Chapter 7

The distinct ringing of steel against steel echoed through the field as Link and Colin sparred. Colin had improved quite a bit in the short few days they had been in the village since arriving. Though Colin lacked the grace Link possessed from constant battle, he had become just as accurate.

Although their swords would meet every now and again, Link's mind was not on Colin's training. It had been four days since their arrival in Ordon and, more than anything, he wanted to be off. He knew it was crucial they were prepared when they left, but that did nothing to ease his mind. He knew also that every moment they stayed in the village was a moment they could have been searching for answers. With a sigh, he cast a skyward glance, wondering what they could be up against. Who could–

A sudden flash of steel caught his attention. Instinctively, he raised his blade to parry and only a fraction of a second after he felt the opposing force, he twisted his blade free in such a way as to disarm his opponent.

Colin's sword clattered to the ground as he lost his grip. Coming back to his senses, Link apologized, "Forgive me, my mind was not here."

Colin shrugged slightly, picking up and sheathing his sword. "You're worried about this new enemy, right?"

Link nodded once. "We know nothing of this new evil."

With a smile full of faith, Colin said, "No matter the evil, you'll defeat it; won't you, Link?"

Sheathing his own sword, Link kept silent. He didn't want to voice his doubts. When the Twilight had threatened to envelope all of Hyrule, he had at least some idea of where to go and what to do. Now, with this new evil, he had nothing. All he knew was that, somehow, the forces of evil had gotten ahold of the Master Sword, leaving him and Hyrule at a disadvantage. With only that to go on, he supposed the Sacred Grove was a good place to start, but before anything, he would talk to Ordona, the Light Spirit of Ordona Province. Although, Raize had clearly been to the Sacred Grove recently to have known the Master Sword had been missing.

Interrupting his thoughts, Colin asked, "Link, are you alright?"

Link nodded, clearing his mind. "I'm fine." Glancing at the setting sun, he added, "We should finish our preparations. We can't stay much longer."

Colin nodded and together they began to leave the field but had not gone very far when they heard a shout. "Link!"

Link looked toward the shout. "Ilia?" He started toward her. "Is something wrong?"

Ilia stopped just in front of him. "Someone's come to the village looking for you. Raize?"

"Where is he now?" Link asked, frowning slightly. They still had another few days before they were to meet him in Kakariko.

"With Rusl," answered Ilia. "Link, what is going on?"

"I don't know," replied Link. "There's a new threat it seems, and we're trying to figure it out."

Ilia looked down, wringing her hands together. "You'll be careful, won't you?"

"I will," promised Link. Knowing what she'd say next, he added, "And I will take good care of Epona."

She smiled at him. "Good, because she is a girl, too; so you have to treat her nice like one."

Link shook his head, but smiled. She had told him that before, usually after long rides or practice with fences. "I'll remember that," he said quietly.

She turned to go.

"Ilia," Link said as he reached out and took her hand. She turned, giving him a curious look. He hesitated, suddenly unsure about what he had been going to say. He let go of her hand.

"We'll be alright, Link," she said, voice filled with hope and confidence.

Link smiled, though concern filled his eyes as he watched her go. He turned to Colin who had been silent. "Let's go hear what news Raize has brought."

They hurried after Ilia to Rusl's house and Link couldn't help but wonder why Raize hadn't waited in Kakariko.


His Lordship had told him to follow the one in green and Ren had begun his journey south, but had not gone very far when he had come across what appeared to be a cave. Curiosity got the better of him and he entered. Instead of it being a cave, he found it was a tunnel that led to a village. However, the village was not what one would expect.

The village was empty, not a single living being in sight. Glass shards from shattered windows and splintered wood from broken doors littered the ground as Ren made his way through the village. As he sifted through the remains of the village, he wondered if the hero had gotten a good look at him. Shrugging, he figured it didn't matter. Either way, his job was to distract the hero while His Lordship set the plan in motion. What those plans were, Ren hadn't the slightest idea. All he really knew was that once everything was over and done with, he'd be able to go home and that was all he wanted.

Entering one of the buildings, he caught sight of some cloth that was caught on the rim of a wooden box in the corner. Approaching it, he tugged free the cloth and something fell to the floor. Setting the cloth, which turned out to be a faded, dark blue cloak, aside, Ren picked up the item that had fallen. Turning it over in his hands, he realized it was a picture the frame, the picture itself was faded and torn. All that could be seen was a grey-ish colored dog and the bottom half of a woman's skirt. He briefly wondered who had lived there, but quickly pushed thoughts from his mind. It didn't matter. He needed catch up with the hero.

