Nobody in the Oshus household got a wink of sleep that night. Oshus and Linebeck were too concerned for Link and would end up checking on him every so often. Link barely got any sleep due to the increasing discomfort he felt everywhere on his body. Ciela had gone back to the ship to speak with Leaf and Neri who were honestly clueless about what had just happened. Everything happened so fast, and it almost seemed surreal. Linebeck never was able to shake off the fact that this was all his fault. No matter how many times Oshus and Ciela told him otherwise, that's how he thought, and everyone knows once this man's mind is set, it's set for good.

The following morning, the trio let Link sleep in. There was no rush for them to get moving. Bellum showed no signs of himself anywhere, so that was good. Tetra was safe and sound in Linebeck's ship as well. All that was left was to forge the sword and take care of Bellum. Although, now it was going to be all the more difficult, now that Link was injured.

Linebeck left early in the morning and went to the milk bar. He needed to get his mind off of everything. Ciela and Oshus also left the house, but they didn't go far. They were gathering food for a well deserved feast. Everyone figured Link would enjoy that. The kid needed something to look forward to.

Linebeck walked into the milk bar and barely anybody was there that early in the morning. The bartender noticed his regular and gave him a nod. Linebeck nodded back and sat down at the counter. The bartender noticed something was off, but didn't ask about it immediately.

"The usual, Linebeck?" he asked. Linebeck gave him a nod.

Once he received his drink, he didn't even chug it as he usually did. He just stared at the glass, his eyes full of guilt. Finally, the bartender spoke up.

"Something seems off about you, Linebeck. Did something happen?"

Linebeck rubbed the back of his head and looked away. "It's nothing. Nothing the Great Man of the Sea can't handle, that is!" he put up a facade, and he thought it was working, until the bartender raised an eyebrow at him.

"Every time you come in here, you're as cheerful as ever." he explained, "This morning, you seemed drained … defeated. But, then again, it's nothing the Great Linebeck can't handle, right?"

Linebeck sighed, and rested his elbows on the counter, running his hands through his hair. "That kid I've been travelling with? He got into an accident …"

"An accident? What kind of accident?" the bartender asked, now intrigued.

"He … he fell off of my ship, and into the ocean." Linebeck explained, "There was a monster that attacked him. The poor kid lost his arm …"

The bartender's eyes widened, "Hmm, well that's not good."

Linebeck looked up at the bartender and gave him an angered look. "Really? That's all you're going to say? Of course it's not good! The kid's arm is missing because of-" he cut himself off, not wanting to talk anymore.

"Because of?" the bartender mimicked back, "Because of the monster?"

Linebeck sighed, "Because of me …"

"Now, why would you say that? Surely you didn't mean for this to happen."

"If I hadn't been so careless with my driving, then the kid wouldn't have fallen overboard … it's my fault this happened to him. I did jump in and save him, but it was too late … and now his arm is gone forever. If only there was a way to rewind time ..."

The bartender rested his arms on the counter and was eye level with Linebeck. The sailor looked at him, worried of what he was going to say.

"Linebeck, you saved the lad." the bartender said, "You saved his life. The Great Linebeck, who can't swim to save his life, jumped into a monster infested ocean to save a child that isn't even your own. Now that … that takes courage. You're a hero."

Linebeck buried his head into his arms. "I'm no hero. I don't deserve the title."

The bartender stepped away from the counter and shook his head. "Strange. It's almost as if this changed you. The old Linebeck would've started bragging if someone called him a hero. It's a shame that someone has to be injured in order for you to change your ways."

Linebeck felt insulted. He wanted to get away from everything going on at the house, and even where he goes to get away from it all, he's still being insulted. Ciela, Oshus, and now the bartender. He couldn't win.

"But, I do stand by my word. You are a hero. Whether you think it or not. You're a good man, Linebeck. It seems like you may be having a change of heart."

Linebeck's mouth curved into a smile. He couldn't tell if he was being insulted or praised anymore. He took it as it was and finished his drink. He wished he could embrace his 'hero' title. But, that's not for him. That title belongs to Link, after all.

Link struggled to put his shirt on over the bandages. However, with one arm, it was quite the struggle. The pin that was used for the bandages caught his green shirt and pulled, making him flinch in pain. Eventually, he finally got it over his body and situated it how he wanted it. It felt uncomfortable, even if it was put on right. The sleeve from his shirt dangled down over his missing limb and as he looked in the mirror in his room, it became apparent how strange he really looked. He threw over his green tunic, struggling more so with that than his shirt. When it came to buckling his belt, that was where the challenge came in, but, he had to learn to do things using one arm. He wasn't going to let anyone help him. He didn't need help, not from anyone.

