The tension in the dungeon seemed much heavier than previously felt. It seemed as though something is here that could be more dangerous than anticipated. I tossed that thought aside as we entered the first room. The run with the dungeons was getting pretty standard with how use to it I was. Beat some monsters, get a key, use key on door previously seen and continue. The only difference was the amount of confrontation we ran across. It seemed… lax, to say the least. It felt like we weren't the only ones here. Eventually we came to the basement level that held the step ladder.

"Huh?" I rushed up to see what was wrong and Asuna's huh was well used. The stepladder was gone.

"Where's the dungeon item? It should be here." I felt around panicking. My mind was racing, was I wrong, did I not do something right, was I-

"Get a grip!" Asuna snapped me out of my panic and I looked up at her, "It's not here. Let's keep moving. I mean, it was a stepladder, at worst all we have to do now is jump over small water paths." She grabbed my arm and hoisted me back on my feet. I took a deep breath and re-collected my thoughts, "Anyway, now there's a bigger problem. One of two things is possible, either Ganon has taken the dungeon items in the night we rested-"

"That can't be." Asuna stopped and listened to me, "Even if we had gone straight to this dungeon in the time it took to get here it would have been nightfall, Assuming he heard about us after that he would have only been able to get to one dungeon and I'm sure he would have hit one close to home rather than this one so he could make it back before dawn."

"There's also the fact that none of the monsters we've encountered have been intelligent and the fact that they haven't survived the encounter with us." Asuna was right the only monsters that would have reported to him would be dungeon monsters; any field monster has no reason to report two humans.

"Which means that one is out. What's the second possibility?"

"We're not the only one on this adventure." But who else in this world would put their life on the line. Literally everyone else is either a shopkeeper or an elder.

"Wait if that's the case then either the Triforce piece is already taken or they're literally on their way there now." We looked at each other for a moment and rushed out of the basement and made our way to the boss room without delay. We rushed through room after room. We ran through rooms that normally required a key but this person obviously made it through meaning they were unlocked. When we made it to the boss door we saw a tall figure standing there completely dressed in a full body robe. We stopped and they turned around and looked at us. The cloak kept their face dark enough for us to just make out a rough jawline, meaning it was a man.

"So you two were the ones sent here." His voice was deep and gave me a sense that he had been through a lot, "You think you can win?" We we're unsure who he was addressing. I stepped forward.

"We're not sure what you mean by win, but we'll stand up for this world and stop Ganon!"

"Really? Even when you can't stand up for yourself in front of your sister?" What!? How did he know that!? I stumbled back in shock.

"And you." He looked over at Asuna, "This fresh start won't stop what's happening in the real world. Your body won't hea-"

"SHUT UP!" Asuna was screaming, "THAT ME IS WEAK! HERE I CAN BE STRONG! SO THAT ME CAN DIE FOR ALL I CARE!" She suddenly crouched into her lap and stayed motionless.

"Pitiful, and here I thought I found fresh new recruits, but you both will die here." What was he talking about? How did he figure these things out about us? Who was he? I stood my ground, "Neither of you can become strong as long as that weakness holds you, you will become another corpse of this world's genocide." Suddenly he tossed the stepladder at my feet, "No amount of toys will change that fact. If you don't believe me, then try your luck." He moved to the side and beckoned to the door. I picked up the stepladder and placed in in my belt; suddenly Asuna rushed forward into the room sword in hand.

"Asuna, WAIT!" I rushed in after her hoping she wouldn't be reckless. As I rushed in she was already assaulting the gleeok. She was swing her sword wildly into its stomach when suddenly it reeled its neck back and shot at Asuna sending her flying backwards. I rushed towards her and grabbed her hand before she rushed back in, "Asuna stop! You're just going to get launched back again." She tried her best to shake me lose.

