to slam Link to the ground back-first, driving any air left from his lungs. Zelda's and Luce's cries were muffled by the shock further clouding Link's thoughts along with the pain that fractured through his back. "Stop it," Daemos spat.

Unwillingly, Link relaxed, forcing his aura to settle. Daemos grinned hideously, again lifting Link and suspending him at least a foot off the ground. Link still wedged his fingers under Daemos', trying to breathe. Perhaps he could stab Daemos, somewhere non-vital as not to betray Resa's overpowering sorrow and fear. As if sensing that he was going to make a grab for the Master Sword, Daemos squeezed Link's neck even tighter. Link gagged, struggling to draw in more air.

"I can offer you credit for at least bringing this one to me, Dragmire. He has slipped through my fingers far too many times," Daemos said. "And I can sense the power within him. He's no longer fractured, yes?"

"I... have no clue what you're talking about," Ganondorf said as he shakily got to his feet. He looked genuinely confused.

Daemos' grin twisted into a furious glower. "Of course you were not listening to me when I spoke of the Overseers. It figures that the betrayal would have started long ago!" he huffed. Link noticed Luce trying to flank Daemos, and the king noticed as well. "You wouldn't dare to attack me," he said to Luce, "not when I have the Holder of Courage."

You cannot kill him, either. You need him! Resa interejected.

"You're correct. I cannot kill him." Daemos then seized Link's left hand, almost crushing his fingers. "But I can break every one of his bones," Daemos said, grinning triumphantly. "One for every time one of you acts out of line. We can start small so there won't be as much damage."

When nobody moved, Daemos seemed satisfied.

"Since you're all acting so cooperative, I suppose it's only right that I let you know what I'm hoping to accomplish with this. Why I actually desire the Triforce. The people of this kingdom have only proven that they do not deserve the assistance the Triforce can provide, so I have shifted my priorities," he said. Nobody had a choice whether they wanted to listen, so Daemos began his story. "Once upon a time, there was a war-torn kingdom known as Hyrule. The Holders were what continuously tore apart and brought the kingdom together. Two-thousand years ago, the previous Holders were clashing yet again. The battle was long and brutal, and all three Holders were injured grievously, but the Holder of Power in particular was brought to the brink of death. He knew that at any moment he would lose or die, whichever came first. As a last-resort, he called upon the goddess' powers and wished upon the Triforce."

Link stared at Fira, desperately hoping he would catch his eye. Tell Zel to call the Swords! he screamed out in his thoughts. Fira, listen to me an' tell her! Zelda herself seemed petrified by the situation, clutching her bow so tightly it seemed as if she would snap it in half.

"He wished for an army, one that held limitless power but could easily be commanded," Daemos continued. "It was to be unlike any Hyrule had ever known and ever would know. So the Triforce summoned an army. Hundreds of wonderful soldiers, each so fantastically different from any of Hyrule's creatures... but things were not as they seemed." Daemos shook his head mournfully. "The Holder of Power took his last breath as the army arrived, leaving them with the Holders of Wisdom and Courage.

"The army could comprehend the Holders' words, and some of its strongest warriors came to understand the Holders. They allowed themselves to be swayed by the Holders, and these warriors allowed the rest of the army to spread throughout Hyrule. They overtook the wildlife, wiping them out and replacing them. Yet this was the best thing that could have happened to the kingdom. The descendents of the army could be easily tamed, and they helped the kingdom prosper. Within only a couple centuries, it was impossible to imagine life without them, and the previous beasts of the land were all but forgotten." He paused, as if waiting for everyone to take in his words. "Do you know what I speak of?"

Link honestly had no clue. But he could care less as Daemos tightened his grip on Link's neck just a bit more. As he let out a strangled breath, he saw Zelda's eyes widen in... realization? Did she know?

"Pokémon," Daemos then answered. "Each and every one of them. They were not from this world but another!" He laughed bitterly. "It's difficult to believe, is it not? But it is the truth! They were brought to Hyrule through the Triforce, and this is what I intend to do as well."

"And you believe they'll listen to you?" Ganondorf asked.

