Soulbound
Chapter VI - Link: Dirge for the Zoran God
Hyrule, Lanayru Province - Zora's Domain
62 Faron, 1437 HCE
8:00AM
Roars and howls echoed through the air. All around Link, frightened Zoras ran and swam away from the scene before them, as fast as their limbs could carry them. Swarms of bari rose out of the water, followed by octoroks and the putrid, skeletal remains of their warriors. Sizzling with electricity, the bari hissed while the Zoras held their fins and arms in front of them, bracing themselves for the worst.
A whirling noise pierced the air. Blood and gelatinous innards rained down on them. The Zora moved their hands away, and found the bifurcated remains of the monsters that threatened their lives, following by the speeding wooden shape. They traced the shape back to the familiar green-clad Hylian that had appeared in their domain just days ago. He caught the object—a boomerang—with his left hand, and turned his attention to the monsters that remained.
Enraged by his interference, the monsters shifted their attention away from their prey and onto Link. He narrowed his eyes at them as they charged toward him. Link flung the boomerang at the bari, their squeals ringing in his ears. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted rocks hurtling toward him. He held up the shield in his right hand. It smacked the shield with a loud thunk before falling into the water.
Loud shrieks erupted behind Link. Skeletal arms wrapped themselves around his neck. Link whirled around, and using the weight of his shield, slammed it against the Zora-turned-Stalfos. Bones and rotting flesh flew through the air. With his free hand, he ripped the wriggling arms off his body. He looked up at the wooden boomerang hurtling back toward him and ducked.
Turning around, Link watched the boomerang tear through the octoroks and Stalfos behind him. With a clamor, the boomerang collided with the cavern walls of Zora's Domain before falling into the water. He looked around at the monsters that still remained. Glancing over his shoulder, he gazed at the Zora citizens cowering at the monsters.
"Run!"
Link planted his feet into the shallow waters around him. The splashing of fins and feet echoed through the cavern. The ground quaked beneath his feet. In the depths of the pool before him, a mass of amoeba-like tentacles broke the surface. Clasped within their arms, a whale-like creature screamed at the top of his lungs. Link's eyes widened at the sight.
Jabu-Jabu...
As tentacles constricted around Jabu-Jabu's form, a faint voice called out in Link's mind.
«Help... me...»
Link rushed toward the wall where his boomerang now rested. The monster smashed its tentacles all throughout Zora's Domain. Balconies and ledges crumbled and fell into the water. Statues of Zoran royalty collapsed into rubble and dust. A shadow loomed over Link, and when he looked up, he found a slab of rock hurtling toward him. He lept out of the way, and the slab fragmented into thousands of pieces.
Pushing himself back onto his feet, Link looked up at the translucent form of the monster. Link flung his boomerang toward the monster's tentacles. Shrieks of pain erupted from the monster. Jabu-Jabu's large form plummeted into the water, while the tentacles released their hold on him, dissolving into shadow. As Link smiled at Jabu-Jabu's newfound freedom, he looked back at the monster. His eyes widened as he watched the monster sprout new appendages in place of the ones he cut off the creature with his boomerang.
Jabu-Jabu swam away from the monster. Tentacles slammed into the ground around the pool of water, wrapping themselves around Jabu-Jabu's body once more. Wails of agony erupted from the whale-like creature's form, while screams echoed in Link's mind. As the tentacles constricted around Jabu-Jabu, others whipped around toward Link. He flipped out of the way and scanned the monster's body. Within its clear, amoebic form, a large fleshy core pulsed with black and crimson energy. Link put the boomerang back into the pouch at his side, and pulled out a mechanized hook.
Alright, Hookshot, here goes nothing...
Narrowing his eyes at the monster's core, he pointed the Hookshot toward it and fired. The clinking of metal chains rang throughout the cavern. Inside the monster's body, the core shot upwards. The hook pierced the monster's membrane. With a flick of a switch, Link tore the hook out of the monster and retracted the chain.
