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If you couldn't already tell this story is slightly AU and has my OC so yeh.

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When Help Evades Reasonable Explanations-Ch 2

Everything hurt. And I meant EVERYTHING. It was like somebody peeled back my skin, drizzled boiling water over delicate organs and muscles and then briskly reassembled my desecrated remains. Thousands of tiny, pointed needles still remaining. I could have easily stated that I have never experienced anything as excruciatingly painful in my entire life. I tried to decipher my pain's source, whatever was able to institute such agony, but my mind was swimming in an endless whirlpool of darkness.

I knew my body was still attached. That much I could tell. I could feel the pain radiate from each of it's respected sections. However, any more than that and it became increasingly difficult to discern anything else about my condition.

I sent commands throughout my muscles. To my eyes, ordering them to open. Out to my fingers, willing them to move. Whatever I could do to understand my body's ailments and how to cease the agony, but no muscle responded to my wails. Every last limb neglected my frantic orders. And just to shove their disrespect in my face, I felt a wave of burning pain shiver throughout my body. I gave up my fruitless attempts and opted for trying my luck with thinking. Thinking alone was the about only thing that didn't respond with a slap in the face.

I was at least able to confirm my state of consciousness because my tormenting body condition would, in no way, mean I was unconscious. If I was unconscious then I would not be able to feel anything. But I also experienced a sense of distance between a certain section of...shall I say soul? and me. It wasn't as if it didn't exist. It was just that it was located in some distant spot and it was without any methods of contact. That, mixed with a vast sense of fear, based on the pretense that I understood nearly nothing about my current situation, sent chills through whatever remaining portion of me wasn't still consumed by pain. Not knowing was a terrifying thing. It could send man into the darkest depth of despair, and while I certainly was not headed quite that far, I was surely scared. I knew nothing of the current situation and I couldn't help but cogitate what would happen next.

My worries and frets were graciously forced into pause when something new fluttered in past the hazy flood of pain. A soothing, rose-colored light passing freely by. I was writhing in pain previously, but when the soft light swept throughout my subconsciousness, each and every last ache and sore dissipated one by one. The pain was actually receding. I felt instantly more alive and energetic than I was twenty seconds ago. Connectors between nerves were no longer terrorized by excruciating cuts or bruises. I still hurt quite a bit, but I wasn't in so much pain that I wished my life to end right there. Not long ago I likely would not have said the same, but as time ticked on, the assuaging fog expanded over the entirety of my wounds until I was left with only a slight ache in my side.

The soft, reverberating buzz of a nearby insect flutter away, and together disappeared the arcane light. I couldn't help but feel slightly melancholic when it fled. I kind of wanted to get a look at my savoir, but no matter how much pain had receded I didn't think I was in a good enough condition to capture a good look at it before it disappeared completely.

I reattempted ordering my limbs to respond, and this time they complied. My eyes were the first to respond. It felt like they had been closed for all eternity, only to now be disturbed by my irksome commands. They only reason they listened to me because they had been given a revitalizing burst of energy from an unknown source.

It was difficult to comprehend why someone like I was healed. I knew better than to expect I would ever be first on anybody's list, but here I was. A still living and breathing example of someone who was chosen to be healed. If I could locate the sorcerer than perhaps I could understand his preposterous reasoning.

My eyes bobbed around attempting to focus on something, anything, but all they found was darkness. I briefly thought I had become blind, but just as soon as the idea popped up I discarded it. I didn't think that was it. This darkness possessed edges. Edges that became increasingly clearer as the seconds passed and my eyes adjusted to the shadows. Something was blocking sunlight from penetrating.

I hefted sore arms and groped my grimy hands around my encasement. It was rough and dusty. Perhaps it was dismantled chunks of wall that fell down in the event of an explosion...The single noun seemed so nostalgic. It would make sense if that were truly all there was to it. It would have surly explained why I previously hurt so much, and why I seemed to be stuck between a hard place and multiple rocks. The released pressure must have devastated walls and their crumbling remains collapsed in a heap of debris that surrounded me. My mind was not in tip-top shape and everything was still slightly swimming in a wave of nausea, so when I forced myself to recall precisely the past events, the only picture painted in my mind's eye was one of yellows, reds, and oranges. I was unable to fully recall at the moment but an explosion appeared a good an answer as any.

Once I had my hands placed in a firm position against the wall, I pushed outwards. I needed to get out, if I was lucky I would only be trapped beneath a thin layer of debris. Anything more and I wasn't completely confident of my escaping capabilities. As I brought out my strength against what I believed to be adobe clumps, the load barely shifted an inch!

I breathed a disappointed sigh. Underneath a roof of debris I laid. My head had officially regained its composure and could clearly focus, but I was unable to even put that to use because everything was shrouded in darkness and there was nothing I had 'seen' that could have helped.

