I do not own any part of the Soul or Legend of Zelda series.
Please review. Thank you.
It was late at night. A few footsteps could be heard. The creaking of the wood. The splashing of small waves against the sides of the ship. Most everyone had gone to sleep, save the crew working through the night.
Down on the middle deck, a man with blond, parted hair and pointed ears sat in bed, softly playing his ocarina.
BEG
BEG
BDCA GAB E DFE
He leaned his back against the wall, holding the brown instrument in his left hand. He sighed, his eyes turned towards the ceiling.
"Over eleven years…," he said to himself, "It's been over eleven years since I left."
The sunlight shone in through the windows. All seven sages were present. The Princess sat on her throne, waiting. The doors opened, and a sixteen year old boy clad in green entered.
"You desired to see me, Princess Zelda?" he asked.
"Link,"she greeted him, "there's a problem."
"What is it?"
"It's about Ganondorf, Link," she responded.
Link's eyes widened. Ganondorf was supposed to be sealed in the sacred realm. Did he escape? "What about Ganondorf?" he asked.
"He didn't act of his own accord,"Rauru stated.
"What?"
"Something was controlling him," Zelda said.
"Someone controlling Ganondorf?" Link asked, "Who in the world-"
"Not in our world," Rauru interrupted, "And not a who."
Link raised his brow, not understanding what Rauru meant.
"Allow me to explain," Rauru continued, "There are worlds other than ours, Link. Some so similar to each other that you could spend a lifetime searching for any difference. Others so radically different, they defy comprehension."
"So… the evil behind Ganondorf was not of our world?" Link asked, puzzled.
"Exactly," Rauru replied.
"But… what do you mean, 'not a who'?"
"The evil of which we speak is not a man," Rauru explained, "But a sword."
"A… a sword?"
"Yes. Just as the Master Sword on your back has a mind of its own, though dormant," Rauru exclaimed, "this weapon also has its own will."
"…An evil Master Sword?" Link mused, having trouble grasping the situation.
"In a sense, yes," Rauru answered, "But, this is not a weapon of the Goddesses. This weapon is one of pure malice and hatred. They call it Soul Edge."
"Who would forge such a weapon?"
"We don't know, Link. All we know is that this weapon is what corrupted Ganondorf. As to how or why, we're unsure."
"How… how do you know all of this?" Link asked the old sage.
"I had a vision," Rauru answered. And I wasn't the only one. Saria. Nabooru. Impa. Ruto. Darunia. Even Zelda. We've all seen it."
"So… if it's not of this world, how do we stop it?"
"That's the problem," Zelda answered, "We don't know yet. It's not like the Temples here in Hyrule. We can't just teach you a song to transport you there."
"I've been speaking with several practitioners of magic,"Rauru said, "we're trying to figure out a way to transport you there, with a means to bring you back."
"Well, what about songs to transport me back to a temple here in Hyrule?" Link asked, "Or to communicate back to you that I'm done?"
"Too much of a risk to send you without a backup plan," Rauru responded, "We don't know if that will work across worlds."
"Link," Zelda addressed the hero, "Are you willing to go into another world and stop this great evil?"
Link looked up at her and answered, "Yes, your majesty. To save this land, I'd go through hell and back."
He stood up from his bed, and walked over to his sword and tunic hanging on the wall.
"Heh," he chuckled to himself, "'through hell and back.' Never thought I'd actually have to make good on those words."
It had been almost a year since the threat of Soul Edge was discovered. The sages had been meeting with wizards and mages from all over Hyrule. At last, they believed they had found a way to send Link to the other world and get him back.
"All of you gather together," Link tried to understand, "And combine your magics to try and create a portal?"
"That's correct," Rauru answered, "We do this, and you have entry to Soul Edge's world."
"All right… And… how, exactly, am I getting back?"
"That's the tricky part," Rauru answered, "We haven't figured out a way to contact you in the other world without reopening the portal. You must understand, Link, this magic is a grueling one. It drains us of our magic and energy. We can only keep it open for a short while, and cannot cast it very often."
"How often?"
"Once every year or so."
"What?"
"I understand that it may not take you that long to find and destroy Soul Edge," Rauru explained, "But I'm afraid that's the best we can manage. At least, for now."
"All right," Link breathed, "So, once every year or so. How will we work that out?"
"Every year on the anniversary of the day we sent you out, we will reopen the portal," Rauru told Link, "You must be there, Link. If you have destroyed Soul Edge, you will step through the portal and come home. If you have not simply tell us, and we will tell if you if we have learned anything that may help you."
A few months later, exactly one year since the threat of Soul Edge was discovered, everything was ready to go. Link donned his tunic, put on his hat, equipped his sword, and made his way to Hyrule Castle. He had said his goodbyes. All that was left was to leave.
"Are you ready, Link?" Zelda asked, a look of concern on her face.
"Yes, Princess," Link answered, smiling reassuringly, "Of course."
He followed her to the castle courtyard, where Rauru and the sages were waiting, along with many other magic users of the kingdom.
"Link!" Rauru greeted the hero, "It's good to see you."
"You're sure this will work?" Link asked. "I won't end up in the wrong world?"
"Even if you do, Link," Rauru answered, "You're blessed by the Goddesses. You fare a far better chance than any of us would in parts of our own world. Come. It's time to go." He turned to the other who were gathered and shouted, "PREPARE TO CAST!"
They all assumed positions, and faced towards the same area.
"ON MY MARK!"
The magic was beginning to build up.
"3!"
It was beginning to grow powerful. Link could almost feel it.
"2!"
This was it. He would not enter Hyrule again for a year. Possibly longer.
"1!"
Time to go.
"NOW!"
A bright beam of light shone at the point all the casters faced. It grew, and took the shape of a doorway, almost. Inside the light, one could make out land different from what was behind the portal. It was the other world.
"HURRY, LINK!" Rauru shouted over the noise coming from the magical portal, "WE CAN'T HOLD THIS OPEN MUCH LONGER!"
Link nodded, and approached the portal. He looked around one last time. He may not be returning anytime soon.
"LINK!" Rauru shouted.
The hero entered the portal, and took his first step into the Soul Edge's world. He moved his other leg, and entered the portal completely. He was no longer in Hyrule.
"ONE THING, LINK!" Rauru shouted through the portal, his voice distorted, "BEWARE OF THE BEING MADE OF FLAME!"
With that, the portal closed. Link was now stuck in this strange world.
"The being made of flame…," Link repeated to himself, "The being made of flame…"
He took his eyes off the ground, and looked around. A bright, blue sky hung overhead. On the horizon he saw a village. He would start his search there.
Oh, look at that. I started a new story without finishing any of the others.
Sorry.
It's just. I get ideas. And I don't want to forget them. So I start on them, or jot them down. But sooner or later, I hit a block. So, I try. But eventually, I just can't keep trying. I'm not cancelling my other stories. They're just on hold until I can figure out a way to proceed with them. In the meantime, enjoy this.
If you have any questions you can ask in your review or PM me. But make sure I can PM you back. I can't answer you if your messages are turned off.
Now to lay down some backstory. In the flashback, Link is 16 as stated in Hyrule Historia. 17 by the time he enters the portal to the other world.
I feel this seems a little rushed, but I couldn't really think of a way to continue it without it.
Please leave a review. Was it good? Was it bad? How so?