Behind him, the pattering of webbed feet against the ground tore him away from the battle at hand. Link glanced over his shoulder, and found himself staring into the worried faces of a Zoran woman and a large, rotund figure.
"Lord Jabu-Jabu!" the woman shouted.
"How could this happen? How in the world did this monster get into our domain, and why is it attacking Lord Jabu-Jabu...?"
What are they doing? Ruto and her father should've escaped with the rest of their people! If they stay here, they're going to get killed!
"Princess Ruto! King Zora! You need to get out of here!"
Tentacles surged toward the pair. Ruto collapsed onto the ground as a tentacle hoisted her into the air. It constricted around her body. She screamed at the top of her lungs.
"Link... help...!"
King Zora looked up at his daughter, aghast at the events unfolding before him. He doubled backward, his cerulean cane falling onto the craggy ground with a clang. Before he could utter a word, the sight of Link rushing to Ruto's aid filled him with hope and dread.
Please, Goddesses... spare my daughter! Don't let this demon spawn take her from me...
Link narrowed his eyes, focusing on the monster's glowing core. Its appendages writhed around it, obscuring his view. He held up his left arm again and aimed the Hookshot toward the core. A red laser beamed from the point of the weapon. When the light aligned with the core, Link fired the Hookshot at the core. The hook pierced the membrane and burrowed into the monster's heart.
Shrieks filled the cavern. Link retracted the chain and tore the core out of the monster. With a yank, he pulled the hook out of the core and drew the Master Sword from his back. It hummed with holy energy. He rushed toward the monster and jumped into the air. Link braced himself as he pointed the blade downward. The Master Sword impaled the pulsing heart of the monster.
White hot energy emitted from the blade, burning the festering flesh around it. Howls erupted from the monster's amorphous form. Ruto and Jabu-Jabu felt the tentacles release them from their grip. They plummeted back into the water. As the Master Sword rent the unholy life from the monster's core, it dissolved into nothing; only the charred remains of the core around the Master Sword stood in testament of the harrowing battle that took place within Zora's Domain.
Everyone within the cavern breathed a collective sigh of relief. King Zora himself exhaled, not realizing he had held his breath. Link withdrew the Master Sword from the ground. He rushed toward Ruto's side as her body floated toward the edge of the pool. Coughing fits erupted from her lips. She looked up at the Hero with a look of annoyance.
"Hmph... What took you so long?! You could've gotten Jabu-Jabu killed! Do you know how long it's going to take for us to rebuild Zora's Domain?! My ancestor's probably rolling around in her grave at the sight of this mess right now."
Link looked down at her, unimpressed by her demeanor.
"What were you thinking?! You and your father could've gotten killed!"
Ruto snorted.
"I-I was just worried about Lord Jabu-Jabu, that's all! If Ganondorf's monster had killed him..."
Ruto felt herself blush slightly underneath her scales. Shaking his head, Link looked toward the pool beyond, not wanting to pursue the subject any further. Jabu-Jabu rose to the surface, a puff of air billowing from his blow hole. With large, twinkling blue eyes, he gazed at Link and Ruto. Without another word, she dove into the water and swam by his side, massaging his fins with her fingers.
"Lord Jabu-Jabu says thank you," Ruto said.
Link smiled at the two of them, content that no one had died today. He walked toward where the Master Sword remained planted into the ground, and pulled it out of the monster's charred remains. He sheathed his weapons, and returned the Hookshot to his pouch. As Ruto attended to Lord Jabu-Jabu, he turned toward King Zora. He shifted his gaze toward the crackled walls that lined Zora's Domain. The broken precipices, the demolished homes... the damage the monster had done to this place felt catastrophic.
Buried underneath rubble, he watched as the Zoras pulled their own from out of the wreckage, and attended to their injured and dying kin. Their cries of agony and groans of suffering made his heart sink. Closing his eyes, he cursed himself for allowing the monster to cause so much damage to Hyrule's allies.