"This is what concerned me as well," Daemos said. "Not all Pokémon are willing to listen. They have their own thoughts and feelings, their own capacity to betray. That was why I needed to rid myself of Incineroar. She might have betrayed me one day, just as you had, Dragmire. So this is why I will reach out to another world, different from ours and where Pokémon originated from. There has to be a world where there is an army I can bend to my will, and I intend to stay alive to command it!" He turned his stare to Zelda. "Now come here, Holder of Wisdom." She took a small step back, her body rigid with fear. "Or do you want me to begin breaking the Holder of Courage's fingers?"

Zelda's mouth fell open slightly, a wheezy, hitched breath being all that escaped it. Her fear was overwhelming, and Link's was approaching that as well. He choked, not because he was trying and failing to breathe properly, but because he was trying to hold back cries of fear. All he could think of was that night when he was fourteen, when he had lost his fingers to that trader.

"Very well, then," Daemos said simply. Link felt his pinky finger be bent back, Daemos' grip crushing it a second later with a dull crunch. A sharp bolt of pain stabbed into his hand, and he bit his tongue, just able to stifle his scream. That seemed to snap Zelda out of her petrified state, and she rushed forwards.

"O-okay, my apologies for hesitating!" she cried. "Just don't hurt him again, please!" All she received in return from Daemos was a self-satisfied smile.

She took her time approaching Daemos, her legs trembling with every step, threatening to topple her. Though fear fueled her sluggish pace, she did it for another reason. Nayru's essence was rising in her. For a second, it flared to a sharp peak before fading, like she had summoned an orb and had thrown it. Link hoped that it was her message to the Swords to come.

Unfortunately, mere seconds after she had sent the signal, Daemos lost his patience. "Are you daft, you wench?" he yelled, reaching out and grabbing Zelda by the arm. She screamed but could only let herself be dragged the rest of the way to Daemos. The pain in Link's finger was dwarfed by the burning of his Triforce marking, more fierce than ever before. "Now, let us finally summon the Triforce!" Daemos declared.

Farore's essence surged in Link's body, growing until it became a white-hot inferno. He swore any second he would burst into flames. The energy swelled and traveled through him, gathering in his arm and trailing into his hand, leaving an empty coldness in its place. Then it was gone. One second it culminated in his hand, and then it left him.

"Finally..." Daemos breathed.

His grasp loosened, and Link dropped like a stone. He lay on the ground, dizzy and faint as Zelda fell to her knees beside him. She swayed slightly, confusion hazing her features until she saw Link. Her eyes widened, and she scrambled to his side, her arms almost giving out on her.

"L-Link, are you okay?" she whimpered, gently shaking him. All he could do was gasp for the next few moments, filling his lungs with precious air until he could even hope to reply.

"Did you... call..." he wheezed, and Zelda nodded.

"Yes I did, they should be coming." But there was little hope in her voice. There was a light gathering around Daemos, a golden orb that floated above his head. It grew larger by the second until finally shattering into fragments of light. What the orb contained was a trio of golden triangles, connected at the ends so there was an upside-down triangular portion in its center. It descended beside Daemos, almost four feet tall and shimmering with yellow luminescence.

The Triforce.

As the Triforce descended to the balcony, a quartet of auras breached Link's senses. He was able to lift his head to see four lights whizzing through the sky above him: blue, green, red, and silver. They dove rapidly towards the balcony, and the rest of Link's group dove to the side just before the lights crashed to the balcony. In bursts of light, the other four Overseers emerged, instantly assuming offensive or defensive stances when they saw Daemos.

He has already summoned the Triforce? Cobalion gasped. Daemos gave them an irritated look.

"The Swords of Justice," he said, dragging the words. "Did the Holder of Wisdom call you? Well, you're unfortunately too late now. I already have what I want." The Swords lunged at him just as his hand darted out, his fingers scraping the Triforce and stopping the siblings in their tracks. "Goddesses of the Triforce, hear my desire!" Daemos demanded, his voice echoing. "I wish for an army, one from beyond the world of Pokémon that will give me strength and bend to my will no matter the circumstance!"

As if reacting to his words, the Triforce began radiating more light, brighter and brighter until it became a piercing white. A horrific cracking noise sounded, like the earth was shattering in an earth-ruining quake. Yet the stone everyone stood upon remained perfectly still. This sound was instead coming from the sky.

Far above the balcony, a blue-white crack was splitting the sky apart. Smaller cracks spread off it, splintering like glass. Then came the ear-piercing shatter, and everyone flinched as the crack widened into a hole. Blue-white light spilled out, illuminating the balcony like it was day.