I felt around for a looser stone. If the one above me didn't move, perhaps I could locate an alternate route.

I fumbled around sharp crevices and jagged edges until I succeeded in grasping a palm sized stone. I shoved the rock aside and attempted to unravel more stones placed firmly in their holds. If brute force refused to ally with me then other opportunities had to come into play, this one being an attempt to dig my way out of the little cave. My quarters were cramped, but I managed to shuffle my body against the opposite side to make room for incoming pebbles stones. I was positive that somewhere around here there was a way out. There was no way I was about to die in some deity forgotten dump.

The small miniscule pile of dirt and rock I unearthed hadn't even produced a dent in my seemingly impenetrable stone cage. If there wasn't an exit, then I was going to run out of air. I looked around. My eyes darting from dark corner to dark corner. No illumination penetrated from any unseen holes. Anything that appeared remotely like an escape route, I discovered the hard way, had either been too heavy to lift, or welded together in a pile of crushed clay.

"He-" I had tried but my voice failed me when it let out a short, soundless huff. How long had I been out? I tried again, this time louder,"Help!" I wasn't sure if anyone would even be able to hear me under all this rubble but I had to try. I had attempted the only two possible options I could come up with at the time being. I hated having to rely on others, but I looked like the only other choice I was left with.

Once more I cried out , asking if anyone was there. I didn't hear any footsteps but the dust that settled on top of my already dirt coated hair notified me that there was something going on out there."Hey!" no answer."HELLO?" mystery man didn't answer but dust did. I didn't care if the guy was mute, if he was helping me I wasn't about to decline. I could get over my issues of pride for a few minutes if it meant extending my life.

I stood up as much as possible, my neck and shoulders crashing against the low ceiling, and pushed again against the boulder. If someone else was trying to bust me out, I might as well not be anymore of a burden. It budged a little and I saw streams of light peak through. I squinted and my sore muscles screamed at me to stop but if I released then, the entire thing would likely topple on top of me. I let out a muffled groan as my mysterious other and I lifted the wall completely out of the way.

The light that flooded in blinded my eyes and I held up soot covered arm to shield. Now that there was sunlight, I finally noticed my abused image. Though I wasn't outwardly injured, soot covered every where. I wiped my brow only to relocate an increased amount of the black grimy stuff. Not to mention the dirt and dust particles that spread its grime through my unkempt hair and clothes. At least what was left them. My clothes where tattered and torn with black scorch marks surrounding the remaining cloth. I might as well have been half naked, but at least it covered the important parts. My hair received the damage much better and only possessed slight singes.

I turned to find my savior so I could at least thank him or her before I went on my way, but when I looked I only spotted the remains of a tower of black smoke dispersing into the wind. That couldn't be right. I knew I got help. I couldn't have gotten out of there alone. I assumed they must have run away. I didn't know why though. Perhaps it was the same person who healed me and they just didn't want anyone to know...

I pushed myself over the stone barrier so I could get a better look at my surroundings, but I immediately regretted the decision. What I saw was something that sent my insides churning. It wasn't the demolished buildings that collapsed on themselves in little heaps of stone like what I had previously been standing in, or the shear force or the impact that blew crater into the center of a once lively market place. No, it wasn't any of that. It was the horde of corpses that littered the street like trash.

Ten of bodies were sprawled across the soil in various positions, and each one sported burns of different levels. Most were burnt to a charcoal black. I was barely able to identify the majority of them as human they were burnt so bad. I was becoming queasy just looking at them. It shook me that this could have been my fault because I didn't say any thing about the bomb when I had first seen it. No. I immediately threw the thought away. This wasn't my fault it was the one's who placed the bomb down. It was the Garo's. They were the ones blame.

So that really happened...didn't it. It occurred to me that my brain finally recalled the past events. The bomb. My cowardice. All of it. But why wasn't I dead?

I stared out as the small wasteland, each charcoal black body was somebody who, not so long ago, was living. Some lay half beneath similar rock piles such as my own, limbs poking out from impossible positions, while others faced up endlessly at the cloudless sky. I held out my hand out and stared at it like if I did so long enough It would answer me. But no reply came so the question just swam around in circles, racking my brain for plausible answers. Why was I still alive.

I had been healed. That I understood, by who though I couldn't really care much for, it was more of why, but no one could bring the dead back. Not even the best sorcerers in the land or even our scientists couldn't do it. It just wasn't possible. Once you died you came back as a ReDead, and an explosion would kill anyone automatically. There would not have been a chance for resurrection. I should have died instantly...So here I was. Not dead. And I remembered something else that would be pretty soon.