How could I have been so careless? If only I had gotten here sooner, less people would be hurt...
He felt a scaled hand pat him on his right shoulder.
"Thank you for destroying the monster."
Link glanced over his shoulder. King Zora looked at him with friendly eyes. The tone of his voice, soft and watery, carried an earnest sincerity.
"Please don't beat yourself up over this, Link. There was nothing you could have done differently. No one lost their lives today. Isn't that what matters in the end?"
Link did not respond, his face an expressionless mask. King Zora slid his hand off Link's shoulder. Despite his girth, he hobbled toward the edge of the pool, his cerulean cane glimmering in the dim light. Link watched King Zora in silence, his thoughts elsewhere. As he turned to walk toward the open sunlight in the riverbanks beyond the cavern, Ruto's urgent tone stopped him in his tracks.
"Are you sure of this, my lord?"
Ruto cocked her head to the side. Her shocked, bewildered eyes bore into the twinkling blues of the whale deity before her. As if answering an unseen summons, she nodded her head at Jabu-Jabu before turning toward Link. Link turned to look at her over his left shoulder. She waved at him, and he spun around to face her.
"Behind the throne, past a small eddy beyond the fountain, there is a treasure that has been passed down through the Zoran Royal Family. Lord Jabu-Jabu wants you to have it."
Link raised his eyebrow at her.
"What sort of treasure?"
"It is said that eons ago, when the Hero of Time returned to Hyrule, he visited my ancestors and gave them a special mask. They say it has the power to alter your shape, and that if you wear it, you will become a Zora yourself. Whatever the case, Lord Jabu-Jabu thinks it would be off in your possession."
He cocked his head at her, confused by Jabu-Jabu's stipulation. It felt wrong to him, to take a treasure that Ruto and her family have guarded for so long without giving something back in return. The lack of action on his part made Ruto groan.
"Well, don't just stand there! Go find it! Take it respectfully!"
As Ruto pointed toward the throne in the deepest part of Zora's Domain, Link ran as fast as his legs could carry him. He waded through the waters of the fountain that fed the river beyond. He glanced behind the latticed metal that made up the throne, and rushed behind it. Cold water sprayed the air behind him, while bright sunlight invaded his eyes. He squinted his eyes, while holding his arms in front of him to block out the intense light.
Link's eyes scanned the perimeter of the fountain. Off into the distance, nestled behind a set of stalagmites emerging beneath the water, he found the entrance to a cave. He dove into the water and swam toward the cave. Dim lights, emitted by crystalline shells, served as the only source of light within as Link's boots sloshed through the water. Several minutes later, he found himself facing a small whirlpool, surrounded by jagged stalagmites and stalactites.
Off into the distance, he spotted the familiar glow of the crystalline shells that illuminated the area. He sidled along a thin ledge, and made his way to the other side. As ventured further into the deepest recesses of the cavern, he came upon a silver plaque, which bore the emblem of the Zoran Royal Family. Below it, a small lockbox, covered in copious amounts of dust and cobwebs, sat undisturbed. Link brushed the dust away, and opened the box.
A polished mask gleamed in the dim light. Unlike the lockbox that contained it, the mask looked pristine. A plain, Zoran face peered back at him from the mask's surface. Somewhere deep inside his heart, he felt a strange familiarity toward the mask, as though he held it long ago. Link shook his head, burying the sense of déjà vu simmering in the back of his mind. He placed the mask into his pouch and retraced his steps out of the cavern...
Caribbean Sea
March 11, 2016 CE (13 Eldin, 1437 HCE Hyrulean Reckoning)
Early Night
Moonlight pierced the dark depths of the sea. All around him, forests of kelp swayed in the currents of water. Fish of every size and coloration imaginable gathered along the rocks and the coral reefs, searching for food. Colonies of plankton floated in the water, casting the sea depths in a starry glow. For a moment, Link stopped in his tracks, his curiosity piqued.
Amazing... I've never seen anything like this before in my life...