At the same time, the Triforce vanished, breaking apart into three orbs. Two rocketed towards Link and Zelda while the third was taken in by Daemos. Link had but a second to grasp what was happening before he was again flooded with light and heat, the sensation startling as Farore's essence returned to him. His senses now restored, he was able to sit up with only pain in his broken finger.

The Triforce can only be maintained if the one using it is balanced in Power, Wisdom, and Courage, Resa said. Daemos wasn't in balance, so the pieces were returned to their original hosts, but he still holds Power. While Link was relieved by the return of his powers, it was short-lived as movement started up within the hole in the sky.

Shapes became visible from within the hole, silhouettes with rounded tops and thin appendages. First there were two, then five, then eight. They began to drift down from the hole, more taking their place. Light glistened on their gelatinous blue-white skin, their many tendrils floating about them mindlessly. All Link could hope to compare them to was Tentacruel, but they lacked any facial features, or even a face in the first place. Their star-patterned caps were all they had for a head, and their tendrils draped down beneath them.

Daemos' eyes were wide as he stared up in wonder at the eerie creatures. One was growing close to him, within a foot or so of his reach. Luce and Fira grabbed their Trainers, dragging them to the sidelines and away from the creatures that were beginning to surround Daemos. The king didn't seem concerned in the slightest by the new arrivals.

"You... you are my army?" he asked in an airy, astonished voice, sounding nothing like his previous harsh tones. The creature closest to him replied with a distorted chirping sort of call, nothing a Pokémon would make. "You will join me, then?" Daemos reached out a hand towards the creature, and it reached back with one of its tendrils.

The moment the creature's tendril touched Daemos' hand, his body visibly shuddered, like he had been shocked. "Your Majesty!" Ganondorf exclaimed, panicked, but Daemos was seemingly deaf to the world.

"My army, my respect..." Daemos said dreamily, a too-wide smile stretching across his face. The creature positioned itself over Daemos' head and drifted downwards. "It will finally... be mine." Its cap enveloped Daemos' head, and another light consumed the both of them. Link shielded his eyes, abruptly uncovering them when Zelda let out a scream.

"What in Hylia's name is that?"

Link blinked, then blinked again before his jaw dropped open in shock. What floated before everyone in some ways still resembled King Daemos, but in other ways it was something utterly alien. It was like... the creature and Daemos had become one.

The blue-white coloring of the creature was gone, replaced with a translucent gray and a deep red. Eight club-like tendrils extended from the creature's cap, four ending in dull spikes that resembled fingers while the other four barely grazed the stone of the balcony.

The creature's cap had grown in size immensely and was entirely transparent, which allowed the shocked onlookers to see Daemos himself, his torso suspended in the cap as his legs hung listlessly beneath it. His skin had become ghost-white, his hair a crimson red with gold streaks that matched his now equally-gold eyes. Two of the four clawed tendrils raised skywards, as if Daemos was raising his arms.

"This is it, my glorious army! Oh, what I will earn and maintain with it!" he declared in a voice that was a warped mockery of his own, shifting in pitch and tone with every word. "True respect, unending adoration! You all will bow before me as your king!"

Before anybody could even hope to react after Daemos' horrifying transformation, Resa moved. She darted out, floating before Daemos and bearing her blade at him. It took Fira a second to realize Resa was speaking, and he translated her words with a nervous fear.

Daemos, stop this! she cried. Link could sense pure and complete desperation, a person on the verge of tears if they could shed them. If you can hear me, please listen! Stop it for me, for your m—Fira's translation was interrupted when Daemos' tendrils lashed out towards Resa, wrapping around her and lifting her up. She didn't struggle, just stared at Daemos.

"I will let nobody defy me, from the most honored noble to the lowliest Pokémon!" His tendrils then tensed before snapping down, the cracking and breaking of metal accompanying it.

Everything seemed to slow around Link then. The violent snap, the look on Zelda's face turning from shock to horror, Luce lunging towards Daemos as Fira threw himself in front of Zelda, Link's own heartbeat thundering in his ears. Two distinct pieces of a shattered sword clattered to the ground—Resa, broken. Her aura lingered for a moment, sad and mournful, before fading into the night.