"A High Start"
"Legends, stories scattered through time. Mankind has grown quite fond of recounting the exploits of heroes and villains, forgetting so easily that we are remnants, byproducts of a forgotten past."
"Man, born from dust, was strong, wise and resourceful. But he was born into an unforgiving world. An inevitable darkness, creatures of destruction, the Creatures of Grimm set their sights on man and all of his creations. These forces clashed and it seemed darkness was intent on returning man's brief existence to the void."
"However even the smallest sparks of hope is enough to ignite change and in time, man's passion, resourcefulness and ingenuity lead them to the tools that would help even the odds. This power was appropriately named, "Dust"."
"Nature's wrath in hand, man lit their way through the darkness through the darkness and in the shadows absence, came strength, civilization and most importantly, life."
"But even the most brilliant lights eventually flicker and die. And when they are gone….darkness will return. So you may prepare your guardians….build your monuments to a so-called free world, but take heed….there will be no victory in strength."
"But perhaps victory in the simpler things that you've long forgotten. Things that require a smaller, more honest soul." A small script, handwritten, told all who read this story, as if to give the hope needed to ignite change.
"...A forgotten past indeed." A voice whispered, too quiet for anyone within the room to hear. Strange that the voice would whisper for it was alone. In the darkness of small room, nothing could be seen. The only light within was a huge candle, with almost too much wax. If you looked close enough, you could see the corner of a book. That was quickly pulled away, as a snap filled the room of darkness and echoed against the walls
"You've forgotten more than you think you have." The voice whispered again, more silent than the smallest mouse. There was the sound of shifting clothes as a hand came into view, which moved as silently as the voice that had spoke. Even as it moved past the candle's light, it could only be seen as a shadow. After a few moments of seeing the shadowed hand of the person roam around, the hand was finally pulled back. In the hand was another book, this one thicker than the other to hold its ancient history.
"Would you like to know what they've forgotten?" The voice asked to no one, as if their was someone here. I heard the sound of flipping pages….how did I know what pages were? Who, who was I? Do I have amnesia? Was I the one he was speaking to? Why did I think he was alone if I was here?
"Even if I tell you, you won't remember this place." The voice spoke again, softer than any pillow I have slept on. What pillow? What was I thinking about? What pillow did I sleep on?
"You can't even remember anything in here, can you?" It asked me in the darkness, his inquire dead on. Inquire? What was I even saying?
"Wh-where a-am I." I stuttered like a newborn babe, unable to come up with the right words.
"Ahhh, so he speaks." It told me in such a way that even in the dark I could tell he was smiling. "That's good, this way you can answer my question." It, no he said his voice still softer than the clouds I live above. Wait? Above the clouds?
"So," He asked, with hints of amusement in his voice. "Do you want to hear what they have forgotten?" He asked, his hand on the corner of the book waiting to turn the page.
"I-I would rather hear w-what I've forgotten." I told him honestly, as I learned how to speak once again. Again? When did I learn before? How much have I forgotten?
That's when I heard a sound that seemed so familiar, yet so alien. What was it called? It was, was a-was a chuckle, that's it! A chuckle. He was chuckling to the darkness that surrounded us. Why? Did I say something funny?
"This story and what you have forgotten are all connected." He told me, the amusement he gained seemed to never leave his tone. "Memories are a chain, if you find the first link than you will find the rest of them." His wisdom showing brighter than the candle, even in this darkened room.
"So….this story is that link?" I didn't understand why, but when I said that last word I….felt something. I felt like….it was an important part of who I am. Did that make sense?
"It may be, it may not be." He told me flippantly, his voice still smoother than sheets on my bed. My bed? "It is up to you to give me your time." He told me, His wisdom once again showing through.
Time, do I have that? Do I have….no I don't! I….why do I feel like I have to go? Where must I go that is so important?
"I….I don't have time." I told him, showing my heart on my sleeve. "I need to be somewhere and I need to be there soon." I added almost frantically, as if my life depended on being in that place.
"Calm down." He said with the same soft tone, as his calm voice blended into the very air. When he spoke, I couldn't help but relax within the darkened room. "It's okay, time does not move the same way here as it does out there." He reassured me, his voice the same calm as before. "As long as I tell you the story here, almost no time should pass outside." He told me this as if it was a fact. Was it? He hasn't lied to me, has he?
"So I will ask you for the last time," He told me, his voice holding no more amusement only a serious edge. "Do you wish to hear what they have forgotten?" His voice held no demands, only an option. I….I could listen to him, but I need to be….somewhere quickly.
"Could you tell me the quick version." I asked, not wanting to be rude and deny his request, but unable to stay here long.
"Hmhmhmhmhm." He chuckled once again, the amusement back in his voice. His glee seemingly lighting the unlit the room. "Well…. I guess I can." He told me as he pretended to be disappointed. "The longer version is a greater tale though." His fake disappointment increased as he sighed.
I grinned at him as I got comfortable in the inky room. "Well…if I have enough time to do this the next time I come here, I'll listen to the long version." I told him truthfully, as I watched the flame flicker on top of the candle.
"Hahahahahaha!" He laughed out loud, as the darkness crawled away from his form. I could've sworn I saw a smile, but as soon as I saw it, the darkness came back like a plague. Even with the darkness still surrounding him, the smile was something that I wouldn't forget here. "I'll have to take you up on that offer than." he responded, his voice still filled with the mirth he had a few seconds ago.
"So, I guess I'll have to tell you the story you wish to know." He told me, as his hand went to the top of the page. "The story I told you moments ago, was written by one of the people below." He continued to speak in his whispered tone, as if he was hiding this information from someone else in the room. "It was the tale of how they came to be, or how they think Mankind was born." His whispers spoke, captivating me in it's spell.
"However, many people have forgotten a legend. A legend that had occurred before this tale." He continued to whisper, seemingly captivating himself in the tale he was weaving. "It was the first of the many legends of which the people speak."
"It was a tale that Hylians have passed down through uncounted generations. It tells of a war of unmatched scale and ferocity, the likes of which would never be seen again."He spoke in an almost haunting voice, as if he knew every detail of this grand story. "One dark, fateful day, the earth cracked wide and malevolent forces rushed forth from the fissure. They mounted a brutal assault upon the surface people, driving the land into deep despair.