He looked down at his scaled fingers. Images of the burning plane, and the crazed hybrids being born from the light that ensnared them, filled his thoughts. For days, he swam this boundless sea, and yet he had not encountered any other Zora. Guilt welled inside his heart, while the faces of the dead hybrids haunted them. Behind those lifeless faces, he pictured Zelda, screaming into the void and disappearing into white.
I know Ruto said this mask could turn you into a Zora, but... this wasn't how I wanted to find out. As beautiful as this place is, I have to get out of here. Zelda is out there somewhere, I know it. I can't leave her alone like this, she could be in grave danger—her and any others that made their way into this world. I don't know how much time I have before I blackout again.
Tearing himself away from his thoughts, he swam through the dark waters, his determination renewed. From behind the membranes that shielded his eyes from the salt water, hundreds of thousands of fish and eels swam away. Link gazed out at them. Malevolence lurked in the water, sending tremors down his scaled flesh. He narrowed his eyes and braced himself.
Glowing yellow eyes, narrowed into slights, peered back at him from the darkness. A set of jagged, pointed teeth shimmered in the fading glow of the plankton. Link barrelled out of the way, his eyes fixed on the shadowy monstrosities before him. The pointed snout, the shark-like fins... he knew these creatures.
Gyorgs? What are they doing here?
The gyorgs rushed toward him, eager to sink their teeth into their prey. As if by instinct, Link felt the fins on his forearms harden, until they resembled blade-like protrusions. He narrowed his eyes at the monsters. They opened their jaws wide. He swept himself off to the side and slashed at their thick, scaly hides. Their screams traveled through the water, sending shivers down Link's spine.
Memories invaded Link's mind—of playing a song before a dying Zora, of travelling through the depths of a bay, of rescuing eggs from hungry sea serpents and Gerudo pirates.
What... is... this...?
The feeling of déjà vu overhelmed him. Magic simmered within him, coalescing into the form of an electric barrier around him. When the images dissipated, he found himself standing in their jobs. He gritted his teeth, using every ounce of strength in his arms and legs to prevent the monsters from clamping down and devouring him.
This feeling...
Link drew on the magic within him. It spread through his arms and legs, amplifying the energy prickling the surface of his skin. Electricity surged from his body. The gyorg seized and convulsed, paralyzed by the attack. Link swam out of the gyorg's mouth and toward its eyes. Bubbles fizzed around him. He screamed at the top of his lungs and impaled the gyorg's eyes with his fins. The gyorg sank to the sandy sea floor, screaming. Red and dark energy surrounded its body. It burned with an unholy fire, before dissolving into darkness.
That's one down...
Link gazed around, adrenaline pumping through him. Before he could react, piercing pain stabbed his side. The gyorg rammed his body. Blood clouded the area around him. Link gritted his teeth, suppressing the howl of pain. Despite the pain, he grabbed onto the horn of the gyorg. He placed his left hand onto the purple body of the monster and concentrated. Magic power surged through him, coalescing into bio-electricity once more.
The gyorg spasmed in pain. Its body fell limp into the water, dissolving into darkness like its brethren. Link closed his eyes, seething. Crimson flowed into the water around him. He clutched his wounded side. Slowly, Link opened his eyes and swam to the surface, his fins returning to normal. When his head pierced the water, he quickly glanced around. Grabbing the pouch hanging from his sides, he pulled it out of the water and rummaged through its contents.
Moments later, he pulled out a bottle of red liquid, secured by a cork bottle stopper. Link pulled the cork out from the bottle. With a shaky right arm, he raised the liquid to his lips and sipped. Convulsions surged through his body. He corked the bottle and returned it to his pouch. Instinctively, he held onto it for dear life as the medicine took effect. Pain wracked his body. Link stared down at the gash on his left side, and watched the flesh begin to mend itself.
Oh Gods, it's like I'm being stabbed by a thousand miniblins...
The pain subsided. Link felt his heart begin to slow. Gills, working in overdrive, returned to normal. Holding a hand to his forehead, Link's thoughts turned toward the monsters that attacked him.