Those dead bodies over there would soon begin to rise from their horrid states as ReDead. And I didn't want to be anywhere near them when it happened. Whether it was by fluke or by fate, I was still alive and I wasn't about to put my life to waste so soon. There were people who wanted me back.

I cast a shy glance at the still forms. Already one was starting to move. I snapped back to reality and took off in the direction of the school.

The nearby streets were deserted and the only sound made was by Guay that cawed high in the sky or by the townsfolk who slammed shut their shutters when they saw someone pass by. After an attack like that, they knew better than to walk around in the open. As soon as that bomb rang, they likely all sprinted back to the safety of their homes. Unfortunately for the guards they didn't have that luxury. It was their duty to hunt the terrorists, secure the perimeters and deal with the soon to be rising dead. Glad I wasn't them.

So there I was running though the streets; the once bustling roads now a barren slab of dirt. The vary same dirt puffing below my feet and gathering on my tattered clothes. It was lonely traveling through the city by yourself, not to mention scary. Sure there weren't any potential threats walking around on the street, but that just added to the eeriness of the situation. For all I knew I could be seconds away from a Poe or ReDead on the other side of the road. I knew the spot I came from couldn't be the only one like it. The Garo didn't work like that. Knowing their attack patterns, there were likely a multitude of explosion spots sporadically spotting the city. I hoped that for the remainder of my travels I wouldn't have to run into one of the undead. Just looking at one was scary enough. I wouldn't want to experience running away from one of them. I could really only rely on the guards and hope that they would take care of the ReDead infestation before they got out of hand and escaped.

I prayed that Colin and Aryll weren't in any situation similar to that.

How long have I been away from them I wondered as I passed by increasingly uninhabited buildings. The area starting to revert into the dumpy place I've come to call my home. The sun told me it hadn't been more than a few half hours since the last time I spotted daylight. I honestly felt like it was eternity ago though. Like I stopped existing for a few moments and when I woke up there was I gap in my life. I doubt I'd ever be able to feel that missing piece of me seeing as how it still hadn't re-appeared yet. My state of unconsciousness didn't feel like sleep or when you faint. With either of those you didn't feel like your life was split in its timeline by a knife. What this feeling was, or even more importantly: why I had it, continued to bemuse me as got closer to our rundown place.

Along with this mind splitting feeling, I had absolutely no idea who it was that helped me out. Why would anyone run away after saving someone? If I stayed there I wondered if I could have found him hidden somewhere in the shadows. Had it not been for him I would still be in that hole and might've run out of air by now. Even though it was against my nature, I really wanted to thank him, but the guy seemed to have disappeared in a puff of smoke as I crawled out.

I took a glance back where I had came from. Even from this distance I saw the devastation the little bomb had caused, and it wasn't alone. From this high up on the side of the mountain, I saw several other craters that dotted the city. I hadn't noticed them while rushing through the streets, but from my view on the hill it was easy to see the destruction they caused. Some holes still had smoke and dust billowing out, suggesting the explosion happened not to long ago. It was no wonder the guards hadn't made it to my cratered spot to clean up any of the ReDead. They already had their hands busy.

It made me think about how incompetent our king and military systems really were. At least a dozen Garo must have snuck past their line to set up the explosives. How had they not caught a single one? They could have prevented this hole thing if they just tried.

I let out a deep sigh. Whatever. If the government sucks then it's not my problem as long as my family isn't involved. I just hoped that nothing happened to them in any of this commotion. If anything did happened I wasn't sure how I would take it.

Our dilapidated home rose up into sight and I ran the last few yards there. Even if something strange happened to me back at the explosion site, it didn't matter. All that mattered now was that I was still here, and my family would be there too.

I rounded the the corner into our living room and my spirits immediately sank when I saw that there wasn't anyone there. I wasn't about to let that get me down though. They were somewhere around here and if I waited long enough they'd show up eventually. Although they'd probably be rather disappointed when they find I've been gone for half a day and didn't bring back any food. Oh well, it wasn't like we haven't gone a day without food before.

I jogged over to our multipurpose couch. Next to it laid a beaten fruit crate we now used for storage more than anything else. After digging my hand around the splintered wood and through moth-eaten pieces of clothes and various collected nick-nacs, I pulled out an old winter set of clothes I used to wear until I grew out of them. Colin had once used them as hand-me-downs but he grew out of their size faster than I had. Now the outfit laid in a forgotten bunch at the bottom of the crate until I came along.

I threw off my holed clothes and shot them into an unused corner of the room. I returned my attention back to pile of cloth and piece by piece I redressed myself in them. I slid the faded, navy blue pants over my thin form. A pale long sleeved shirt went on next, pre-attached to a tabard like over-shirt, gold color outlining the hem. It looked like I hadn't grown much since I outgrew these last.

