Chapter 8
After what feels like hours, I make it out of the stone labyrinth. I can't even describe how wonderful it is to see the moonlight, and the impossibly open spaces of the minish world. Smiling, I wander over to a large bush and rest my head against one of the leaves, pulling Ezlo off my head.
"So… can you please explain to me what just happened?" I ask hesitantly. The fear has, for the most part, faded now that I'm out in the open. I've never liked enclosed spaces or ghost stories, so an enclosed space filled with a possessed goo statue is pretty much my worst nightmare. I feel a lot better, surrounded by the comforting sights and sounds of the minish world.
"It's very complicated," Ezlo says evasively.
"Then let me see if I can figure it out. The spider died, and darkness came out of its body. That same darkness went into a statue, and turned it into this massive chu… thing. You told me that spirits came into this world. That they used a dark and vile magic, and that they hated humanity. So, logically, the darkness was a spirit that's been following me and trying to kill me." I somehow keep my voice calm throughout the whole explanation, though the very thought sends shivers down my spine.
"Look Link, the story I told you wasn't… it wasn't real. There are no such things as ghosts. That was probably just a trap laid for anyone who tried to retrieve the essence. That's it," He says softly.
"Don't lie to me," I say harshly. "Despite what I look like, I'm not a child! And I'm not just going to swallow everything you tell me. I don't deserve to be lied to. I know you have secrets, and I'm okay with that. But that thing tried to kill me. I have a right to know what it was."
Ezlo looks at me for a few moments. He sighs, his whole body inflating. "There are some things left best without explanation. Knowledge is a very dangerous thing, boy. It fills the heart with the need to learn even more. It sets you on a path, one which you cannot travel backwards down. There are certain bits of knowledge which can forever haunt your nightmares and give you responsibilities that you know you'll never fulfill. In some things, it truly is better to be as a child, and turn your eyes away from the impure."
"You make it sound like some earth shattering revelation. Why is it so bad if I know that it was a ghost? I can handle it," I say incredulously.
"Perhaps you're right. I have been known to be… paranoid, you could say. At any rate, you were correct in that you were attacked by a spirit. But I wouldn't fret. As you might have noticed, the spirit died the second time. And if it had any companions, they would've attacked by now. I believe we're safe. I apologize for panicking. I have a long history with… spirits," He says comfortingly.
"Why do I get the feeling that you're hiding something from me?" I ask hesitantly.
"Probably because I'm hiding something from you," Ezlo replies. I laugh, but don't interrogate Ezlo any further. He's said everything that he's going to say on the matter.
"Why did the spirit chase me though?"
"There's no way to be sure," he answers. From his tone, I gather that he probably knows the answer, but won't tell me. It's hard to suppress my annoyance at his secrecy. As a guard, it was my job to understand everything, so that I could keep my king safe from any threat. Secrecy doesn't bode well with me.
To distract myself, I set about making a fire. Rather than grabbing to sticks to spark it, I simply expect sparks to fly out of my left hand. They do, of course, and the fire gets going, warming up the cold forest. Yawning, I lay myself down on some soft blades of grass.
"Link... Understand that my silence is not an insult. You shouldn't have ever been pulled into this world. And, if I were to tell you… certain things, they would pull you in further. You can still regain your life now. But there are some things that you can't go back from," He says gently.
"You don't have to protect me," I mumble.
"Yes Link, I do."
Sighing, I turn over and drift into a restless sleep. Dark spirits plague my nightmares.
Ezlo and I travel for a few days more. The elder's map also included a list of nearby portals, and there's one much closer than the one we used to enter minish village. Ezlo and I decide to head back to the castle to inform the king of my progress, so that he can continue it should I die.
We make it to the portal in a matter of days. It looks almost exactly like the one we used last time. I have to bounce my way up to the highest mushroom, which is actually kind of fun.
"Go ahead, I'm ready," I say gently.
"Why don't you activate the portal, Link?" Ezlo asks, smiling.
"I don't know how. And I can barely manage two or three symbols. I don't think I'm able to do six yet," I reply awkwardly. It's so very strange for him to just assume that I can perform that magic. I haven't been able to use my magic for anything even remotely substantial yet. I'm really a lousy magician.