Once he was dressed, albeit rather sloppily, he peered out of his room, and didn't see anybody in the main room. Oshus, Ciela, and Linebeck were all gone. He saw this as the perfect opportunity to slip away without being caught. He knew for certain if they were here, they'd tell him to rest some more. He opened the door, and tried locating his sword and shield. They weren't anywhere to be found. Then it hit him. They were still in the ship. He'd have to sneak through town to get back to the ship. If the others weren't outside, they were definitely in town, and for all Link knew, Linebeck could very well be in the ship.

He peered out the front and saw no one. No one was outside, and he didn't want to risk being seen either. He snuck out of the house and stayed off the road. He would've taken the back way with the monsters to avoid seeing anybody, but without his sword and shield, there would be absolutely nothing he could do. It was hard enough getting through without his sword with his arm, it'd be near impossible without his arm.

Once he got to the bridge that connected Oshus' house from the rest of the island, he quickly ran across the bridge and hid behind the treeline, being sure nobody saw him. He stayed hidden among the trees as he made his way towards town.

Just his luck. The town was bustling. If someone saw Link, he knew they'd make a commotion, and wherever the other's were, they'd hear it and scold Link for being up. He hid behind building after building, making his way towards Linebeck's ship. He didn't see any sign of his friends, and that was a good thing. His plan was to sneak around to the woods behind Oshus' house and fight some of the monsters. He hoped with a little practice, he'd be able to master sword fighting with one arm.

The ship was finally within his sights. No one was over by the port, and that made it easy for him to slip inside, unnoticed. He ran to the port, and into the ship. Once below deck, he tried remembering where he could have left his things. He saw the statue of Tetra in the corner, and it made him sad to look at her. Soon, he thought, soon I'll save you …

After a few minutes of looking, he finally found his sword and shield. He put his shield on his back, although, missing an arm really did make for a weird holding place for it. He equipped his sword, and exited the boat quickly before Linebeck showed up.

He was just as stealthy as when he came into town, and now, he was headed for the forest. Once he reached the forest, it seemed calm. Perhaps Bellum really was becoming weak. Link couldn't see any more monsters. Perhaps, things were becoming peaceful again?

Suddenly, a red glop began forming on the ground. Link prepared his sword, holding it awkwardly in his right hand. The chu chu began it's way towards Link sluggishly. Link danced around the red creature, waiting for it to strike. He got his sword ready to deflect it whenever it attacked. The creature shrunk and then lunged itself at Link. He was ready to deflect but he had never held a sword with his right hand before, and as the chu chu jumped at Link, it hit him.

Link dropped his sword at the hit and backed away, shaking away the hit. It didn't hurt too much, but he knew that this was going to be a long training session. He ran and picked up his sword, dodging the slow moving monster. He was ready for it this time.

As if on cue, more chu chus arose from the ground. Link looked around, seeing more monsters circling around him. He gulped and moved out of the enclosing circle around him. If he could pick them off one by one, it'd be easier. He slashed at one of the monsters, and it died in a single blow. Link's form was off. He wasn't handling the sword properly, and it felt weird to use it with his right hand. No matter how awkward it felt for him, he kept going. He had to get this right.

He jumped at another chu, ready to actually attack this one with power.

It didn't work.

Link kept at it though. It was trial and error until he eventually got things right.

It was about midday when Linebeck returned to Oshus' house. Outside he found a frantic Ciela who seemed to be searching the area outside. She noticed Linebeck and immediately flew over to him. He was taken aback by her when she got right up in his face.

"Have you seen Link?!" she cried.

"You mean he's not in his room?" Linebeck asked, sounding just as concerned.

"No! He's gone! Grandpa went looking for him in the town! I've been searching around here!" she looked off to the path that connected to the forest, "Do you suppose Link could have headed off into the forest?"

Linebeck rubbed his forehead angrily. "This is why one of us should have stayed at the house. I'll look out in the forest, you keep looking around here."

She nodded, and the two went off on their own to search for Link.

Linebeck came to the forest, and looked around, searching for any signs of Link. However, he didn't see much, and it worried him.

"Kid!" he shouted, "Link, where are you!?"

There was no answer. It didn't help that Link was quiet at the best of times. Linebeck groaned angrily and continued his search further into the forest. Once he made his way deeper into the thicket, he finally found Link. He was standing, hunched over, breathing heavily.

"Link!" Linebeck exclaimed. Link looked back, wide eyed. His face was covered in bruises and scratches. His clothes were torn and ruffled up. The kid had been practicing for hours, and fighting so many monsters had really taken a toll on him.