If those monsters are here as well, then—
Howling laughter filled Link's thoughts. Images of Ganondorf, his eyes ablaze with undying hatred, stared into his own with homicidal intent. He held a bladed trident up to Zelda's neck, blood dripping down her skin. His deep, booming voice echoed in every direction.
"If you wish to see your precious Zelda again, then come to my castle."
Ganondorf...
Link flared in anger at the phantoms of his memory. The Demon King's harrowing image melted away, leaving only the surface of the boundless sea before his eyes. He clenched his fist and dove back into the sea. Determination fueled him as he bolted through the water.
I have to find her... before he does... before it's too late...
He did not know how long he swam. By the time he looked up at the surface again, the glow of moonlight traveled deep into . Link's eyes traced the ocean trenches before him. Off into the distance, he found a small cavern. He swam as fast as his fins could carry him. A tingling, numbing sensation ran down the right side of his body. His eyes widened.
No... not this again!
Unable to move his right side, he frantically bolted toward the cave. He crashed into its depths. The dark, shadowy depths of the cave faded into a blur. As his body collapsed into the floor of the cave, the sea gave way to darkness. Link fell into an abyss, and oblivion drowned out all awareness. Unable to move his body, his thoughts turned elsewhere.
Zel... da...
Later that night...
Screams tore at Alex's awareness. Like a phantom, she hovered amongst the stars. She held her hands up. In place of the Zoran scales she had come to know, human Her eyes widened.
Far below her, two planets, surging with an eerie white light, collided into one another. Like gravity, the light pulled the two together. A woman's screams echoed around her in every direction.
"No! Get out of me!"
A set of golden triangles hovered above the two worlds. Alex clasped her hands over her mouth, not believing her eyes. The triangles drew further and further toward the Earth, pulled into it by the very light that melded the worlds together. She clasped her ears shut, drowning out the noise of a beating heart.
The scene shifted around her. Bloated red skies hung above. Towering above the ruins of human civilization, a pig-like snout sniffed the air, dripping with blood. Cloven hooves pounded against the ground. Two figures stood in opposition to the monster—figures Alex recognized all too well.
Link? Zelda? Ganon? What the hell is going on?
Energy surged around them. The very ground beneath them shifted. Alex looked up at the horizon, and watched as it morphed between two forms: the towering skyscrapers of a human city, and the distant form of a castle surrounded by a cloudy mountain range. Behind the forms of Link and Zelda, two humanoid shapes of light, masculine and feminine, hovered in the air. A golden glow formed in Zelda's hands, taking the form of a compound bow. Link brandished the Master Sword, its blade shining with holy power.
Arrow after arrow of light tore through the darkness. They pierced Ganon's flesh. Two voices roared in pain, and with tusks bared, Ganon charged at the pair. Link charged toward the monster, rolling under his large body. From out of a pouch, he pulled out a device—a Hookshot, Alex realized—and fired it at Ganon's tail. The hook burrowed itself into the glowing, serpentine flesh. Link pulled closer to the monster at frightening speed, and planted the Master Sword deep into Ganon's spine.
Between the holy energy of the Light Arrows and the burning blade of the Master Sword, Ganon collapsed onto the ground. The two glanced at each other, pleased that the demon that had plagued them for so long... finally met its end. As the two embraced each other and walked away, Ganon snarled. With clawed hands, it ripped the light arrows out of its body. The Master Sword flew out of his body and landed on the ground with a thud. With burning amber eyes, it gazed down at the two of them, and charged at them.
No... no... this isn't happening! Alex thought.
Blood trickled down ivory tusks. Link and Zelda's body hung lifeless, their bodies impaled. With a tilt of his head, he flung the bodies of his adversaries away like ragdolls. Two glowing shapes floated out of their corpses, while a third fled the Demon King's body, The three shapes coalesced to form the Triforce. Three screams, two feminine and one masculine, echoed through the dark skies. Howling laughter drowned out their cries.
