Malice
Malice is a substance that has plagued Hyrule since long before Calamity Ganon’s first attack. It is a toxic substance that corrupts anything it touches, either killing it or turning it into a mindless beast.
Origins: Malice has always been seen throughout history, manifesting in the form of monsters and sludge in areas touched by evil. Throughout the years, many different hypotheses have sprung up attempting to explain how it forms, or why. For over 3,000 years, the most commonly accepted theory was that it was water contaminated by dark magic; this theory, however, was proven to be incorrect in 101 AC. Malice can form anywhere, but requires a large concentration of negative emotions to do so. The terror and despair brought on by the Great Calamity resulted in Malice that persisted one hundred years later, and the Great Phenomenon of 100 AC resulted in enough Malice to power Ganondorf to record highs.
Properties: Malice takes the form of toxic sludge, black with magenta tones, sometimes with a large yelllow eye. It is incredibly painful to touch, and has been known to kill someone with prolonged physical contact with it. Malice is part of the genetic makeup of the many monsters of Hyrule, and likely plays a part in why they are unable to establish a proper civilization. The monsters of Hyrule are primitive and bloodthirsty, often going out of their way to attack anyone on sight, and are not made of muscle and blood, like other races of Hyrule. Instead, bones and guts are all contained inside Malice, and when a creature is killed, their body disappears in black smoke, save for a few parts that are full of enough Malice to survive. If cooked properly, monster parts, and by extent Malice, can be used to make elixers with various effects. However, preparing them for a meal will almost always ruin a dish. It should be noted that, as Malice is not in its pure form when a monster part, it is safe to handle and use for elixirs; pure Malice is impossible to cook with and consumption of it by a human will inevitably result in an agonizing death.
Malice is linked to the Blood Moon, a random event in the lunar cycle that revives killed monsters. During a Blood Moon, the air becomes filled with Malice in a gaseous form, which, while not toxic, causes a stuffiness and pollution in air quality for two hours. At midnight, the Blood Moon revives the monsters, then vanishes, and the air immediately returns to its former state. Blood Moons were originally caused by Calamity Ganon himself in 10,000 BC, as he was about to be sealed away. Many legends have attempted to explain just how he did so, but it can be inferred that his own Malice levels were so high that this curse was not a problem for him to cast.
Due to the high Malice levels produced during the Great Phenomenon, Blood Moons now happen on a weekly basis, every seventh day guaranteed to have one.
Strengths: Malice can corrupt absolutely, and even kill absolutely. No one from any race is safe from its power, and will die from prolonged physical contact of just a few minutes. Only two people in the past 10,100 years have been able to effectively control Malice, Calamity Ganon and Ganondorf. Both are reincarnations of the Demon King Demise’s hatred for the Hylian Princess and her chosen hero, and as a result are able to wield it in ways others cannot, as if black magic. Calamity Ganon was able to create phantoms in the form of his Blights, which killed the Champions and overtook the Divine Beasts. However, he eventually became consumed by his hatred, and Malice corrupted him, turning him into a monster without rational thought in exchange for unequaled power. What little rationality he had left he used to attempt reincarnation so that he could return to his Gerudo form. In contrast, Ganondorf is far better at using Malice. He was able to finish Ganon’s reincarnation, rebuild Hyrule Castle, send Ganon out of Hyrule, pull the participants of the Great Phenomenon in, and seal Hyrule off from the rest of the universes. The reasoning for this is that he has the complete power of the Triforce, an object that makes its wielder indescribably powerful. The only other known Triforce users are Link and Zelda, though Zelda’s powers have diminished due to the levels of Malice she had to repel to seal Ganondorf away during the Great Phenomenon.
Malice is exceptionally potent against Sheikah technology. Guardians and Divine Beasts were easily manipulated by it, and the Malice Experiment proved its potency on anything made with Sheikah tech. Malice turns the machines into killing machines, with the only goal of killing and destroying everything in its path. This was the same fate that befell Calamity Ganon; when corrupted by Malice, his original goal of ruling Hyrule turned into the goal of destroying it.
Weaknesses: Malice can be eliminated through attacking an eye, if visible. Usually an arrow is the best way to stop it, though swords, axes, and other weapons work as well. A possessed Sheikah machine can be put down easily with Ancient weaponry; a single Ancient Arrow will kill a Guardian if shot in its eye. Princess Zelda had the power to purify Malice and eliminate it, but no longer has the ability to do so. Margreet Zelle is able to do this to a far lesser extent, as exposure to Malice during the end of the Great Phenomenon used a large amount of her power to keep her from dying. It is unknown if Link can purify Malice, but it is very likely that the Triforce allows him to do so.
The Malice Experiment: This was an experiment run at the Akkala Tech Lab in order to see exactly what kind of effect Malice had on Sheikah machinery. Using test subject Dell Honne, an android made up of 90% Sheikah technology, Director Robbie tied Dell down with chains and Dell consumed Malice. He immediately lost the ability to form words or communicate in any way, and attempted to escape his bonds, only for Margreet Zelle to purify him. The experiment revealed that Malice makes Sheikah machines turn into self-operating killing machines, with the only objective of destroying anything it can. Even a highly advanced android like Dell is susceptible.
