The portal to the final Silent Realm is near the base of the Light Tower, so after uncovering it, Link calls Fi to perform the Song of the Hero together. As the final trial, it’s the toughest of the four trials, with lots of tricky Watchers. I failed this one more than the first three combined and learned that if you struggle with it, Fi will explain things that otherwise you have to work out yourself, like the two different types of Watchers (one floats and you’re fine as long as you don’t step in the light, the other’s closer to the ground and will notice if something happens near to them). The time I succeeded, I started out determined to get the Tears I hadn’t managed to get so they’d appear on the map so the next time would be easier, which meant the two close to the starting point I always saved for last so the walk out wouldn’t be so stressful were gone. Oh, well. (One more complaint before I move on from this section: every bloody time Link wakes up the Guardians, no matter if it’s from starting the trial, running out of time between Tears, getting caught by a Watcher, or stepping in the Waking Water, the cutscene of them waking up plays. I get it already: They’re awake, they’re coming, I need to get the next Tear pronto.)
The reward for completing this is the Stone of Trials, a giant red gem somehow meant to guide Link to the Triforce. Fi says it’s one of a pair, and by bringing them together the way should open. Over near the cave of trials, there’s a statue with an empty eye socket; the other has the second red gem. I’d seen this statue so many times thinking it was a Bird Statue [1]. Link places the Stone of Trials in the empty socket, and the statue spins about and spits a cannonball at the island with the Statue of the Goddess. Link stands there blinking for a second as nothing happens, but then Skyloft starts shaking as the statue island rearranges itself, and many rocks are knocked loose as a building emerges from its bottom. The statue shoots out several Clawshot targets to help Link reach the building, and Link zips over to enter the final dungeon. (Fi’s odds this place has the Triforce only go as high as 85%. I… what could the other 15% be? [2])
Sky Keep consists of eight rooms. The first room has the dungeon map, and the first of a few stations where Link can rearrange the rooms, sliding tile puzzle-style, to explore. The first set of three rooms draw from each region and their dungeons, which unfortunately highlights the fact that the game remixed the same three themes (forest/water, volcano, desert/electric/Timeshift). Sure, Ocarina had pairs of forest, fire, and water dungeons, but took vastly different approaches; I can’t imagine confusing Dodongo’s Cavern and the Fire Temple, and that’s the most similar pair. Here, the Sandship and Lanayru Mining Facility are about that different, the Ancient Cistern had the bit with the zombie Bokoblins that stands out, and the Earth Temple and Fire Sanctuary… one had tunneling, I guess.
The dungeon has a miniboss, Dreadfuse, which is basically Scervo only with electrified swords. After he’s defeated, the final three rooms each have one of the pieces of the Triforce, each with one final test before Link can enter the Silent Realm-esque area to claim them. Farore’s room has Link defeat a gauntlet of enemies (two moblins with reinforced shields, then two Stalfos while dealing with a bunch of Bokoblin archers, and then a Stalmaster with a bunch of zombie Bokoblins) to get the Triforce of Courage. Din’s room has a tricky puzzle of navigating down a river of lava to get the Triforce of Power (of the three, this is the one I have the hardest time connecting the challenge to its virtue). Nayru’s room has a desert/Timeshift puzzle to solve before Link gets the Triforce of Wisdom.
As Link leaves the Silent Realm for the last time, it takes on a golden hue. Link reappears on the Statue of the Goddess, with the Triforce drifting above him. At Fi’s prodding, Link wishes for Demise to be destroyed, and the bridge connecting the Isle of the Goddess to the rest of Skyloft breaks and the Isle begins falling to the surface. In the Sealed Grounds, the Imprisoned is breaking free of its seal again, only to be crushed by the Isle as it lands. Black vapors rise around the cracks, and Demise is no more. The quest finished, Link walks into the temple to greet Zelda as she emerges from her crystal.
Next: “You didn’t think it was gonna be that easy, did you?” “You know, for a second there… yeah, I kinda did.”
[1] I mean, it is a bird statue, but not a Bird Statue.
