Quest

And they say that a hero can save us, I'm not gonna stand here and wait. I hold on to the wings of the eagles, and watch as we all fly away.

-Chad Kroeger, Hero

Link found himself spinning, whirling, descending into the unknown. There was nothing around him save for blinding light, a great funnel woven of all the colours of the rainbow. After what seemed like ages, it stopped. After taking a minute to get his bearings and adjust to the existence of gravity, he began to walk. He walked through a great valley in the shadow of a great, black mountain. He walked through a great tunnel, carved centuries ago by a river that ran no more. Finally, he walked into the red light of the setting sun, and into the land of Vesomdel.

Music: Zelda Reorchestrated, Majora's Mask, The Final Hour


It came out of the rain. In the middle of the night, vast clouds gathered. Tired from their long journey, they dropped their burdens to the ground in a great deluge. As a hero awoke, a shadowy creature drifted into view. It stood nearly seven feet in height. Under its black cloak, it wore heavy plate armour forged of red and purple alloys. Most disconcerting of all was its head: a pale skull with wickedly curved horns and eyes of yellow flame.

Link had gotten to his feet as soon as he saw so much as its silhouette. When the being was close enough for him to make out more detail, he immediately drew the Sword of Storms and readied his Mirror Shield. Both stood appraising each other for a moment. Suddenly, the skull-faced creature leaned back and gasped. Link charged toward it, and it jumped into the air and began to fly. As the monster flew overhead, Link spun around and lashed out with his sword, sending a beam of magical energy toward his opponent. The being summoned a black trident to its hand and used the weapon to swat aside the sword beam.

Now, the fight was on. The skull-faced thing swung its trident at Link, and some form of orb was released. The boy dodged to the side and retaliated with a sword beam. After both combatants launched several ranged attacks to no avail, the armoured figure dived toward Link, trying to impale him on its weapon. He held his ground, grabbing his sword with both hands. As his opponent approached, he stepped forward with his left foot and threw all his weight behind a single overhand strike. The blow landed right between the tines of the trident, and the area was lit by a stunning light show as the electricity in the Sword of Storms fought the dark power of his foe's magical weapon.

After several painful seconds, the dark being was thrown backwards. It landed on the ground and skidded several metres, its weapon knocked off to the side. For a moment, it simply lay there. Then, just when it seemed the beast was dead, it began to laugh.

"Heh, heh, heh. cough Is that all you've got? I was certain that you could do better than that."

"There's more where that came from if you're still in the mood for a fight." said Link. "I've fought the vicious guardian treant of the Forbidden Palace, defeated the mighty Eye Tyrant of Snowhead Mountain, slain-"

"The Rakshasa and the Dracolich," interrupted the skull-faced creature, "and lead the armies of Termina in the great siege of Cocktown and brought light to the land by eliminating Majora's Mask."

The monster again summoned its trident to its side, continuing to speak as it rose into the air. "Yes, I know who you are. You are the Hero of Termina, son of the Hero of Time. I never thought our paths would cross. However, it seems that you have not heard of me, which is not acceptable. When your spirit leaves this world, you must know the name of the one who set it free of its prison of flesh."

Link raised his shield as his foe continued his monologue. "I am Phasmatis!" it proclaimed, "Spirit of vengeance and death! Lord of the void! The true King of Evil!"

Phasmatis pointed his trident directly at Link. A green glow surrounded the spirit's right hand. The glow suddenly ran down the length of the trident, becoming a black beam that passed straight through Link's armour and shield, striking him directly. After about five seconds, there was nothing but ash where the boy had stood.

Music: Overclocked Remix, A Link to the Past, A Hero's Legacy


Link sat bolt upright. It was morning. For a moment, he just sat there, breathing heavily. After a moment, he calmed down. The fact that he was breathing heavily implied that he was breathing at all, which meant he wasn't dead. Checking himself over, he found that he was completely unharmed, though something seemed to be a little bit… off. Looking around, he realised what it was: he had gone to sleep in his tent near a great tunnel, and he was currently outside in a forest clearing.

He immediately drew his sword and was much surprised to find that it was shorter than he had anticipated. Somehow, his Sword of Storms had become the Deku Blade from which it had been forged. His Mirror Shield had likewise lost its golden finish, returning to being a simple steel-plated round shield. Fortunately, the other gifts given to him by the Great Fairies of Termina were intact. A small rip in his tunic quickly repaired itself, proving that the cloth and the chain shirt under it would recover from any damage. It was also easy to confirm that he was still in possession of a D-bag, though everything that had been in it was missing.

Link took a seat on a stump at the edge of the clearing. When his bangs dropped into his face, he was not particularly surprised to find that his hair had changed from green back to its original yellow hue. Obviously, the fight with Phasmatis had been real and not a nightmare as he initially thought. However, what had happened when to get him here, with his magic mostly drained and his equipment missing or weakened? He thought back on the fight, going over every detail he could remember in his mind.


The creature that called itself Phasmatis had just raised its trident. It fired a beam of black magic at him. The beam had somehow passed through the enchanted Mirror Shield and struck him straight in the chest.

One second: Pain, spreading through his body. He tries to move, but can't.

Twos seconds: More pain, like his body is being ripped apart.

Three seconds: He sees a semi-transparent woman. Is she a spirit, or a hallucination? She reaches for his hand.

Four seconds: She touches him. He feels some form of connection.

Five seconds: Everything pours out of the D-bag. The dark energy turns it to ash. Power is drained from him. Everything turns black.


Darkness. Numbness. Cold. A woman's voice:

"Find the Essences of Change."

He wakes up. A new quest begins.


Comment: Oh noes! Link is a victim of the dreaded Reset Button and its sidekick, the Bag of Spilling! How can he possibly win now?

Well, I guess he can just go on another adventure and get some new stuff and whatnot. Now, to get writing while I'm still in the mood...