Changing done, I slid over to the window sill and stared out at the scene before me. At a higher place than before, I fully saw the city that stretched out into the distance, the Ikana Castle being the farthest back on the ledge over yonder. I've grown to love this amazing view, the mountains in back and the broad sky above, but right now I didn't want to look at at it. I didn't want to be reminded of the countless people who lost there lives in a matter of minutes not long ago because of a government who ruled its people but still couldn't do its job right. I turned my head away from the scene with a scowl.

.

I stared back into the room silently for what must have been at least an hour, before I started getting a little worried. I knew they often played with each other while I was gone, but I figured with the attack and all they would have returned sooner. I was hopping they'd pop their little heads back in sometime soon so I could stop fretting, but as the minuets ticked by the only thing that happened was the shadows growing longer as the sun neared sunset. I briefly contemplated whether I should go out and look for them. I certainly wasn't doing anything here, and Aryll and Colin might not return home any time soon at this rate.

My eyelids fell into a long fall downwards until I took notice and hoisted them back up only for the event to occur again. My mouth joined in on the fun and yawned. It looked like the adventures of today finally caught up to me. Maybe a nap would do me good. When I woke up Colin and Aryll would probably be here anyway. Maybe this missing piece in my mind would show itself and I wouldn't have to keep living, feeling like part of my life was missing. I could already feel my eyes growing heavy and my line of thought becoming hazy, so I let myself slowly drift of to sleep; my subconscious drifting into a soothing black. I hoped I would feel better when I awoke.

.

That night I had such a strange dream. My vision was surrounded in a void of nothing. Everywhere I went there was nothing there, not a soul as far as the eye could see. And for the first time I felt absolutely alone. Normally I always had my family with me so I never had to worry about such a thing, but here even they weren't there. Not even annoying insects survived in the vacuum.

I couldn't tell because there was not a thing that differed in the surroundings, but I knew I had spun around and around, just trying to grasp any thing of substance, but just when I thought I had seen something I realized that my vision was just playing tricks on on me. I felt my chest elevate up and down, the only noise being my sporadic breaths. Breath in. Breath out they went. The rhythmic breaths creating an eerie vibe.

Time passed in that black void, and with each second that passed my mind became more and more flustered. It wasn't until heard a woman's voice creep out from the darkness that I calmed down. It was soft and smooth, like rolling in a bed of silk, and something about it let me know that I shouldn't be afraid. I turned around to take a look at what could provide me comfort in such a desolate place, but as I kept turning I couldn't get any closer than I was. No matter how hard I tried, the disembodied voice stayed just a head's distance out of my sight.

I stopped my futile efforts to listen to her calming voice, "Fare well*, young Link." now that was odd, while the voice seemed to be made of nothing but fluff and happiness, I sensed something almost melancholic in her voice. "May you do well in aiding this country," it was grief that clouded her wonderful voice, but what reason did she have to be sad,"and...we are sorry."

Before I could round up the courage to ask the voice what she meant I found myself waking with a start. The images already fading from my memory. I rested upon the same window sill I was on before except now instead of piercing sun rays I sat under the pale light provided by a moon that seemed to be ever taunting me, being so far away and out of harm's reach. A cool breeze slithered across my neck and I responded with a quick shiver.

I was just about to wipe away my drowsiness and go say hi to Aryll and Colin when I realized nothing had changed from those few hours ago. The very same heart-wrenching feeling was still there but more importantly my family was not. Had they came by they would have said "hi" or something of the sorts, but I distinctly remembered not waking up and having a strange dream instead. That must have meant that they hadn't come back. I couldn't produce an answer as to why they wouldn't have at least told me where they were going if they had stopped by.

I started to panic a bit. What if something happened to them? Would I even be able to help them when I don't even know where they are. Back on my feet, I started to pace back in forth, a nervous habit I've picked up over the years. I wondered if it would be better to stay here and wait or see if I could find them. I figured since they hadn't shown up yet then it was a safe guess to say they weren't in the building. However that would also mean they were outside at the time of the explosion. My heart began to beat a little faster out of nervousness. If that was the case, then I needed to hurriedly find them. There was no telling how many ReDeads were wandering around the plaza by now.

I cursed myself for having fallen asleep. It was hours ago that I got home and who knows how long it was since they actually left. I had just wasted more time because of my stupidity. I shot out of the window, not bothering to take the long way through the corridors. An image of the graveyard flashed through my head as I scurried to my feet and sped up into a run towards the graveyard. Colin often went there, maybe he took Aryll with him I thought hopefully.

The barren mountain side, decorated with sparse trees and cacti was barely lit in the pale moonlight, but I didn't let that stop me from looking. I heard an owl hoot in the distance but ignored it; it wasn't who I was searching for. I slowed to a stop up on the hill above the tombs where Colin often sat and reminisced, but no matter how long I stared at the empty space, no two forms appeared.