It was then that I saw an image. An image that showed a twisted, evil creature that commanded his underling to ravage the earth, the water, the air, and the people. Each creature uglier than the last, and each act instilled a horror in him that he never knew.
"They burnt forests to ash, choked the lands sweet springs, and murdered without hesitation." The man spoke in disgust, as he continued to spin the tale. "They did all this in their lust to take the ultimate power protected by Her Grace, the goddess." He spoke on, with admiration as he spoke of the goddess.
Another image jumped to the front of my brain, this one giving a more appealing sight. It was a woman in a white flowing dress and a crown atop her head, holding her long flowing hair. In her right hand was a sword held skyward towards the heavens, in her left a beautiful golden harp. Behind her were five strange….creatures.
One was large with one hand up, seemingly unstoppable in strength. Another was short and weak, as if it was meant to be a living plush toy. To the right of that creature was an….octopus? Moving on, the one next to that was a robot, with no arms only hand. The final creature was hunched over and wasn't standing on his legs, as if he had never used them.
"The power was without equal." He continued on with the tale, as a golden light appeared behind the image. "Handed down by the gods of old, this power gave its holder the means any desire a reality" A new image replaced the old, showing a golden light upon a pedestal with people praying to it. "Such was the might of the ultimate power that the old ones placed it in the care of the goddess."
A image once again sprang to the front of my mind. "To prevent this great power from falling into the hands of the evil swarming the lands…." It showed the the goddess, as well as the creatures from before, in front of a large chunk of land. The goddesses left hand, with the harp in her grasp, was straight up. On top of the chunk of land, was the same golden power that was talked about. "The goddess gathered the surviving Hylians on an outcropping of earth. She sent it skyward, beyond the reach of the demonic hordes. Beyond even the clouds." The chunk of land than was raised high into the sky, and was unable to be seen.
"With the Hylians safe, the goddess joined forces with the land dwellers and fought the evil forces, sealing them away." It was then that I saw the Demons be sealed, unable to interact with the living. "At last, peace was restored to the surface." It was than that a light blinded me, and the image disappeared. With nothing but a white backdrop, this tale continued. "This is a tale that the Hylians have told for many ages, generation to generation…." It was than that I saw….clouds and a blue sky. "But there are other legends, long hidden away from memory, that are intertwined with this tale."
"That is the end of this tale." He whispered, as the dark room returned into my field of vision. "So, what did you think?" He asked me, as I saw the book lay on the table near the candle.
The was fantastic, a legend that I wouldn't mind hearing the full version of, but that was for a latter date. Their was something familiar about this story, it's as if I've heard it before. So before I leave this place, I will ask an important question.
"That story, was it connected to the first one?" I asked him, curious about why he would read the other story first, as if to clue me in on something.
I could tell that he was smiling when he whispered. "Yes, but that is a talk for another time." He said as he shifted wherever he was. "I seem to recall that you have something important to do, so let's get you going." He spoke cheerfully, as he blew out the candle.
As soon as that candle was out, I knew something was wrong. I looked around, trying to find the….what was I trying find? I-I can't remember. Where am I? Why am I falling?
"Link…?" said a voice in the darkness, causing me to open my eyes. Why were my eyes closed? Who said my name? As I looked around for the source of the sound I was almost blinded by a source of light. The source was straight above me and was a bright purple color. That was not the strangest thing in this void, the strangest thing was the person falling with me.
Directly underneath the light was what seemed to be a woman with wings. Since she was directly underneath the light details were hard to make out, but it seemed that she was wearing a dress. It also seemed like she wasn't wearing any shoes.
"I am waiting for you." She says in a monotone voice. I didn't understand. Why was she waiting for me? Why am I so important?
"The time has come for you to awaken." She says in the same monotone voice as before. Awaken? Am I asleep? Why do I have to wake up?
"Your are vital to a mission of great importance." She told me, her voice unchanging. I blinked at that. What mission? What is this place? Who are you? These are but some of the many questions I have. I wish I could ask them, if only I could speak up!
"Link…" That was when things started to get really strange. After the winged woman said my name, a different woman appeared before me. Her hair was golden blonde and long with the sides and back wrapped in pink and green ribbon. Her eyes were deep blue, like the afternoon sky. Her face was nicely curved that shifted into a nice point which made the chin, with a pair of equally pointed ears. She wore what seemed to be a reddish-purple dress, with a nice blue diamond in the middle of the chest.
She was gorgeous, as well as familiar. She is….is someone I need to protect, no matter the was….was….Zelda. Zelda!
She was falling, falling straight down into the clouds. I had to save her! I tried to reach her as she fell, but it was futile. We tried to reach for the other, but no matter what we did we would still be unable to reach the other. I kept trying to reach her, but she kept falling faster, and faster. Than I saw it. I saw a demon with pure black scales, no eyes, and no arms or nos. All it had was a humongous legs and jaw, and it preparing to eat her as she fell.
I need to get to her! I need to get there now! I tried to fall faster, but was unable to! I could only watch as my best friend was on the tongue of the beast. When she landed he snapped his jaws, getting ready to-
I woke with a gasp and rose outta the bed so fast that I might've broken my neck. I was almost gasping for breath, and I was sweating through every pore of my body. What was that dream?
What happened?
"Ahh Link, your awake." I turned to the voice within the space of my room. I turned to who said my name and saw The Headmaster of the Knights Academy. He was huge, at least three heads taller than me. His gut was larger than the average size, as well as his eyebrows which were white. He wore a red scarf around his neck, the ends hanging low almost touching the ground. He wore an orange robe with white shoulders and a huge brown belt with sandals on his feet.
"When your Loftwing carried you, you were limp and unconscious. I feared the worst." He said with a powerful feeling of concern. "Fortunately,you don't appear to have any serious injuries. For that much we can be grateful." He said as he gave a small smile.
I don't know why, but I looked down to my lap avoiding his gaze. For some reason I felt guilty for something, like I had failed him somehow. This would be easier if I could remember what happened!
"But, Link…." He started, almost hesitant to ask me. "Where's Zelda? She was with you, was she not?" He asked, wondering where his daughter was. Wait, daughter? What am I-
It was right then and there, that I remembered everything that had happened. My bird's capture, The 25th Wing Ceremony, the time we spent flying together, the moment Zelda fell off her L-. She fell off of her Loftwing! Did she fall into the clouds? Did she..she, I couldn't bring myself to even think it.