Linebeck bent down to be at eye level with Link. He looked at him with a serious expression. Link felt like he was going to yell, and flinched, waiting for a screaming session from him. Linebeck sighed and his serious expression turned to one of understanding.

"You shouldn't be out here, kid …" he said quietly, "I'm surprised you're even moving at all." Linebeck saw how Link's sleeve draped down. His stub wasn't visible, but one could definitely tell he had a missing limb. His own heart sank into his stomach. He felt awful.

"You need to go back to the house." Linebeck said sternly. "You need to rest. The sooner you get better, the sooner we can shove off."

Just as Link was about to protest, more red globs sprung up from the ground. The coward inside Linebeck shone through, and he immediately hid behind Link. Link prepared his sword and was ready to fight off the chu chus. He was ready to show Linebeck how much he had been training. He was ready! They'd be able to leave after all!

Just as Link was ready to attack, he lifted his arm, sword in hand, and felt a sharp pain shoot up through his body. He stopped mid jump and came back to the ground, kneeling down in pain as his sword clanged against the ground. He grunted in pain and hunched over, holding his shoulder. Linebeck let out a terrified yelp. Link was down and in pain, and monsters were surrounding thinking, Linebeck sprang into action and scooped Link up before the chu chus could get to them. Link grabbed his sword quickly before Linebeck ran off, forgetting it there. Once they were safe, Linebeck set Link down and took a breather.

Link looked back at the forest and began walking back. Linebeck took hold of his arm. He looked at him angrily. Link looked up at him with wide, sad eyes.

"You are not going back there, Link!" he shouted. "Your wound is still causing you pain. You need to rest up. You'll prove nothing to me dead."

Link looked down and pulled his arm away from Linebeck's grasp. He took hold of his sword, and trudged back to Oshus' house. Linebeck followed him, making sure he wouldn't fake him out. He knew he shouldn't have yelled at him, but how else was Link going to listen to him?

"When we get back, you need to get those bandages changed. Oshus can fix you up." Linebeck said.

Link shook his head, still looking at the ground as they walked. He didn't want help. He didn't need help. He was doing fine before Linebeck showed up earlier. Even without an arm, he was still a hero. He needed to prove it.

"Look, I don't know how long you were out there, but you need to know when to quit. If you got hurt again, none of us would know what to do …"

Link stopped and looked back at Linebeck, giving him a sad look.

"I can't stop you from leaving the house." Linebeck admitted, "but, you can't keep pushing yourself. You're going to wind up killing yourself."

Link nodded, and headed off towards the house. Linebeck sighed and followed. Soon they got back to the house and found Oshus and Ciela speaking with each other on the front steps. They both looked over and saw Linebeck and Link returning. Relieved expressions crossed their faces and they went to greet them.

"You found the lad … that's wonderful …" Oshus said, relieved.

"Link, where did you go?" Ciela asked, "We were worried sick!" She looked Link over and bobbed curiously, "Your clothes are all torn, and you're covered in bruises … Link what happened ...?"

Link shrugged, and walked back into the house. His sword hung low and clanked against the steps as he walked up them, The others watched his slumped figure walk inside.

"I found him out in the forest. The poor kid was working himself to death. I don't know how long he's been out there fighting monsters, but he's covered in cuts and everything ... " Linebeck explained. "I don't like what he's trying to prove. He needs to rest."

Oshus nodded, "That goes without saying. The sword can wait to be forged. Bellum will wait until the perfect moment to attack. That moment is when the sword is indeed forged. He has time to relax and regain his strength, so he will."

"Couldn't have put it better myself, old man." Linebeck replied. "I wasn't planning on leaving until he's fully recovered, anyway."

Ciela's wings drooped, "It's sad though … he feels like he needs to prove to us in that way that he's ok … He's willing to risk his safety and go off and fight monsters when he's clearly not ready …"

Linebeck glanced down, "It's not like he's not used to it … I send him out all the time to go search for treasures. I can't imagine the monsters he has to deal with …"

"Linebeck, you can't blame yourself over everything that's happened … it was an accident …" Ciela said quietly.

"She's right." Oshus replied. "Don't dwell on the past. All you can do now is help him however you can. That's all any of us can do for him."

Linebeck shook his head. "He doesn't want any help. I'm sure of it. I'm not sure what that kid is thinking, but I can read his face like a book. He's annoyed. He doesn't want to stay put, and I don't blame him …"

Everyone remained silent. It was true. Link was never one to ask for help. If Linebeck sent him off onto an island, he'd go without a care in the world. He'd come back, battle scars all over, and he'd fix himself up. He didn't need anybody. Linebeck felt the only reason he was still around was because he needed his ship to get around.

