Quest for the Mirror of Twilight

With all of the Fused Shadows in their possession, Link and Midna warp back to Lanayru Spring, where Zant ambushes the duo. He takes the Fused Shadows, critically injures Midna, and casts a curse on Link with a Shadow Crystal that traps him in his Wolf form. Lanayru warps the duo to Hyrule Field to save them, and tells Link to head to Hyrule Castle to meet with Princess Zelda, who should know how to break the curse that Zant placed on him. Trapped in Wolf form, Link carries a dying Midna on his back and brings her inside the Castle to Zelda. Midna weakly tells Zelda that she needs Link to save Hyrule and asks her how his curse can be broken. Zelda tries to break his curse with the power of her Triforce of Wisdom, but to no avail. She concludes that Link is bound by an evil power that prevents him from transforming back into his Human form. The Princess tells Link to head for the Sacred Grove to find the Master Sword, the only thing that can break his curse. Midna is brought back from the brink of death when Zelda transfers her spirit to Midna's body. Zelda does this at her own expense, and her body disappears as a result. As the duo leave Hyrule Castle, a giant magical barrier is erected around it, preventing access to the Castle. Link and Midna travel to the Sacred Grove to retrieve the Master Sword, breaking Zant's curse and allowing Link to transform between his Hylian and Wolf forms at will.

After acquiring the Master Sword, Link and Midna venture to Gerudo Desert in search of the Mirror of Twilight, an item required to travel to the Twilight Realm where Zant resides. Along the way, Midna tells Link that she is a member of the Twili, a tribe descended from the Dark Interlopers who were banished to the Twilight Realm. She tells him that Zant's evil power is foreign to the Twili and that he must have received it from an external source. She urges Link to find the Mirror of Twilight, as it is their only path to Zant and the Twilight Realm. After fighting through the Arbiter's Grounds, Link and Midna discover the Mirror. However, they find that Zant had broken it into four Shards, with only one Shard currently in the Mirror's stand. The Ancient Sages in the Mirror Chamber reveal that Zant received his power from Ganondorf, a ruthless sorcerer who tried to establish control of the Sacred Realm during the Era of the Hero of Time. The Sages reveal that they had sentenced Ganondorf to death for his evil deeds, impaling him through the chest with the Sword of the Sages. However, he had previously received the Triforce of Power, which allowed him to survive the execution. He then used the power of the Triforce to break free from his chains, kill the Sage of Water, and pull the Sword of the Sages from his chest, leaving behind a glowing wound that he still possesses. With the last of their power, the Sages activated the Mirror of Twilight and banished Ganondorf to the Twilight Realm. The Sages task Link and Midna with the duty of repairing the Mirror of Twilight and defeating Ganondorf.