My fear must've shown on my face, because the Headmaster asked me a question. "...What has happened to my daughter Link?" He asked me in worry, a worry that only a father could feel. I moved my gaze from my lap and up towards him. On the outside he seemed calm, but I could see through the facade he was trying to hold. He was scared, scared to think of what might have happened to her. I should know, I was just as scared.
I didn't want to tell him. I didn't want to see the sadness in his eyes when he realized what had happened. I didn't want to see his hope crumble when he realized that his daughter may never come back. I didn't want to see him despair about the loss of a child. I didn't want to hear the him say that it was all my fault. But most importantly…
I didn't want to hear my own words.
I didn't want to acknowledge that what happened to her was real. If I told him, than I would be forcing myself to look at the truth. I would have accept that Zelda maybe gone.
'But he has a right to know.' I thought to myself, against my wishes. 'He has a right to know what has happened to his daughter.' I repeated to myself, knowing full well that it was the right thing to do. Even though I still dreaded what may come of it.
"After…" I started out slowly, coming up with the right words to say. "After the Wing Ceremony, Zelda asked to go flyinging in the clouds together." I told him while I made some swinging motions with my hands, a habit I picked up long ago. Despite the situation about his daughter, I saw the Headmaster give a small smirk. I wonder why. " I agreed to go, and for a while we just flew together." I told him honestly, still swinging my hands around a little.
"While we were flying, Zelda was talking about how great today was. She told me that she was never going to forget today." I continued, watching Zelda's father out of the corner of my eye. His smirk grew a little more. Is there something that I wasn't getting? "She was going to tell me something else, but then…." I stopped, not wanting to tell the rest.
" 'But than' What?" He asked, his smirk now gone. Replacing it was the concern I saw not moments ago. " What happened Link?" He repeated, his once calm gaze filled with the fear of his daughter's safety.
'Here goes nothing.' I thought to myself, showing no outward signs of the dread I felt. "Then, a giant black tornado came out of nowhere." I continued, the sadness I tried so hard to block clawing it's way to the surface. "Our Loftwings tried to escape, but it was too strong, it caused Zelda to fall off of her Loftwing. I tried to dive in and get her, but the winds were strong enough to knock me out." I finished as I looked away from him, feeling ashamed for not being able to save his daughter.
"A black tornado, you say? Hmm." He spoke aloud, not sounding as sad as I thought he would be. As I turned to look at him, I saw a sight I wasn't expecting. He had a hand on his chin, with his eyes closed in thought. Why wasn't he sad? I just told him that his daughter may have fallen below the clouds, a place where you can't escape from, and here he was thinking
" That was no ordinary storm." He told me, as he turned away looking towards my dresser. I didn't care what kind of storm it was! Why wasn't he sad?! Did he not believe me? Was he so sure that Zelda's Loftwing saved her from the fall? Could that be it?
'Maybe he has a reason to believe that.' I thought to myself, as something rose from my chest. 'She could be out there, on one of the many islands in the sky.' my train of thought continuing down its track. 'Perhaps her Loftwing was injured getting her out of that tornado, and all she she can do is wait.' That was I needed to think to try and get out of there and search for her.
As I turned to the edge of my bed, I pulled my boots up. I was ready to go out and search all of the islands. It seemed that the Headmaster had other ideas.
I heard him walk over before I heard him speak. Not to say his footsteps were loud, rather that my hearing was that good. My hearing was strong, even among Hylian. If their was no other sound in the area, I would be able to hear somebody heartbeat. Zelda has made jokes about my hearing before, though she was never mean about it. She would only say things like 'You must've heard that coming from a mile.', or 'Can you hear this?' as she blew on a bird whistle. The whistle was only meant to be heard by certain birds, but I was able to hear it anyway.
I turned to look up at him, and saw his hand outstretched. He looked like he was about to say something. I was right, because one second later he told me, "You must not push yourself. You're still recovering." In a worried voice.
'I guess he's right,' I thought to myself, as I took my hand off of my boot and sat straight up. 'But the second I'm better, I will go look for her.' I added while giving a determined gaze to my lap.
"Tell me, When you saw Zelda today, did anything about her seem….off?" He questioned me. Now I was confused. Why would he want to know if she was different than usual? Besides, Zelda was acted like she always did, right?
Now that the Headmaster brought it up, Zelda was acting strange today. She kept talking about things I've never heard her talk about, things that I didn't even think she liked.
"After we found my Loftwing," I started, my hands moving in a familiar way. "She started going on about….something beneath the beneath the clouds. Something called the surface." As I looked towards him, I thought I might as well tell him about that. "That's not the only thing though, I've been having these strange dreams lately." I added to my statement, and continued to elaborate. "It's always about a women, I can't see her but I know it's a woman. She would talk about how I am needed for a great mission." I finished, looking over to him to see how he would react.
The second I looked up at him, he turned his head in thought. "I see .She was talking about the surface than?" While he was asking me this, he turned his body to meet his gaze. "And you've been having dreams about a "great mission"? How interesting…." He stated, like I haven't already told him all of this.
Suddenly his gaze was turned directly towards me. "I'm sorry." He stated, as he lifted his hands towards my shoulders. When he placed it on top of it, his hand covered my entire right shoulder. As his hand stayed there, he continued with what he was previously saying. "I was lost in thought there for a moment. It's all very strange, but I doubt there is much of a connection to this between these things." He told me with absolute certainty.
"I'm concerned for Zelda, but so long as she's with her Loftwing, I'm sure she'll be fine." He tried to reassure me, even though I was on the same train of thought. "Either way, daybreak has yet to arrive. It would be very difficult to spot one girl and her bird in the dark of night." He told me, probably making sure I didn't go off looking for her. "It would also be very dangerous." He added, while I was now positive he was making sure I didn't go out looking for her.
After he had finished his warning, he took his hand off of my shoulder. He turned to face my door and, with slow steps, made his way over. After a few seconds of walking, he suddenly turned towards me. As his gaze met mine, I could not help but note the authority within them.
"Rest now, Link." He ordered me, as my spine stiffened unconsciously in my bed. "Zelda's going to be fine." He told me out of the blue, "I know it." He said with a certainty that was hard to object. He stood their for a few second, and then turned and left my room.
As soon as he was gone, I looked down at myself, noticed for the first time that I still wore the clothes as, what I could only guess, was yesterday. They were filthy, and smelled like rotten Loftwing eggs. I guess they would smell like that, seeing that Groose's "boy's" threw eggs at me during the Wing Ceremony.
