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Chapter 7
~Ancient Realm~
The stench hangs in his nostrils, filling the air with its unmistakable odour. It rises slowly against the brick walls, its fingers creeping into every orifice it could find. He is terrified of this place. It stinks of fear and death. Dark things lurking beneath the bottomless pit he stares into. He hates this place. The smell, the not knowing what was lying in wait. He holds his breath as he descends down the well ladder. Shivers crawl up and down his spine the closer he reaches the bottom. A rock in the pit of his stomach. Whatever it is he needs to find in here, he needs to find it fast. Just at the bottom of the entrance is what appears to be a solid wall, a decrepit skeleton for its guard. Navi flies closer, illuminating the dark pit.
"Link, I can hear the spirits. They are saying "Look for the eye of truth." She sails through the wall and he follows her. This place would be filled with surprises he suspects. And many of them not good.
He treads carefully along wet bricks, keeping his senses alert and his eyes open. He reminds himself that in a place such as this, he needs to feel the enemy, sense it. He would not be able to see many of the ghosts and other creatures that haunted the dungeon beneath the well. He follows the sound of the water, taking note of the bloody corpses that lay maimed in piles. Chains hanging from the ceiling and growing from the ground. A prison of some sort. He wonders if this prison was for traitors to the kingdom. It holds a feeling that disturbs him. The murders here were not of honour or victory. They felt manic, insane. Deaths of torture and rape. Terrible things happened here that he did not wish to revisit. The spirits would be angry, the creatures twisted and terrifying. He may be brave, but facing the undead was a feat he often would try to avoid.
He is looking for an item to help him see the dead. He had been hoping that the gypsy woman may have had it in the potion shop; but instead he had been led to explore the deep depths of Kakariko's well. He hated this village. It reeked of the deceased. Of shadows and ill-fated ghosts.
Something is in here; he could feel it slithering all over his skin. His only comfort is the light that Navi provides him in the inky dimness. The air feels thick and heavy, blood stains painted along the walls. He could hear the haunting murmurs of redeads and gibdos lying in wait for their meal, the eerie rocking of the like-likes as they desperately search for food, skullwalltulas scurrying along the walls while their larger brothers hung partially hidden in the ceilings, anticipating for their moment to attack. Everything about this place bothers him. The rusted grills under his feet, the floors and walls that seemed to ooze blood and decay, chains that stood deathly still, just waiting to grab out at him.
He wanders along, attempting to take all of his surroundings within his perspective. He is unsure to how large the underground well was. He could only hope that it did not extend beyond the perimeters of the village.
Navi stops him in front of a strange painting, hues of purple and black. A strange skeleton like face holding its chin in its hands. She inspects the portrait, informing him that it warned of danger below.
As he steps down into the next brick just in front of it to take a closer look at its ambiguous meaning, his foot is met with air, his body plummeting down deeper into the earth. The hard dirt smacks him, knocking his breath out from his chest. A narrow passageway leads him into a small clearing of broken wood, dirt and foul water. The groans of the undead heighten in noise; he knows that he needs to be more than careful here.
With Navi following close behind him, he searches the perimeters, listening for the moans of the zombies, watching the floor for shadows of wallmasters. His heart pounding beneath his chest, he takes another step, almost falling backward as two redeads began to approach him. Before he can raise his sword, a gut-wrenching scream rips through his body, paralysing him as their hungry arms reached out…
~Ancient Realm: Parallel Universe~
He wakes with a deep yell, sweat pouring down his face, he hands clutching the sheets tightly, shredding them beneath his strong fingers. His eyes adjust to the darkness of the room; he is unsure where he is. Getting out of the makeshift bed, he recognizes a closet at the back of the room. It sparks a memory of a professor and a young girl, and he remembers where he is. He is in a place of death, the smell triggering his nightmares. He opens the closet, faded pictures of creatures and theoretical explanations. Soon after he had battled the stone temple the pair left Ikana Canyon to move back into the town.
He wanders up the stairs, the house covered in dust and webs. Broken pictures scattered along a dirty table, left over clothes. He is surprised that it has not been taken over by the various creatures that have laid claimed the dried up land of Ikana Canyon. He decides to leave the house, his body refreshed and ready for his next battle. Tatl reminding him that he is needed back in Clock Town.