I started pacing there on the spot, thinking. I attempted to recall all of the places they'd gone before. I've already checked the graveyard, the soft moans that protruded from the expanse of land below breaking the ominous silence. There was the well we often used to draw water. It was logical. They could have left to get a drink of water, but I scratched that idea because I remembered a half-full bowl of water back at the classroom. If they wandered into the city...I wondered if it would even be worth it to look for them in there. The place was HUGE and even I didn't even know my way around it that well.

Still pacing across the rough dirt, I tried to formulate any more possibilities but those seemed to be the logical reasons they would be out this late. "Where are you?" I breathed. Taking deep breath I tried to calm myself. Thinking with a calm mind would produce better results than a frayed one.

I tried to recall previous conversations, gestures, something that could serve as a hint. What was the conversation I had with Colin this morning...It was about my job. No. They wouldn't. Would they? If that was the case then...they could already be smack between bars. They don't even know the first thing about thievery. I couldn't understand why they would try and copy what I did. I always brought back food, there was no reason for them to feel the necessity to go out and help.

I couldn't understand, but I needed to located them and that was all that really mattered. I looked out at the expanse of city laid out before me. I wasn't even sure where to start. I had no real leads, but I ceased my useless panning and took a step forward anyway. If my brain didn't work then my body was just going to have to, but just before I took five steps forward, I was stopped dead in my to tracks when I felt something tug my shoulder.

I whipped around, my heart jumping, wishing it would be who I was looking for, but was met with nothing but shadows that cascaded onto boulders in the distance. I rubbed my shoulder a bit. Whoever it was shook me pretty hard and-hey did it just get darker? I couldn't notice any substantial differences but for a moment it seemed as though the moon's light was slightly diluted.

It must have been nothing though. Today's been crazy and I'm on edge. Probably just a muscle spasm anyway. Unfortunately reality didn't seem to like my reasoning so when I glanced back, annoyed for being distracted, my instincts acted faster than my mind and I leapt back out of pure fright.

Behind me stood a Poe, surrounded in smoky shadows,hovering above the ground. Its crimson irises boring back at me. There was something familiar about those floating orbs, and the whole general form and feeling that radiated from the spirit made me feel a strong wave of nostalgia, but I brushed it off. I probably knew the guy while he was alive. I stared intensely back at the floating spectral, I could almost HEAR it floating, floating in a monotonous rhythm of up downs.

The reason I had originally jumped was because Poes were extremely aggressive, having been born of left over regrets, most of those included inducing revenge upon they're murderers. However that just often led to blind rage so it was best to stay on the cautious side near them or just stay as far away as possible. When I started to inch away, my eyes never leaving the ghostly figure, it made no move to follow. It just stared at me, giving the impression of neutrality on it's non-expressive face. I could tell it was a boy's Poe maybe even someone my own age, but I couldn't place the face. Its features lacked distinct identifiable curves and lines. Really it was only a shape, the form of something human. I looked the passive Poe up and down. I had never been this close to one before, I assumed they were all dangerous, but this one kept proving me mistaken.

I wasn't about to let up my entire guard though. Even regular people who portrayed an air of kindness could be a double-edged blade. A bit quicker this time, I retreated backwards. When I saw it lift its hazy hand I was about ready to bolt straight down the cliff into the graveyard. I wasn't sure how that situation would be any better, but at least I'd be out of the general vicinity of the nearest Poe. Probably the only reason I didn't make a mad dash down a cliff I wasn't even sure I could climb was the hesitation that I saw in the spirit. The moment I started, it stopped. I'd like to say it was trying to be careful, as if trying not to frighten me, but Poes didn't retain enough emotions to show signs of empathy.

It continued to lift its hand while I stood on the tips of my toes, ready to make a break for it in case it tried anything fishy, but it smoky limb was stationed in the air, unmoving. This was weird. Not only had it made no move to attack, something I'm still not quite sure about, but now it looked like it was pointing. I couldn't help but wonder if I invaded it's territory or something, and it was telling me to get the hell out.

We stood at a stalemate, just staring at each other, unblinking. I wasn't sure what to do. My common sense seemed to have gone A.W.O.L. as of today and curiosity was its substitute. Part of me wanted to get closer to the familiar being, but reason told me I'd be an idiot to do so. I started up my escape again. If I could get away, no, RUN away then I could get out of this situation. I couldn't trust the being. Any second and it could crack and charge at me. I was desperate to be long gone before that occurred.