There were also the monsters that I had killed, searching for my Loftwing.
As well as the sweat from the nightmare I had moments ago.
Yesterday was a long, long day
Alright, first step to calming down is to change into a cleaner outf-
"Link….." I barely heard this new voice within my room, the sound almost too quiet to hear among my thoughts. I looked over to where the voice came from, and only saw my door. I must be more stressed out than I had thought I heard someth-
"Link…" I heard the voice again. Knowing I wasn't hearing things, I stood up from my bed. That voice….where have I heard it? I know this voice, but the door was muffling. I slowly went to over to open my door, but paused in hesitation. If the Headmaster comes back and finds out that I'm not here, things could get ugly. He just told me to relax after all.
"Link…" The voice was louder now that I was closer to the door, as well as more noticeable. The voice belonged to the women who told me that I was someone of vital importance. Who was she? What mission? Why was I needed for it?
I almost felt like going to bed and ignore her, but something stopped me. The Headmaster told me that Zelda's talk of the surface and my mission of great importance weren't connected. He told me that, but something told me that they were. Something told me that Zelda, the surface, and this mission were all connected.
The thought struck me like a ton of bricks, hard and suddenly. What if this mission was to save Zelda? If I were to speak to this person….would I be able to save her? I knew that I was grasping at straws, but what if that's the case? Could I really go through with this? If this mission is important enough that it has to be told in my dreams, than could I actually succeed. No... the real question was….
Could I really let this chance slide?
That one short sentence helped me make my decision right then and there. If this mission and saving Zelda were connected, then I will gladly take this mission of grand importance. With a new step in my stride, and no hesitance in sight, I opened my door to see who it was who wanted to speak to me.
"*Yawn*, I need to go back to sleep." I told myself. I needed all of the sleep I could get for tomorrow morning. I had woken up from my sleeping bag at 4 o'clock in the morning. I should already be going back to sleep, but I just can't. Here I am, in the greatest school on Remnant, and you think that I could go back to sleep! It's harder to sleep when you excited to start the day.
So here I was, walking around the ballroom, making sure that I don't step on anyone as I walk. Yang was still sleeping right now, I didn't want to wake her up because I know she want her beauty sleep. So I avoided her as I took a stroll off into the night, the soft breaths of others accompanying me.
'Ohhh, I wonder what the initiation will be,' I thought to myself quietly, carefully dodging the legs and heads as i kept moving forward. 'Maybe we'll get to fight robots, or Grimm! What kind of Grimm would they be? Maybe Beowolves, no too easy, how about Ursi? Yeah, that sounds right!' I thought as I squealed at the chance of showing off my wicked skills, as well as Crescent Rose! 'Yeah, I'll be all like shawww, hyahhh, chaaa, and- ekkkk!.' I almost shrieked as I tripped over Jaune's legs.
After I had righted myself, I looked back at the footie pajama wearing blonde. His eyes were
opening up but before he could fully comprehend what had happened he fell back to sleep. After a few seconds of watching, to make sure he was asleep, I walked away as quietly as I could. As I was walking away I looked around, hoping to find a place to relax and think. When I looked towards one of the walls, I saw a gigantic windows designed beautifully.
Walking towards the giant window, I once again made sure I didn't trip over anyone else. After a few moments of dodging all kinds of body parts, I was finally able to reach the window sill. As I gazed up into the night sky, I couldn't help but marvel at it's beauty.
Up above me was the darkest black I had ever seen. It looked as if any light was placed there, it would immediately be snuffed out by it's darkness. Yet no matter how dark it was, it couldn't compare to the light's that do shine through. Thousands upon thousands of stars hung in the dark night sky. Each star gave off a small light of it's own, each brighter than the last. Each one lite up the otherwise dark and bleak sky.
None of that mattered however, to the beauty that was the moon. The pale orb hung there, unmoving in its place among the starry night sky. The moon would've been a perfect circle in the sky, had it not been the for it's crumbling side. The pieces of the moon flew away from its body, creating a naturally made phenomenon that reflected upon the name of our planet.
Remnant.
This is what I might've thought of the beautiful night sky, if I wasn't sharpening her weapon.
"Ohhh, I've got to make sure you're in tip-top shape for tomorrow Crescent Rose." I told my baby, as I sharpened her blade.
Crescent Rose was the scythe I use to fight The creatures of Grimm. She was mainly red with black detailing along it. She was easily taller than me, but that wasn't saying much. Her blade was as sharp as a razor, and was curved much like a crescent moon. That wasn't all that Crescent Rose was though. She was also a customizable, high impact velocity sniper rifle! She could shoot a Grimm from hundreds of feet away.
As I kept sharpening and oiling all of the mechanisms that made up Crescent Rose, I couldn't help but think about the day I had. First, I ran into Weiss Schnee's luggage and caused a huge explosion! Then I met Jaune, who I showed Crescent Rose. Than I listened to a slightly depressing lecture made by the Headmaster, Ozpin. Than I tried to make friends with the girl who tried to help me, then Weiss came back and at us for disturbing people's sleep, and then we all fell asleep.
Today was a long, long day.
I hope tomorrow isn't like today
What is this place?
You're probably wondering how I got here, aren't you? Well, after I had opened the door inside of my room, I was surprised to find out that no one was in front of it. I had looked around, to see if anyone else was there, and found a strange sight. Before I could begin to grasp upon the details of the sight, whatever it was rocketed backwards up the staircase.
From what I could understand, whoever it was, could float and was facing me.
I had made chase, thinking that it was the person who was going to tell me of my mission of great importance. As I climbed the stairs, I saw the figure float towards the East entrance to the academy. I had thought that I would be able to see the person who was calling out to me open the door.
Instead the person flew straight through the door, like a ghost.
After opening the door to the rest of skyloft, I saw the figure right in front of me. Whoever it was just floated there on the bridge, as if waiting for me. I actually realised that the Headmaster wasn't lying when he said it wasn't even daybreak. It was the darkest I've ever seen Skyloft, the capital of the sky.
Where you could usually see for miles upon miles, the dark of the night covered it all. The torches didn't help anything, they seemed to barely give any light at all. It was almost like the entirety of Skyloft had lost part of it's light.
Or maybe it's just because I'm never up at this hour, I can't be sure.