Linebeck shook his head. "I'm going inside and make sure he's ok."

"Grandpa and I got a bunch of food today. With it we can make a great dinner!" Ciela said, her mood suddenly changing. "Things will look up soon!"

Linebeck forced a smile. "Yeah, I'm sure, Sparkles."

The trio headed inside and while Ciela and Oshus went to prepare the food, Linebeck went to Link's room to check up on him. Link was probably pretty aggravated at him for stopping his training session earlier. If he was, Linebeck wouldn't blame him. All the kid wanted to do was save his friend, and now he's in more trouble than any of its worth. Linebeck sighed and opened the door to Link's room.

"Kid, how're you holding up?" Linebeck asked, walking inside.

Link paid no attention to Linebeck, as he bent his arm back to try and change his bandages. Having bandages all along his shoulder and chest made it impossible for for him to reach with just one arm. Linebeck saw he was struggling and walked over to him.

"Do you need some help with that?" he asked, letting out a chuckle. Admittedly, watching Link attempt this was pretty funny. Link shook his head and continued to try and reach the pin on his back, but to no avail, he couldn't reach it. Linebeck reached for the pin and unclipped it. Link looked back at him, smirking as he tried grabbing the pin back from him, but he was much too short to grab it as Linebeck stood up tall. The two laughed as Link struggled to try and grab it back.

Once they calmed down, Linebeck set the pin aside. "I'll change them for you, if you'd like." he said, "You don't need to be hurting yourself."

Link nodded and sat on the edge of the bed, giving up at trying to do this himself. Linebeck sat next to him and began unravelling the old bandages around his shoulder area. As he unravelled it, he could see the stitches alongside the bottom of his stub and going up towards his shoulder. Because he had been moving around all day, the area around the stitches seemed red and painful. Linebeck felt the guilt coming back again.

"Kid, you really should rest for a few more days …" he said quietly, "Your wound is only going to get worse if you keep moving your shoulders and arm frantically …"

He saw Link glance down and nod slowly. He hated seeing the kid like this. He didn't deserve this at all. Linebeck began wrapping new bandages around Link once the old ones were off.

"It should only take a few days for your stub to heal, then the stitches can come out." Linebeck explained, "Oshus can do that, and we'll be on our way. Sound good?"

Link nodded once again. He was always quiet, and honestly it was both a blessing and a curse for Linebeck. On one hand, he enjoyed the peace and quiet, and Link not talking kept that peace on the ship. On the other hand, he couldn't exactly tell what Link was feeling either. Sure, Link was plenty expressive, but sometimes it could be difficult to read his mind.

"Oshus said that Bellum is hiding away. Once we get the sword forged, that's when Bellum will finally show himself. But, you won't be alone," Linebeck assured him, "Because you've got Oshus, Sparkles, and I at your side."

Link glanced back at Linebeck, his eyes full of bewilderment. Linebeck actually said he was going to be at his side? Was this actually Linebeck? Link smiled, it felt nice knowing he could finally count on him.

Linebeck pinned the bandages together, and set the extra bandages aside. "Alright, kid. You're ship-shape!"

Link hopped off the bed and reached for his green shirt. Using his one hand, he struggled to put it over his head. Linebeck stood up and helped the shirt over his head and arm. Link pulled away, and shook his head giving Linebeck a semi-angry look.

"Look, kid, I know it's embarrassing getting help putting your clothes on, but you're struggling. You need to let us help you."

Link shook his head and took hold of his green tunic, sliding it over his head. He struggled some more, and Linebeck went to offer his help, but Link shuffled away, attempting to get it on. Finally, he managed to pull it over his head and arms. He glanced at Linebeck, acting pretty smug after he achieved that.

Linebeck rolled his eyes, smiling. What was he gonna do with this kid? Link fixed his belt and once he was done, the two walked out of the room to join Oshus and Ciela.

The entire household was treated to an amazing feast. Link hadn't eaten this well in a long while, and it felt amazing. Linebeck didn't have much food on the ship, only some bread and water. Not much in the way of food, but it kept them both going. Ciela didn't need to eat, being a fairy and all. The four enjoyed their supper and for once, all of them almost forgot what had happened to Link the day prior. Link seemed to be in good spirits, everything considered. They all hoped it would last.

They finished their dinner and all decided to turn in early for the night. Linebeck retreated back to the ship, Ciela stayed at Oshus' side, and Oshus watched over Link. They hoped tomorrow would be a good day too.