"It's simple. The portal just needs to be told what to do. Last time, I used the symbols m-i-n-i-s-h, to make us minish. Now, simply create the symbols h-u-m-a-n. It's only five letters. I'm sure you can manage that much," He says impatiently.
Hesitantly, I summon my light, and use it to start drawing the symbols. I get the first four done, but during the fifth, I can't keep them together, and they crumble apart. Sweating, I try again and again, but I just can't get my mind to hold the symbols in place.
"You're still trying far too hard Link. And you're thinking too much. Magic isn't about keeping a stranglehold on the power. It's about directing it. Don't control it. Just direct it," Ezlo instructs.
"I… I don't know how," I whisper.
"Magic is no different than a sword. You cannot control with perfect precision where the blade will go. You cannot tame the power it brings. Rather, you must let the natural ability you have take over, and use the sword as a representation of what you desire. There are those who move like automatons, believing that simple technique and form can win any fight. But in reality, it is about using the power of emotion to direct the weapon. Don't try to control the symbols with your mind. Control them with your soul. Let your desires fuel your magic."
I nod, and rather than focusing solely on pushing out my light, I focus on my desire to be human once more. To be able to interact with the humans I haven't seen in so long, and to be able to experience the only life I've ever known.
The light within me somehow responds to my desires directly, and begins tracing those letters. I still have to gently guide it to make them, but it's less like i'm forcing the magic to come out and more like the magic is coming out because I want it to. Ezlo was right. Magic is like a weapon within my hands; one that I cannot simply manipulate with my mind. But magic can do things that no sword can.
All five of the symbols come out easily, and they glow in a bright circle around me. But unlike Ezlo's symbols, they don't start spinning, and they don't transform me in any way.
"What do I do now?" I ask, focusing as hard as I can on keeping them up.
"Simply apply them to yourself. Place them on yourself using your mind. The portal will do the rest."
I nod, and I try to push the symbols on myself. It's almost like I'm communicating with an outside entity. Like I'm telling my magic that I want to be made into a human. But Ezlo is right; when I direct the magic onto myself, the symbols immediately begin spinning. They go faster and faster, and slowly they draw in on me. As they press against my skin, I shoot into the air, flying through the tiny hole at the top. In one second, the entire world shrinks. Suddenly, the stump isn't like a massive platform, but a stool that I'm precariously balanced on. Being so huge disorients me, and I lose my footing and fall off the stump.
The ground feels… weird. I've gotten used to the minish dirt, which is a lot less sandy, and more composed of large stones. But weirder, I don't seem to be wearing any clothes all the sudden. And Ezlo isn't on my head any more.
I quickly glance around, but thankfully, the forest is completely empty. There's no one here to see my sudden immodesty.
"Ezlo?" I call hesitantly. I get no response. After a few moments, I hesitantly place my head on the floor and look into the tiny hole at the base of the stump. It's weird to see the stump look so small now. The mushrooms that I was standing on only moments ago are now barely as big as my hands.
On the top of one mushroom, I see a tiny little hat on the top of one of the mushrooms, standing next to a pair of clothes. Ezlo slowly hops his way off of the mushroom and out of the stump. Very, very carefully, I put my hand next to him, and he hops onto it.
"What happened?" I ask. He opens his beak, but I can't hear anything he's saying. Frowning, I bring him up close to my ear.
Barely, I hear his little voice say "You didn't apply the runes to me!"
"Oh. Sorry. Can you grow yourself and my clothes?" I ask, knowing that he can surely hear my loud voice.
"No, I don't have enough energy. You'll have to shrink yourself, and then grow us both up this time," He says, sounding annoyed. Sighing, I put him back on the ground, and climb up onto the stump again. I have to suppress my annoyance and embarrasment, and focus solely on my desire to shrink again. It works though, and I quickly find myself falling down the tiny hole and onto the soft, squishy mushroom. Strangely, becoming a minish again feels almost… relieving. Like the world's returning to its proper proportion. It's probably because I've been a minish for so long now.