In the dark, it was even harder to see what the figure in front of me. As I tried to make my way towards the figure, whoever it was, he or she once again flew backwards away from me. I, once again, started to follow her.
When I had made it across the bridge, the figure was already half way across the bridge that lead them to the Statue of the Goddess. To think that yesterday, I was on top of that statute getting ready to graduate and become a knight. I felt like the happiest guy in the world, then all of this happened.
As I followed the figure up the bridge, he or she did something very strange. Instead of going through the bars that blocked the entrance to the statue, the figure strayed to the left. At first I was confused, why wouldn't she just go through the bars? However, as I quickly reached the the top of the bridge, I figured out why by the figures next action.
They moved to the left, the only other path to get inside of the Statue of the Goddess's courtyard.
Whoever they were, he or she was adamant on me following them, wherever they are going. I wondered for a second if this was a good idea, but quickly tossed those thoughts aside. This person needed my help with a grand, important mission and what not. If they had wanted me dead, they would've snuck into my room instead of trying to get me to follow them. So, with a renewed confidence, I followed whoever it was down the side of the island.
After a few minute of fighting, climbing and running, I made it to the place Zelda pushed me of yesterday for practice. This was when I realised my Loftwing was missing. Now wasn't the time to go down memory lane however, as I saw out of the corner of my eye the figure I was chasing. As I made my way over to the back of the Goddess Statue, the figure went somewhere I couldn't go.
They went inside of the Statue of the Goddess.
I just stood there, trying to figure out how she had gone through solid stone, when suddenly the wall started to glow. More specifically, the stone symbol of the Hylians was glowing. As soon as it started to glow, the stone around the pattern began to fade as if it wasn't even there. For a full minute I stood in front of the new doorway silently asking myself if this was real. After I pinched myself and realized I wasn't dreaming, I went inside of the Statue of our Goddess.
That was how I ended up in this room.
The inside of the statue was incredible to say the least. The ground was smooth stone, no imperfections in sight. It was quite too, even though the flames roared in their torches. Every time I would take one step, it would seem as if a thousand other steps would follow. Around me were many pillars, probably used to keep the statue in it's place. Although the walls seemed ancient, perhaps thousands of years old, there wasn't a speck of dust anywhere to be seen. The room was spacious, and barely had anything inside of the room.
I started to look around for the figure that brought me here, but whoever it was was nowhere to be seen. It was when I was looking around that, something had caught my eye.
In the center of the room, I found what appeared to be a giant, flat, hexagonal, platform. It was at least a foot high, with two steps in front of it. Around it was what appeared to be a golden circle, with another circle around that one but beige. Outside of that circle was a hexagon outlined with ancient Hylian letters. On top of this platform was a small pedestal, the same color as the stone surrounding it.
The top corners were rounded and slanted inwards where they curved. The bottom was covered in a gold strip, with the same ancient language on it as the floor. There was a design on the front, with wings on the side and a nice pattern on the bottom, and a single word.
Hylia
That wasn't what drew my attention however, what drew my attention was what the pedestal held.
It was an ancient, beautiful, glowing sword. The sword handle was a very light cyan, as well as the, guard, and pommel. The handle's grips were engraved into the sword, each diagonal line swinging around the blade. The guard was a simple curve outwards in the metal where it met the gem in the center. The gem was a bright blue that was shaped into a diamond with gold lining surrounding it. The blade itself was a light gray and seemed unpolished in the posible centuries that it has been here. It was without a fuller,but along where one should've been there was a design in it. The design had a diamond near the top of blade that crossed and continued down as a rectangle.
Half of the blade was within the pedestal and was shining a beautiful light blue. As I took a few steps towards it, I heard a sound. It was like wind chimes but at a much higher pitch.
Directly after the sound came, an almost blinding light pierced my eyes. They told me to look in another direction, but something else told me to keep watching. Then, once again, something else happened that I almost couldn't believe.
Not even a second after the light, someone jumped out of the sword. After a few flips and turns in the air the person dropped down onto the floor, only to land an inch above the ground. After questioning how she could float, she then began to bow towards me. When she finally stood straight up, I knew instantly who she was.
It was the women from my dream, as well as the person I followed all the way here. Now able to be awake and to see her in the light, I drank in every detail of this mysterious person.
The dress she wore was purple with the bottom of the dress thicker than the rest. It hugged her body, leaving little to the imagination, and ended just below her waist. There were two golden lines running up the front of it and didn't stop until meeting both ends of the dress. On the front of her dress was a huge blue gem with golden edges that completely covered her chest. On her legs she wore what seemed to be black tights with light blue ribbons criss-crossing along them. Her black tights met with black ballet shoes, with a slightly tall heels.
Her "wings" were actually long pieces of cloth that covered her arms. Her right arm was covered by a purple cloth that was held up on her shoulder. As the cloth neared her shoulder, it began to take a strange shape, as if the cloth formed a staircase like pattern and stopped mid-arm. The cape then flowed naturally over her arms, and ended near her knees. The left arm was the exact same but instead of purple, it was a vibrant blue. Both capes met in the middle, just above the jewel on her breast, and snaked up her neck. This gave the impression that half of her neck was purple and the other half was blue.
However the most startling thing about her appearance was her face. It wasn't ugly, in fact it was quite beautiful, like a god crafted each and every portion of it. What was disturbing was the fact that her entire face was a piercing shade of light blue. Her eyes held no pupils whatsoever and were the same color as her face, her lips were a nice shape but showed no emotion, all she did was stare at you with a blank expression. On her forehead was a diamond the same shape as the one on her chest. Her hair was smooth as marble, as was any other part of her body, and was done in a strange way.
I was going to ask her many things, like, 'Who she was', 'why did she bring me here','Why am I here'. Sadly, I couldn't ask them for she had started speaking.
"The one chosen by my creator." She spoke in a monotone voice, as I heard a strange chiming sound. "I have been waiting for you." She told me in the same monotone as before, her hair moving as she went up and down ever so slightly. "You will play a role in a great destiny." She stated, without ever changing the tone in her voice.
I could only stare at her. My expression probably would've caused anybody to break down in laughter. She just stood there, continuing to the conversation without a change in her expression.
"According to your social customs, I should provide you with my personal designation." She stated, continuing to float up and down. "Fi is the name I was given." She told me, her monotone never leaving her voice.