The air is dry outside the little music box house, the scent of death lingering in his nostrils. He walks with a hurried pace away from the home, Tatl keeping an eye out for blood-thirsty Garos. It would be faster to fly, but he has a feeling he will not be returning to this place, and so he wishes to take it in once last time. The ground is rough, coarse. There is no life here, only the remnants of death. It reminds him of Kakariko village and the Gerudo desert. He wishes to return to Hyrule. His body is changing, regaining that maturity in physical appearance that he had lost after his battles with Ganon.
Slowly he climbs down the large canyon wall, dropping into the river below. He welcomes the refreshing feeling the water gives him, invigorating his senses. He climbs out onto the small dock, shaking the water from his clothes. With one last look at the vast wall of rock before him, he walks away from the place of stalfos and the undead. He is needed back in Hyrule. Something is calling him. He must finish his business in this strange, twisted land and return to his home.
~Ancient Realm ~
It is quiet, only the sound of the rickety bridge as she treads across it, entering into a forest she only knows in her dreams. The moment she walks through that hollowed-out tree stump, she feels life breathed into her existence. She can feel the spirits pulsating around her, her skin alive with vibrancy. There is so much life, green and glowing. She strolls along the makeshift pathway, searching for the children of forest. No one has acknowledged her presence, this place is quiet. She realizes that many of the homes have been overgrown; left with no care. She wanders into an old store, littered with cobwebs and tiny skulltulas. The children are not here and may not have been for some time. There is no decay, but she knows that soon it will start. She leaves the store, tracing her fingers along the aged bark, feeling for life and encountering only death.
She wonders if this is a trick, if her strangeness is creating a security of illusion. If the children are being protected by a greater power. Farore's presence is strongest in this place. She can sense it within her being. She removes the hood of her cloak in an attempt to confirm her identity, but nothing changes. Taking note of another tunnel, she walks through; brushing away the overgrowth of vines. The moment she steps into the clearing she feels the strong presence of a great being. Before her stands the Great Deku Tree. Slowly she walks forward, tracing her hands down his rough bark. She knows he is dead, the disease of Ganon having taken its toll on his ancient spirit.
Turning back she notices the small sprout of another tree, hibernating. The world is changing. Preparing for a great alteration. She leaves, returning to the village. He is not here, though she wonders if he is in the lost woods. She waits for a moment, closing her eyes and breathing in everything that Farore is giving her. She knows that if she heads into the woods, she will find the sacred grove that may send her into the realm of the gods. She will avoid it and search the forest instead. She must find him to say goodbye.
~Hyrule~
He is sitting facing the mirror, twirling a fragmented piece of silver in his hands. In this place he is alone. He ponders his latest dream. The symbolism of death is strong, almost suffocating. He wonders if it holds meaning for his current existence. It is still night, but the sun will soon approach the horizon.
He walks over to the mirror, touching its aged frame, tracing its shape. If he closes his eyes he can almost feel her when he does so, but he knows the timing is off. Twilight is where her world would briefly intersect his. He will wait for the sun to rise.
He sits again, closing his eyes for just a moment, visualizing the beauty of her copper hair, her red eyes, and her soft skin glowing with the markings of her world. The graceful movements of hers, even when she walks it is as though she is dancing.
The air changes, a cool breeze rustling his clothes. The sun is approaching. He opens his eyes to see the beauty that twilight offers. Standing, he removes the glove off of his right hand and drops it to the ground, allowing for his bare fingers to touch the shattered remnants of the mirror. He can feel the humming that her realm omits during the short time of twilight. He can almost see it as the sun prepares to rise. Another breeze tousles his tunic, and he breathes in the moment. He can feel her hand on her shoulder, believing that if he turns around she will be there. He knows she will not, he has done this many times before. He sighs, pressing his hand harder against the mirror before pulling it away slowly, savouring the moment.
"Link…" He hears his name, her voice. No matter where he is, her presence is always strongest where the realms once connected. He leans down to pick the glove up off of the floor, seeing a pair of greenish-blue feet standing before him, attached to long legs glowing with tattoos of energy. He he looks up and there, just before the sun rises over the horizon, she stands.