"LET ME GO! I'M STRONG! STRONGER THAN THE OLD ASUNA, STRONGER THAN THAT MAN!" Suddenly she reeled back her sword hilt, "AND STRONGER THAN THIS DRAGON!" Suddenly I felt her hilt hit my face forcing me to let go and knocking me to the floor. She was lost, trying to prove a point to herself. Is this what it's like when someone is trapped by their fear? If I'm not careful…could this be me? I stood back up, I had to stop her or else she could wind up dead. But how could I snap her out of it. Suddenly I saw her pushed back in to the wall and she stood there for a minute. I looked back at gleeok to see it charge up a fire breath. I quickly shuffled through my items and found an old wooden shield and grabbed it. As the fire breath was on its way to Asuna I saw her eyes shrink in fear, quickly I moved in front of her and held up the dingy piece of wood. The wood held for 3 second before it burnt up causing the flames to burn my hand singing the skin.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!" I bent down in pain. My exposed muscle was burning without that layer of skin over my hands. It hurt…it burns. It burns it burns it burns it burns it burns it burns it burns it burns it burns it burns it burns it burns it burns it burns it burns it burns it burns it burns it burns it burns it burns it burns it burns it burns it burns!

"Soren!" I looked over to see Asuna looking at me worriedly, "Are you crazy?!"

"Heh…ironic coming from you." I joked, I felt my head hurt and felt a liquid move down my head; must have a concussion from that hilt hit. I felt my vision blur in and out.

"Don't fall unconscious Soren! You might not wake up again!" She was right, I could die if I pass out from the pain, "Listen Asuna, don't let that fear control you! "I'm not sure what you fear but if you let it hold you it will end you, you can still fear it for now but don't let it control you, can you promise me that?" That's all I could muster before I passed out.

Asuna

"I'm not sure what you fear but if you let it hold you it will end you, you can still fear it for now but don't let it control you, can you promise me that?" Soren was looking at me with such seriousness; he might as well have been looking into my soul. Suddenly I saw his eyes close and his body fall forward.

"Soren! Don't fall unconscious! Soren? Soren!" It was no use, he was unconscious. He tried to save me when I was ready to throw my life away to prove I was strong. But why?! Why would he throw his life on the line because of my selfish actions. How could I be so weak, I'm too weak to do this, I'm as bad as old Asuna. I… can't fight… not like this. (I'm not sure what you fear but if you let it hold you it will end you!) Those words resonated in my head. If it were just me that would be one thing but I was also responsible for Soren's life. If I don't succeed he will die. I can't be responsible for someone else's death. I had to fight! I pulled out the bow and started shooting arrows at their eyes. Every time I hit an eye it bounces off. The eyes were too well protected, the wooden, one rupee arrows weren't enough to penetrate the eye. These had to be good arrows if I wanted to blind both of them. I pulled out my secret stash of rupees and pulled out my nine silver rupees, each worth a hundred. "Let's see if you can handle silver arrows you son of a bitch!" I stretched a silver rupee back as it turned into a gleaming silver arrow and shot it into the left head's eye and another into the right head's eye causing their heads to flail. I quickly pulled out my blade and swung across both necks cutting them off and rushed at the body stabbing it directly in the heart. With a shudder the beast fell and disappeared leaving a bright light. I quickly grabbed Soren and ran towards the Triforce piece as I passed through the bright light I saw it cover Soren and me from head to toe. I moved forward and placed my hand on the Triforce piece and was blinded by a golden light. I heard that female voice again, it spoke in a deadly serious tone.

"Don't trust the robbed man."

When the light died I saw we were back at the entrance, my clothes were mended as well as Soren's clothes and both our wounds were gone. I moved to the docks and set Soren down examining his head. The concussion was gone and his hands were covered by his skin again. I heaved a sigh of relief and lied down next to him; I was mentally exhausted. I had time before he woke up so I lied down next to Soren and tried to fall asleep. Then a thought crossed my mind, what if Soren died before I could save him? What if it only fixed his outer wounds? I took one more look at Soren and saw his chest rise and fall. I heaved a sigh of relief and closed my eyes.

"You idiot, you're going to pay for making me worry about you so much when you wake up. So please wake up soon." And with that I fell asleep with a smile on my face.