'Fi huh, that's a unique name.' I thought to myself, as I just stood there. Whoever she was, it seemed that she had brought me here for a purpose.
Fi continued to speak in her…. unique speaking pattern. "I was created for a single purpose, long before the recorded memory of your people." Created? How was she created? I didn't have time to think out my thoughts however, as Fi continued her speech. "I must aid you in fulfilling the great destiny that is your burden to carry." She told me, once again missing emotion.
As I stood there in a daze, Fi turned around her head around to look at the sword behind her. "Come, Link." She told me, as if it would help me with coming to her side. "You must take up this sword. As the one chosen to be my creator, it is your destiny." She spoke in a finality that I found quite shocking.
Who even was she for that matter? Why would I follow some great destiny if I don't even know what it is? Who was I, if this quest was that important, to even take up this quest? Would I really be able to do this? As I stood there, unmoving, Fi turned around to face me. She looked at me with the same eyes as before, uncaring of what I thought.
As she stood their, staring into my eyes, she spoke of something else. "The strange dreams troubling your sleep." She spoke, with an unforeseen purpose. "My sudden appearance." She listed once again, unable to give her voice any emotion. "Uncertainty surrounding the fate of one you hold dear." How did she know that?! Why is she listing all of these things off as if they were nothing!?
"Under these circumstances, it is only logical that you would exhibit some apprehension." She continued, her objective still unclear to me. 'What if she's going to force me' I thought to myself, my mind going numb at that statement. As soon as that thought crossed my mind, I glared at her. I would prepare to avoid whatever she plans to do to me.
"To minimize the level of your uncertainty, allow me to share some information." She told me simply, as if she felt nothing towards anything. "My projections indicate that this information has a high probability of altering your current emotional state." She stated, once again, without any emotion in her expression or tone. What is she talking about? What sort of information could possibly get me t-
"The one you seek, honorable Zelda, is still alive." She stated simply.
My mind numbed as soon as she told me this. 'What?' I thought to myself, almost unable to grasp this information. 'Zelda is still-.' As soon as I thought it myself, I could finally understand what she said. As soon as that happened I stood there and smiled. 'Zelda was still alive.'. I knew she wasn't lying either. The way she spoke to me was too….factual for her just to make something like that on the spot.
"And this spirit maiden….the one you call Zelda….is another chosen one fated to be part of the same great mission." She continued, adding more fuel to the fire of my soul. "Therefore, should you wish to meet with your friend, I highly recommend you take up this sword before you set out to search for her." She stated simply, her reasons as clear as Skyloft sky.
So Zelda and this mission were connected after all, but where was she? Does Fi know where she is? Should I really do as she says though? Would it really help me save Zelda? I would've refused outright if I needed to take this sword but….if Zelda needs my help then...
"Does That information invigorate you? Are you ready to accept this sword?" She asked me, without the curiosity that would usually come after a question. She was right though, I was invigorated, I was ready to take this sword.
I was ready to save Zelda!
Without another word, I rushed over to the pedestal faster than I've ever ran. As soon as I reached the steps of the platform, Fi floated straight over me. I stopped to gaze in awe of her flying ability. Other than her position, nothing about her changed, even with gravity her capes didn't fall forward and neither did her hair.
As she floated there, a few feet in the air, she started to speak once again. "It seems that further persuasive measures will not be required." She simply stated, no expression other than one of apathy gracing her features. "In the name of my creator, draw the sword and raise it skyward." As soon as she had said these words, she glided behind the pedestal and watched me.
As she was floating away from me, I looked upon the sword that I would soon wield. Ever since Fi had left the sword it had stop glowing it vibrant blue. As I gazed upon the masterpiece of a weapon, I barely realised that I had taken a step forward. There was something strange about this sword. I didn't realise it at first, but the sword seemed….incomplete. Like someone had made it….but then had taken the most important parts of it away. Without even realising it, I was already in front of the sword's pedestal.
'This is the key to saving Zelda' I reminded myself, as I prepared myself to lift the sword from it's pedestal. With slow movements, I lifted my hands up to the handle of the sword.
As soon as my hands touched the sword, I felt something….strange. In fact, there were quite a few things that were strange about this blade that I could feel. First, the handle was the perfect size for my hand. That didn't make sense though, a blade this old has to have been wielded by someone else. There is no way that a left-handed man with my exact hand size wielded this blade long ago.
Secondly, this blade felt….alive. The blade was a peice of metal, I could feel the coolness of the steel on my skin. However, there was something….unnatural within the sword. There wasn't a heartbeat, there weren't any breathes, there wasn't even a warmth that accompanies all things living. However, something was telling me, despite what I was noticing, that this sword was in fact alive.
However, the most surprising of these feelings didn't come from the sword, they came from within me.
As soon as I had tried to touch the sword, this feeling came from within me. I could barely describe this strange emotion, whatever it was. Whatever this feeling was, it made me….uncomfortable. Fi had told me to take the sword in hand so I could save Zelda. She told me yet, I was hesitant. This sword felt like none I have ever touched, in feeling as well as quality. Could I really….no! I have to save Zelda, and to do that I have to wield this sword!
However, even with that thought crossing my mind, the sword still felt uncomfortable in my hand. I haven't even wielded it yet, but this blade still felt uncomfortable in my touch. Like it….it wasn't mine to wield. Fi had told me that this blade was my destiny, yet why did it feel like someone else's sword.
No! Even with this feeling in my chest, I must use this blade to save her! I must use this blade no matter what I feel, I must use it!
It was with that thought, that I pulled the upon the sword. Meet with very little resistance, the blade came free from it's resting place. The blade was half-way inside the the pedestal, I realised this as it came out. It had a weight to it, that was for sure, but for some reason that didn't bother me as much as it should. It was twice as long as my practice sword, and twice as powerful. Even by just looking at it, I could tell that it was that this was the strongest sword on Skyloft, no, in the history of the sky.
As I turned the blade over, the handle in my left hand, I looked down at the blade. The half of the blade I couldn't see within the pedestal was the exact same. The design on the blade ended in a point, like a usual sword would. The sword's point was unlike most of our sword on top of the clouds. Our swords would stop and move directly into a triangular point, and had three corners. This sword only held one corner, and curved inwards to create that point.
As I looked over the sword, the uncomfortable feeling still in my gut, I noticed Fi out of the corner of my eye. Her words, before I pulled the sword out of it's pedestal, rang within my ears. 'Draw the sword and raise it skyward.' She had told me. Hold it skyward?