"I would've told you that you needed to grow me as well, but I thought it would be obvious," Ezlo says, sounding annoyed. I ignore his comment, and pull my clothes on. Somehow, they weren't harmed whatsoever by the whole thing.
I take a few moments to catch my breath. Then I pull Ezlo onto my head once more, and call back the light. This time, rather than applying them just to myself, I apply them to Ezlo and my clothes shoot up into the air with me, and they grow as well. Though I still end up falling backwards off the stump.
"Well, took you long enough," Ezlo says grumpily.
"I can't believe I just did that. This means that I can become a minish whenever I want to. And I can show other people this world too. Thank you, Ezlo," I say happily. The prospect of showing my friends and family the minish world brings a smile to my lips.
"Be careful Link. In my experience, the minish world terrifies humans."
"I like it…" I mumble.
"And you're not human. In fact, your eyes suggest that you have at least some minish blood in you. You feel comfortable in the realm of the minish probably because you are a little bit minish. But to a human, there can be nothing more terrifying than becoming a hundred times less than what they were before. I would advise you against showing them this world."
I nod, and without another word, continue in the direction of the castle. It's… disconcerting being so very large. The trees seem so clustered together, the ground so flat and empty, and the animals so tiny. Instead of being able to feed myself from one berry, I have to constantly gather food, and there aren't dewdrops that are large enough to drink. And as I lie down to sleep, the hard, empty ground is incredibly uncomfortable. I've gotten used to large, soft blades of grass, and it takes me hours and hours of tossing and turning on the cold, hard dirt to finally get to sleep.
It only takes a few days of traveling to get out of Minish Woods. As I'm clearing the premises, a mass of darkness appears directly in front of me. It slowly rises, forming a small, hooded figure with wrinkled skin and red eyes.
"Vaati," I spit, pulling out my staff.
"Hmm. You'll have to remind me who you are," He says idly.
"You took everything from me, and you don't remember?!" I scream, every fiber of my being filled with rage.
"Link," I inexplicably hear Ezlo's voice in my head. "You need to calm down. I know it's hard, but you cannot lose yourself to your anger, or you will die.'" I breathe in deeply, and try to stem my all-consuming rage. It doesn't really work. I'm in an anger so deep that it tints the entire world black.
"Oh, so you're the soldier that jumped in front of that curse. How interesting," He says, laughing. "A journey like this is much too dangerous for a child such as yourself."
I remain silent. If I open my mouth, I don't think I'll like the words it will say.
"And Ezlo, my friend! It's been too long. I can see you're still wearing... the shabbiest of clothing," He says, laughing. Something about his high pitched, arrogant voice makes me want to slap him across the face. He's like a spoiled child in everything he does. But he's been spoiled with unstoppable power.
"Well, enough with the pleasantries. I've come to deliver a warning. See, your 'mission' has been interfering with my purposes. I was expecting to find that a strong warrior with an army backing him was doing all of these things. It does, after all, take considerable strength to fell one of the spirits. But now I see that it's just a weak little boy, with a powerful staff and a powerful hat," He spits. "Let me make things very, very clear for you."
He holds his hand up, and immediately, a powerful mist of darkness grabs hold of me and lifts me into the air, putting pressure on every inch of my skin. My body slowly shrinks, until I'm as young as I was when I started this whole mess. I feel the darkness enter me, and it almost seems to linger there. Gasping, I fall to the floor. My staff literally crumbles to dirt in my hands as Vaati points at it.
"I've put a black seal on my magic, meaning Ezlo won't be able to meddle with it anymore. Abandon any ideas you have about being powerful. I could crush you without a second thought. I could make your fate a thousand times worse. But I want you to serve as a living reminder that none can break me. I will always be the most powerful man in existence. And you will always be a worthless, pathetic child. Goodbye, Link." Laughing, he surrounds himself with darkness, and, with a small pop, he vanishes. I'm left lying on the floor.
The anger grips me, and, unable to hold it back, I scream unintelligibly, letting the anger consume everything within me. I close my eyes, and I can feel the rage, like a sentience, rushing around me, burning, devouring. It feels good, to let it rampage.
"Link stop!" Ezlo shouts. His voice penetrates the anger, but not enough to make it go away. Instead, I have to focus on forcing the vile emotion out of me. Like forcing infection from a wound. It's hard to let go of the rage, because all that lies behind it is sadness.