By the time I was five steps in the opposite direction, towards the city, the spectral had vanished into a black puff of smoke. The substance dispersing into the already dark scenery. It wasn't five seconds later that my surroundings showed no remembering sign that the Poe was even there. I spun my head around trying to sense if it had materialized again, but no darkened piece of shadows formed anywhere, and no crimson eyes glared back at me from any direction. The spot it had once hovered above now was just a bunch a pebbles over a worn out path.

I remained there in that exact position for at least ten seconds, holding my breath as though the first moment I made a move it was going to come out again and attack. The Poe however never reappeared though, and I was left flabbergasted. Quite a few things where on my mind, most of them relating to the bizarre situation that even now I want to brush off as a figment of my imagination, something caused by the pure impossibility of today, but I could still feel a sting on my shoulder, reminding me just how close it had been. And how real.

I was uncertain about leaving. I still needed to go and look for my family, but on the other hand I felt like if I left then what just happened would morph into a simple dream. It ended so suddenly, and once my shoulder's sting faded I would only have unreliable memories to ascertain this situation's truth.

Over roads and rooftops it had pointed. Why had it pointed over there? That area was nothing but slums and alleyways filed with shady businesses and the worst kind of people. Why had it? There's nothing...there? I almost sounded like I was complaining. Perhaps I was. Whining about being given false information. I knew they wouldn't be over there, they were smarter than that. Yet I couldn't help shake the feeling that the mysterious being might've had a point. Looking back at the encounter, it could have been seen as an attempt at communication. If neither of them showed by now then there was a possibility they had wound up trouble. What more troublesome place than over there?

I glanced back at its previous spot, and had the urge to start pacing but held it in. Every minute I stayed here was a another minute they could be getting further and further away. I didn't trust the black puff of smoke, and I didn't think I ever would, but there was something in the way it looked at me that made me consider that there could be another side to it. If I was going to go on a blind search into the city then, be it shady or not, a hint was hint. They likely wouldn't be there, but it was a start. If it had led me onto a wrong path then it better not materialize anywhere around me.

I passed by without a second glace and headed down the hill, soon to reach the area commonly as slums. The night air brushed by and I skittered down a foot-worn path down the slope. Forget logic, I thought to myself, family was more important. Thistles and cacti needles became caught at the hems of my pant legs; I would take them out later but right now I was busy. The slope declined at a level rate until easing off into into the surrounding ground level. I slid down part way, hoping to gain some extra time. The dust flew from beneath my feet in red clouds and I heard rocks scrapping against dirt floors as I rode over them.

I was still uncertain with leaving the way things were, but that was what I had to do so I pressed on.

I passed by more rundown buildings, some the remains of what used to be a populated shopping district based on my guesses. Over time living conditions and the safety of this area began to decline and people deserted the area. Now only those desperate for shelter took root here. The homeless, the runaways, the criminals. You could find someone of any kind in these parts.

Through darkened corridors I went. I spotted some strangers peeking out of their windows, only to swipe their heads back down when they noticed I looked back. Otherwise, the streets were barren of any civilization, save for a few rats if they even counted. I couldn't blame them either. I didn't trust the guards to fully exterminate the ReDead threats that meandered throughout the city. Nor did I trust them to ever bring their cocky selves down to this level and do a bit of crime prevention. I wanted to be inside with my family close by, but they must be found first before anything like that could happen.

Around fifteen minutes flew past by the time I had delved into the deeper part of Ikana's outskirts. Where me and the others lived may have been a poor and desolate area, but it was deserted and far enough away that it didn't quite fall under the same category. Under most circumstances I resorted to staying clear of these areas. When you arrived here you might as well be putting the skin on your back up for auction because nothing you owned was safe. Really, you were never safe here. Not even in the own confines of your house. And just because I was a thief, didn't put me outside the lines of danger. The thieves here were far more ruthless than I would ever want to be. Here, there was no honor amongst thieves. You took what you could find. Friend or foe.

I really didn't want to be here, especially at the dead of night. Nothing came from wandering around at night in a bad part of town. The thought had crossed my mind once or twice, that Aryll and them wouldn't be stupid enough to take a stroll through here, but with what the damn Poe had done, I couldn't help but feel like it had an extremely valid point. If they had gotten scooped up into some trouble, here would be a better place than any to find trouble. I also knew that I was walking in blind without this hint. True, I was following vague directions, but I wasn't sure where else to start. No matter what I thought about doing, it always seemed to have me in a terrible position in each of my imaginations.

I swiveled my head, looking at the increasing amount of garbage that covered the street. I think I saw an old man, beaten and ragged, sleeping underneath some of it. I shivered, hoping that my family would never have to be in that situation.