As I looked at the sword in my hands, I let my right hand leave the handle.
Hold it skyward.
I moved the hand that held the sword slowly, almost methodically. As I rose this blade above my head, that strange feeling started to fade. I looked at the blade above me, and something astonishing.
It was a light, a light was shining down from the roof of the room. It wasn't there before, it was summoned by this blade being risen from it's resting place. There was no source of the light from above, yet there it was, focusing on the tip of my blade. The rest washed over me, as if it was a blanket of gold warming me as I stood there. However, even among the glaring light of which had no origin, there was a glow emanating from the sword.
Even among the golden shower, the glow of the blade was unmistakably coming from the blade. The glow was a light purple, that started from the tip and went down to the base. It was absolutely divine, otherworldly, something that I would now wield while searching for Zelda.
The Goddess Sword….
It was barely a whisper among the wind, but I heard it, the strange voice. Was that the name of this mysterious sword, bathed in a divine light. Why was that the name of this blade.
"Recognition Complete." I heard something inside of the room. As I turned my head to look, I had realised that it was only Fi. "Master." What? Who was she- "Link….my master."
I decided to ignore that comment until further notice.
Instead of giving some recognition towards her statement, I decided to bring my sword down and look at it. I was correct in saying the glow was a light purple, it was also an intense glow. As I now wield the blade within my hands, the uncomfortable feeling within me had subsided ever so slightly. I could wield this blade but never to it's full capacity, like I would want to. It still felt like this blade was meant for someone else, someone who gave it away long ago.
"Link!" A voice screamed out in the room, echoing across the hallow halls. I quickly turned to face the one who spoke. To my surprise, it was Headmaster Gaepora standing in the entrance to this room. He wore a look of shock, one that I had rarely seen on his face when I was a knight in training.
"I've had my suspicions, but until now I wasn't sure." Suspicions? Suspicions of what? What was so suspicious that he had to come here in the dead of night.
"Yet here we are in the Chamber of the Sword, the very place it was foretold the youth of legend would one day appear." He continued despite my inherent confusion of the situation. The Chamber of the Sword? The youth of legend? Hang on….was he talking about me? Why would there be a prophecy about me? Was this the destiny Fi spoke of?
"It is said that this place was left to our people long ago by the goddess herself." The goddess. Like the goddess? Holy cow…. "The very knowledge of this room's existence is passed down to a select few each generation, along with a hand full of words…." Why did this place need to be kept secret? Wouldn't it be better to have this place as a shrine? Or perhaps it was a sacred place, and only those with permission can enter?
"When the light of the goddess's sword shines bright, the great apocalypse will wake from his slumber. Do not fear, for this is when a youth, guided by my hand, shall reveal himself in a place most sacred." The Headmaster spoke as if he would tell a story, my own mind remembering every word. He walked over to us, and stood upon the platform.
I couldn't believe it, was what I thought as I looked down at the blade in my hand. This blade in my hand was the key to saving the world. What I held in my hands was the blade that chooses the hero, and that hero was me.
"It had started days ago." Headmaster Gaepora started, as he gazed upon the blade in my grasp. "The sword that I've kept secret all of these years….It began to give off a faint, otherworldly light." He stated, as his gaze shifted to the pedestal that used to carry the sword.
"At first I thought I was seeing things, here alone with the sword. There was simply no other explanation." He told the both of us, Fi giving the same apathetic expression. "I never believed the prophecy of legend would come to pass in my time." He told us, as he closed his eyes and shook his head.
Suddenly, he faced upwards toward the apathetic Fi. She was right behind the pedestal, floating in the air as if it were nothing. "The words I have sworn to keep secret are coming true before my very eyes." As he gazed upon Fi in wonder.
"The youth will be guided by one born of the blade-one who is also youthful in likeness yet wise with knowledge immeasurable." Born of the blade? Did that mean Fi was the sword in my arms. I, once again, looked down upon the blade I now wield. The uncomfortable feeling was still resting in my heart. Now I look upon the sword in a new light, as a body and not a weapon. A very sharp, useful body.
As soon as it was said, Fi told us something new."Ah yes, the oral tradition, one of the least reliable methods of information retention and transmission." Did she just make fun of the Headmaster, as well as his ancestor's? "It appears that critical of the passage have been lost over the generations." Whoa really, you mean there is even more to this legend then already told? I looked over to the Headmaster, but it seemed as if he didn't know either.
As Fi floated down from her place in the air, and spoke the full legend.
"The youth who draws forth the sword shall be known as the goddess's chosen hero, and it is he who posses an unbreakable spirit. He shall be burdened with the task of abolishing the shadow of the apocalypse from this land. Such is his destiny. With the spirit of the blade at his side, he shall soar through the clouds and plummet below….And united with the spirit maiden, shall bring forth a piercing light that resurrects the land."
As she spoke of the land below, I thought back on something Zelda told me yesterday. "Some of father's old texts talk about a place called the surface. The old tales describe a whole world below, far more vast than Skyloft!" Could this be the place Fi was talking about?
"Master," I will never get used to this title, ever. How was I even her master? I s it because I wield here? "You must embark on a great journey beneath the clouds to the vast realm of the surface." She stated simply, as if the world didn't depend on me. "It is only through journey that you can fulfill the mission set before you by my creator, the goddess. It is the only method available for you to reunite with the spirit maiden, honorable Zelda."
"This is no easy task, Link." Headmaster Gaepora told me from behind. I looked over at him in surprise, thinking that he of all people would be giving me a vote of confidence. "The world below is a forsaken place, and to reach it you must pierce the cloud barrier below. In living memory, no one has ever done this." If that was the case, then how was I ever going to save Zelda?
It was here that Fi did something strange, she lifted her arms….wait, did she even have arms? No, she doesn't! Those were literally wings! Anyway, back on track, she lifted her wings up to the front of her body. After a few seconds of this pose, a green light appeared from in between her arms. She pulled her arms back and the object moved forward.
"This tablet will illuminate a path through the clouds to the land below. Take it and place it in the alter behind me." Fi stated simply, without any emotion in her tone. As she told us this, the object moved into my arms, and the light disappeared from the object.