Slowly, ever so slowly, my system calms, and the rage fades. I open my eyes, and find that I'm suddenly in a large crater that appears to have been cut from the earth. There are small fires burning all around me, and large slashes in the earth.
"Come, we need to leave. Vaati's magic is still here," Ezlo says gently. I nod; obviously, he's trying to scare me by causing destruction all around me. And maybe the rage was his doing as well.
Though I know that the raw sorrow I feel is completely my own.
After walking in silence, Ezlo hesitantly says, "I know that that was… discouraging. But we're still alive. And Vaati has no idea that you can practice magic. There's still hope Link."
"And I'm still a child. I'll always be a child," I whisper. Ezlo simply remains silent.
We make it to the town before nightfall. I move through the busy street without attracting any attention. Seeing all of these faces, many of whom are familiar, should really cheer me up. But instead, everything seems so alien now. I used travel these streets as the king's guard, when people would smile or even bow at me in respect. Now, I'm just a strange child who people completely ignore.
"Link, the castle is north," Ezlo says, speaking in my mind again.
"I know," I say out loud.
"Where are we going?" He asks.
"I'm going to visit my mother," I reply quietly. To his everlasting credit, he doesn't question this. I know that I can't return to my family. But I need someone to tell about all of the insane things that have happened to me. And my mother has green eyes, like me, so maybe she'll be able to confirm what I am. And… there are times when you just need the comfort that only a mother can bring.
Since my father died years ago, my mother inherited his entire estate. But she, like me, didn't want a large house. So she simply lives in a small cabin on the edge of the town. Every sunday, my family would have dinner with her. She and Navinne grew very close. I have to wonder if they still are, now that I'm no longer present.
I hesitate, and gently knock my little fist on her door. Almost immediately, she opens it. For a split second, there's complete silence, and I can't bring myself to look her in the eye. But then, to my complete surprise, she picks me up and hugs me in a tight grip. "You're alive!" She exclaims, laughing and crying at the same time. In a strange way, it's relieving to have someone recognize me.
She simply holds me for a few moments. It's so strange, being small enough that my mother can actually pick me up. It reminds me of my childhood. In a good way.
"Sorry," She sniffs, hastily putting me down. Gently, she closes the door, but beyond that, she doesn't move whatsoever. She just looks at me.
It's Ezlo who breaks the odd silence. Hesitantly, he pokes his beak and eyes out, and gets a decent look at the woman. She gasps a bit, but doesn't say anything.
"Millie? Is that you?" He asks quietly.
"Ezlo?" She asks.
"It is you." Abruptly, Ezlo starts laughing. "I can't believe that, of all the people in the world, you're Link's mother."
"Do not insult her," I growl.
"Relax Link. Me and Ezlo knew each other when I was young," She says calmingly.
"It's so good to see you're alive and well," Ezlo says, smiling.
"I wish I could say the same of you. What happened to you? What happened to both of you?" She asks, frowning.
"It's a long story. But I think Link here needs to sleep. He's been through a lot," Ezlo says, looking down at me. I realize that he's probably right. My whole body is shaking, and it's all I can do to remain standing. Vaati's magic left me completely and utterly drained.
"Of course. Sorry, I just… I didn't expect any of this. I can't tell you how relieved I am," She says, hugging me once more.
"I'm sorry. I didn't want you to see me like… this," I mumble.
"Link, it doesn't matter what you look like. You'll always be my son, and I'll always love you. That's what mothers are for," She says, smiling.
I smile too, and let her gently guide me to the couch. I let her lay me down, pull off my tunic and my shoes and gently tuck me in with a few soft blankets. It's nice, to feel cared for.
"Here, let me light a fire for you," She says, moving over to the kindling. Sleepily, I point at it, and a few sparks fly down on the wood, lighting it almost immediately.
My mom freezes in place. Then, quietly, she asks, "Are you learning magic?"
I nod, a bit worried by her tone. She sighs, and carefully pulls Ezlo off of the table. "Get some sleep, Link. Me and Ezlo have a lot to talk about."