I picked up the pace and brought my arms around my chest in an attempt to preserve body heat. I didn't want to be here. I really didn't want to be here, or even have to search. I was shivering like a Goron during winter, sore, my battered feet being the main perpetrators, and extremely stressed. I could almost feel the giant headache that seemed like it was prodding behind my skull the entire time, waiting for another terrible situations to be thrown its way just so it could absorb its irritation and grow into a frickin' giant pain in the ass.

My emotional rant aside, I was beginning to feel a partially nervous. The way the wind crept up and whistled by my ear, and how I felt like every shadow that swept by was going to slowly mutate into another Poe. This one being one that would surly jump me. The slightest movement made me jump and I was getting sick and tired of it. Please oh please be here I mentally cried.

Oh, who was I kidding. I had no idea what I was doing here and not a clue as to where to start looking besides obscure instructions from a dead person. For all I knew I could've already passed them at what the twentieth turn ago? I should go back. The thought sounded like sweet candy. The Poe was just leading me on a wild goose chase. Right? I gave an exasperated sigh and kicked the rough ground beneath my feet.

I stood between two options both logically sound. I could turn around run away with my tail between my legs and search somewhere else, or suck it up, be a man and press on. Would being female at this point help at all I wondered. I swayed between the returning path and the path before me. Walking a few steps one way and then adjusting my stride to head in the opposite direction. One step. Two steps. Turn and repeat. Getting a little bit further in each time.

Oddly enough this continued on for quite some time. Truly it was a battle of which side took more steps over here. Of course I would go to the edge of the Moon for my family, but some things had to be categorized as stupid. Every time I would turn back and continue my futile search, I would move forward however many feet. I wasn't even paying attention to where I was going. It wasn't like I had a horrible sense of direction so I could probably find my way out of this dump with little effort, but every time I pushed on I felt like I was getting closer to something and being drawn further away from my designated path. I looked like I controlled my stride but with every step I took I felt a tug towards one direction or the other. It was a better feeling at least compared to being entirely lost at least, almost like I had a new purpose here.

After so long of mindless dawdling along with indecisive feet, eventually I found myself in front of a door. Or a piece of wood. That was about all it was. A few pieces of lumber strung together by some ripping strands of old leather shoved in front of large hole in the wall. Most of the wall had cracks that looked like they might spread any second now and cause the whole building to collapse. It was obvious why too. The building was one of the older models of home that still circulated the mountain side before they figured out how to build houses in more convenient places. The house must have been there a century to still be here today. Vines had also overrun the walls, spurting out of nooks and crannies. The thing almost looked like a giant stone plant.

Some raw Rupeen had even found a home behind a cracked, brown pot. When compressed and stamped with the official seal they made rupees, but otherwise they were a useless lump of soft crystal. I considered snagging a piece of the deep blue crystal that grew practically anywhere just so I could have a little souvenir to remind me how much of a waste of time this trip had been. I crouched down and snapped off a coin-sized piece. It broke easily under pressure and I pulled it closer to my face to inspect the potential money. Between my fingers I rolled the jagged rock, thinking how if only the crystals grew into a pre-compressed form. If they did, then I'd be rich. All I'd have to do would be to hack down some weeds and break open a few pots before I could amass a large collections of rupees. Rupees of every color of the rainbow. Oh, how that sounded so sweet. And they even regrew. Every time the lawn grew back the rupees regenerated at practically the same speed. So every time you cut your lawn it'd be like getting payed fifty rupees a week.

But I tossed the worthless rock back at the wall anyways, bouncing off and making a perfect landing in the dirt spotted container. Yay... I mumbled. I turned around. I was going to have to search in some other place. There was nothing here. I must have been duped. The only thing I've found so far were more abandoned dumps. Like I didn't already live in one.

When I grabbed the chance to take a good look around I had no idea where I was. I knew I hadn't really been paying attention to where I was heading when I arrived, but I knew I had been walking along a straight path. The one laid out before me was, well. Nonexistent to say the least. The only thing I could call it was a drop to my doom. The cliff abruptly started only a few yards away and the only thing that stood on its face was the the stone building and me. The cliff just made a half circle around the premises to provide enough room to walk around a few paces. There wasn't even a noticeable way down when I looked over the edge. The cliff dropped down at a 90° angle.

What was I going to do? I pondered. I'd have to scale the side of a mountain for who knows how long if I ever wanted to get down. More importantly though why the hell am I here?! I walked here. There was no climbing anywhere in that process. I should not be here. Was I dreaming? No never am. That meant this was reality playing a cruel trick on me.

I stared over the edge with my mouth slightly agape. The bottom below the edge just faded into an endless, black abyss the connected along a navy blue horizon dotted with tiny lights and swirled around throughout the sky. My surroundings were still lit by a pale moon light, but when I turned my head towards the sky no mocking Moon glared down at me. All that was there was an endless darkness.