It was an ancient cracked tablet, all of the faces smooth except for one. On that side, there was was depiction of a forest as well as a lake. The weathered surface of the heavy stone tablet felt very old. Near the left of the tablet was an emerald gem, as big as my pinkie finger.
The Emerald Tablet….
Once again I hear the whispers of a voice, telling me what this object was. I looked around slightly, but it seemed to me that no one heard anything. I decided that I would ignore it, and listened to what Fi was about to tell me.
"Master, the first thing you must do is hit the crest sitting in this room with a Skyward Strike." The Skyward Strike? Does she mean when I charged the blade with the light? "These blasts are formed of pure energy that charges within your blade when you lift it skyward. Once you have charged your blade, face the crest and swing your sword to send out a powerful Skyward Strike."
So I did just that, I went over to the strange altar behind her and saw the symbol that she spoke of. It was the same symbol as the door that lead me here, the symbol of the Hylians. I held aloft the Goddess Sword, and began to charge my sword. When the blade was ready, I swung it towards the symbol of our people. The power that had gathered within the blade leap out as soon as I swung it. It was wild and uncontrollable when it left the sword, like a tornado looking for the next thing to destroy.
As soon as it had touched the symbol, the symbol than started to spin insanely fast only to stop, and glow brighter than it was before. The ground than rose, to reveal an altar, with a rectangle hole inside of it. When I saw it, I place the tablet within the altar.
After I had finished fine-tuning my baby, Crescent Rose, I was going to go back to sleep. That was until something exciting happened.
As I had got up to go back to my sleeping bag, there was a sudden green flash out of the corner of my eye. It came from the window within the ballroom. As I used my Semblance to rush over to the window, I looked all around for the source of the strange light.
"Wow! A shooting star!" I almost shouted, but held myself back at the last second. I can't believe it, I saw a shooting star.
It was just like the pictures in those books I used to read. With a ball of light in the front guiding the trail that was behind it. Only this time, the star was green instead of white.
"Oh, I gotta make a wish!" I squealed in delight , as I closed my eyes and made my wish. 'Oh please, please, please, please, please, please, please, magic shooting star.' I chanted in my mind, unable to squint any further than I already had. 'Please let me become a Huntress, or better yet, please make me a Hero.' I thought to myself, squealing in delight knowing that my wish will come true.
As I turned around to go back to bed, my hopes and dreams soon to be a reality, I went to sleep. Dreaming of the day I would become one.
If I had only kept my eyes open as I made my wish. Than I would've seen the star stay directly above the Emerald Forest.
In the dark room stood a man, with a candle being lit. He stood there looking at the contents of his hands.
It was a book, an ancient green book that held the symbol of both the Hylians, as well as the extraordinary power told in legends. It was opened up on the first page, which told the legend of the Goddess, and the Demon King. As he read through the scripts of old, he came across two lines that interested him greatly.
"Now, a new legend bound to this great story stands ready to be revealed."
As he puts the book down on the table, he moves over to the window and pulls the blinds from the windows. Although it was still dark within the room, the window showed a bright cheery place. The sky was blue and clear no clouds in sight, the sun beating down upon the field. Within the field were two children,one girl and one boy, each blond with blue eyes. They played together in the grass, unknowing of their future, only caring of the present.
There was a call for the little girl, and she waved goodbye to her friend. She dashed of to an area from which wasn't visible from the windows. As soon as she had left, the boy sat there alone in the field. He didn't go anywhere for he had nowhere to go, and so he just sat there, beneath a tree.
After a while the boy started to move away from the tree, and seemed to wander. With nothing better to do, he explored every inch of that field. When that was over, he grabbed a stick on the ground by the tree. With the stick, he went around the field, acting as one of the many knights that protected them. He continued with this act, until eventually he was bored once again.
He was done with the stick, so he threw it away towards some rocks nearby and watched as it bounced off of the rocks. After throwing the stick, he just sat there under the same tree. As he sat there, he began to be lulled to sleep by the pleasant breeze, and the sound leaves rustling. Night fell upon the child as he slept, unaware of the dangers that surround him in the night.
A monster crawled upon his sleeping form, but with the boys sharp hearing he woke up and saw the monster. He began to run away from the beast, as fast as he could. However the boy had heard something, a shriek from the night. It wasn't made by the monster however, no, instead it was his friend. As soon as he heard who it was, he sprinted all the way to the girl.
When he had reached the scene, he saw the same monster that was chasing him was now in front of the girl. Without a moment of hesitation, the boy showed his courage and ran in front of the girl. He stood there protecting her from any that would harm her.
When the monster prepared to attack, he closed his eyes preparing for the pain that would come with the hit.
But it never came.
Instead, when he opened his eyes, he saw a huge red bird on top of the creature. The creature tried to fight back, but the bird was to big and strong. As the creature took it's final breath, the bird turned it's head over to the small boy his eyes looking into his. The boy looked up into those eyes with amazement and fascination.
The boy got up from his position, but the girl tried to keep him down. He didn't listen however, and started to walk over to the bird. With each step he took, he gazed higher and higher, always meeting the bird's eye. When he was close enough to touch the bird, he did exactly that. The bird, instead of flying away, stood there and let the small boy pet him.
The bird than did something strange. With it's beak, it grabbed the boys shirt, and placed him on his back. Making sure the boy was safely on, the bird unfurled its wings and took to flight.
As soon as the bird took off, the boy held on tightly, and closed his eyes. When he felt like he wasn't going to fall he opened his eyes to see a wondrous sight. He saw the clouds, he felt the breeze, he touched the skies, and tasted the air around him. However the most exhilarating feeling the boy felt was….
Freedom.
He watched as the boy flew through the skies, in the dark of his room. He smiled at the boy, even if he couldn't be seen. So with that done, he spoke the final verse of the prophecy to the room in which he stood, as he closed the blinds.
"A legend that will be forged by your own hand."
"Thinking of you...
...Wherever you are.
We pray for our sorrows to end...
...And hope that our hearts will blend.
Now I will step forward to realize this wish...
...And who knows.
Starting a journey may not be so hard...
...Or maybe it has already begun.
There are many worlds...
...But they share the same sky.
One Sky...
...One Destiney"
Kingdom Hearts
Prologue
End
Alright, that was the first chapter, and let me just say….
I AM EXCITED!
This is my first fanfiction EVER! I am really excited for what you guys will think of my project. So please review, and I'll answer in kind.
Also, I don't own the series, I only own the idea of their combination.