He lifted the cloak, wrapping it around his shoulders. At the very least, it would help to keep him warm when night fell. As he prepared to leave the building, he couldn't help but glance at the old frame. Was that all that remained of those who lived there? Glancing around the room, he saw torn and faded cloth amongst the rubble. Cloth that could have belonged to anyone. The only thing he saw that said anything about those who had lived there was that single picture.

Sighing, he stepped toward the exit of the building, but stopped when something caught his eye. At a glance, it was just a sword sheathed in the corner, but it seemed somewhat familiar. Approaching it, a part of him expected there to be a chip in the blade halfway between the tip and the guard. Drawing it, the chip was there. He sheathed the sword hastily, a thought forming in his mind. Could this have been –

He shook his head. It couldn't have been his home. He had only been living in Gerudo Desert for about ten years. The destruction he saw seemed to have happened far longer back in time. It certainly wasn't likely it was his home and yet, it seemed so familiar. Maybe he had passed through the village before he ended up in Gerudo Desert. Heaving a sigh, he left the building and made his way out of the village. He was certain he had been in the village before, but he didn't know why. Was he from there? Had he simply passed through?

He shook his head again to clear it. He had a mission. He would head to Kakariko. He was fairly confident he would cross paths with the hero there. He would do what His Lordship asked of him and in the end, he would be able to go home. Glancing down at the sword at his hip, he wondered what importance it held. Couldn't His Lordship have gotten it far quicker? Cautiously, Ren drew out the sword and looked it over. It looked like an ordinary sword. The only thing he could see that was different was the hilt and guard. It was a mix of a dark blue and violet. He swung it experimentally a couple times. It was a well-balanced sword; that much he could tell. With a sigh, he sheathed the sword and continued walking, careful of the rocks as he exited the village, once more passing through the tunneled entrance.


Link didn't bother knocking on Rusl's door. As soon as the door had opened, they all hurried into the room. Link quickly spotted Raize sitting on the couch, seeming relaxed, but Link didn't fail to notice his left arm was bandaged. Approaching the Hylian guard, Link asked, "What happened?"

Raize met Link's gaze evenly. "The fields are infested with monsters."

Colin glanced up at Link. "But monsters haven't been seen in years!" the boy said.

Raize asked, "Could this new evil be behind the reappearance of the monsters?"

Link answered solemnly, "It is more than likely."

"But where could they be coming from?" asked Ilia quietly.

All eyes were on Link. He shifted slightly. He had no idea where the monsters were coming from. Seeing Link's discomfort, Raize spoke up, "It's possible this new evil is summoning them from a different dimension."

"A different dimension? You mean like the Twilight Realm?" Colin asked.

Link glanced down at Colin, shaking his head. "No, there is no way for any being to cross between here and there." Looking away, he added, "Not anymore." There was a hint of sadness in his voice.

Puzzled, Colin asked, "Is there another dimension?"

No one had an answer, but Link ventured a guess nonetheless. "It is possible. There's nothing to say other dimensions can't exist."

Silence followed those words. Standing and breaking the silence, Raize said, "Link, we need to go now. We can't afford to wait any longer."

Link nodded. "We'll leave tomorrow."

He turned to Colin intending to ask the child to stay, the idea of taking him suddenly unsettling, but Colin spoke first. "I'm still going."

Link sighed, but didn't argue. As much as he would rather Colin stay, he no longer saw the point in arguing. He had a feeling if the boy would follow him anyway. He had a good heart, but, well, he was still just a boy. Then again, he'd been hardly older when he had faced the Twilight.

With the decision to leave in the morning, Link made his way to his house. Once inside, he went down the ladder and to the chest. From it, he pulled out the two claw shots, the Hero's bow and quiver, gale boomerang and the hidden skills chart thinking he may need a reminder. Making his way back up the ladder with those items, he wondered if he should bring anything else. He set those items on the floor neatly where he could easily grab them in the morning. He shook his head, he would figure it out in the morning. Link climbed into his bed and soon fell asleep, his last thoughts lingering on the boy, Ren.


Zelda stared out her window over Hyrule field. Even from her window, she could see the monsters roaming about. There was a knock on her door. Still staring out the window, she called, "Enter."

One of her guard entered and quickly stated, "Princess, monsters have appeared in the fields and have tried to breach the walls."

Zelda turned. "Have they?"

The guard shook his head. "We've managed to keep them outside the town by closing the gates, but…"

He didn't need to finish his sentence. She knew what he was implying. Castle Town and the castle itself were protected by many guards and high walls. The villages were not. She didn't dare send a rider out to the villages and so sent a silent prayer to the goddesses that the villages would remain safe.

*Leave a review/comment to let me know what you think.*

**Edited July 2018**