I tried to think of any plausible possibilities, but my brain couldn't make sense of the situation.

I got up to walk, thinking maybe I could find something in the pile of stone until I noticed a red ball of light floating a few feet above the stone roof. There seemed to be something else surrounding the dot. A body perhaps?

"Heh heh heh! You finally noticed. I almost thought you were just going to drop dead right there." what spoke was a young man, probably, who was swinging his legs over the edge of the roof. His skin was pale and he wore a ragged, off white dress thing kept close by a thick leather belt and old, thread bare, royal purple cloak. The cloak cast impenetrable shadows across his face leaving only what I could assume was a glowing eye.

"So what is a fine young man like yourself doing here? Mind you, I don't get many of the living sorts out here. My clientele mainly revolves around...Oh...the undead." I couldn't believe this guy. We were on the top of an endless abyss and he wanted to act like it was normal. "I don't see why it wouldn't be."

Wow...I-I'm not even going to bother with this guy. He's got some odd issues to sort out. Did he just read my mind? How was that even possible. Unless..."You, are a sorcerer!" I cried out. That would mean this a void in space by created by his magic. That would definitely explain why I'm on top of a pathetic cliff on the side of a mountain over nothingness. Although I really wasn't sure why the guy wanted to be-rid of the Moon.

"So he speaks! I was beginning to think you were mute. Although you did not quite seem it, so I thought it was a bit strange." the guy joked. "Almost, but what gave it away? The fact that you are cast above an endless abyss? Or has dieing once and coming back to life given you the profound ability to detect the presence of magic?" he seemed to enjoy the situation while he was saying this. His speech added further proof that he had gone crazy.

"That is rude young man. I will have you know that that I hunt ghosts for a living. I would know the undead if I saw one. And you sir, have died."

I continued to glare at the man. There was no way I would be standing here had I died. I was positive I was still alive.

"Heh heh heh! Feisty. I will tell you this. You were caught in one of the explosions not too long ago, yes?" I made no move to give into his prodding. "Then you likely died there. In do not deal much with the living so I do not know why you are still alive. But that much is true."

"I don't believe you." I muttered.

"Believe what you want boy, I do know what I'm talking about though."

"Please. Let me leave." I whined. The mans eye's were crawling through my skin and I wasn't sure if I could withstand much more his psychiatric. And the way he had phrased that last line left me wondering if he knew more than he lead on.

I shifted in my spot until I heard the answer, "You were asking about where you were before. You guessed right. This is a magic field I created to draw in the dead. Still do not believe me then suit yourself. I was hoping you would stay longer but it looks like you really want to leave. " he chuckled a bit before continuing,"I will comply. For now."

He cracked his cane against the stone, the sound vibrating throughout desolated terrain. I didn't have time to feel scared or worried because almost immediately his chuckle mixed in with the muffling silence and his form dissipated into a nightly darkness. Everything, along with him appeared to fade out until they were no longer there.

I alone was left over in emptiness.

Yay I finished. And Link managed to have a conversation while only saying, what? Three lines?

I'm sorry it took so long for me to update, for all of you who care. I write really slowly. I'll try and be a bit faster next time. ( I really wanted to meet the 20,000 word search but didn't make it.) Looks like it takes about a month for me to write though?

Aryll and Colin will reappear in like, two chapters or so.

Dude, someone do me a favor and write an LOZ zombie/redead apocalypse fanfic. I'll love you forever

At some point a little further in, I'll wanna write two shorts. One about cuccus, the other a Momotarou adaptation. (There's a bunch of other story plots I wanna try but I doubt I'll ever get around to it.)

When I was writing this chapter, I felt like my vocabulary had degraded to that of a fifth grader. I mean link was like 'doing' all of his verbs, and I couldn't even think of any synonyms.

The Ghost Hunter was a lot of fun to write. When I looked at his dialogue he's a lot more...up beat and bouncy than you'd expect from his line of work. I gave him magic...cuz...it just kinda ended up that way. No really, it was entirely unplanned. If you like him then you're in luck cause he'll come again later.

Link got a bit more light hearted in my opinion in this chapter...I didn't mean for that to happen. What do you guys think, did his personality differ in this chapter?

If I need to reedit this Ch then feel free to say so. I'll be very happy if you do.

And here it is if you wanna go check it out in full. art/Hope-369312879

I don't want to talk that much so I'll leave it here. Please comment. Guest reviews are fine, so are one word answers :-) . Flames are OK too. Again if you're not sure what to say you can answer my questions.

1) Based on my explanations, what do you think the setting looks like? Like, specifics, where are things located?

2) What do you think of the Poe so far?

3) So far, does this war seem realistic? Any suggestions on how it should be fought?

4) What do you think of the chapter length? Should I shorten it?

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Rain song ^^^