"They failed... Their power alone was not enough. My life... and Hyrule's... I will not allow this to come to pass."
The glowing forms rose higher into the air. They held their arms together. A brilliant flash erupted from their bodies. Time spun backwards, undoing the outcome of the terrible battle. As the world shifted back to normal, the woman's voice called out to the glowing forms.
"Go, my children... go and help them..."
The scene shifted again, returning to the merging of two worlds. From beyond the reaches of time and space, a glowing serpent coiled around the worlds. He snorted in laughter as the Triforce burrowed its power further and further into the Earth. A distorted voice rang out.
You cannot stop the inevitable. All shall become as one...
March 12, 2016 CE (14 Eldin, 1437 HCE Hyrulean Reckoning)
Early Morning
Alex bolted forward, screaming at the top of her lungs. Bubbles fizzed around her. A dark, unfamiliar cavern encompassed her. The sudden change in her surroundings sent her heart racing. She crawled backwards along the sandy floor, her gills fluttering in panic.
Where am I? How the fuck did I get here?
She did not remember how she got here. One moment, she slumbered peacefully inside of a coral reef, and the next, inside this foreboding place. Alex closed her eyes, searching her memory for any semblance of an answer, anything that could fill the latest black void in her recollection. When she found nothing, she buried her face in her hands.
It's getting worse... why do I keep having these blackouts? It's like my memory has become swiss cheese... What the hell is happening to me?
Alex's stomach twisted itself into knots. She glanced out toward the end of the cave. Outside, glowing colonies of plankton illuminated the sea depths. A part of her felt mesmerized by the sight, while another wanted to get as far away from the sea as possible. Fatigued and overwhelmed by her own ambivalence, she fell back down onto the soft sandy floor. She clenched her fist and pounded it against the ground.
Feeling her eyes droop, she wrapped her arms and fins around herself, and fell into uncertain slumber.
March 16, 2016 CE (18 Eldin, 1437 HCE Hyrulean Reckoning)
Afternoon
Days passed since Alex awoke in the dark cavern of the sea. As if chased by a looming shadow, she sped through the depths of the sea, not caring where she landed. Most days, Alex found herself lucky to have a meal at all; the few fish she did manage to catch, she hardly ate. Images of her grandfather and sister, carrying on life without her, fueled her determination to return home. She weaved through forests of kelp, taking little time to enjoy the sights around her.
Alex's stomach growled. She peered through the kelp in search of sustenance. Off into the distance, near a barnacle-encrusted rock, a bespeckled angelfish examined the rock. Eager and impatient, she darted toward the fish. The fish swam away, and Alex gave chase. She grabbed the fish with her fingers and furrowed her brows.
I hate fast food.
She thoughtlessly bit into the fins of the fish, spitting out guts and bone. As she consumed the fish raw, a looming shadow passed over her. She looked up, and found herself gazing at a strange, whale-like creature. Alex blinked her eyes, doing a double take.
What the hell?
Above the sea, boat propellers tore through the waters. Every fish, eel, and sea creature fled the area. Alex stayed put, confused by the events unfolding above. Before she could even begin to make sense of anything, screams echoed in her mind.
Shivers travelled down Alex's spine. She tossed away the remains of her meal, put off by the going on of the surface. Something about the voice touched Alex at her very core. As she sped closer and closer to the surface, the creature's features became more and more apparent in the burning daylight beyond the water. On first glance, Alex had thought the creature a blue or humpback whale of some kind; now, she did not seem so sure.
Déjà vu ran through her mind. For some reason, she recognized the creature from somewhere. The twinkling blue eyes, the golden crown that beset its snout... she could not pinpoint where she saw it before. Her head pierced the surface, and her eyes widened.
Surrounding the creature on boats, sailors tossed harpoons into its thick, blubbery hide, while others fired rounds from rifles. Screams and wails of agony invaded Alex's mind. In that instant, it dawned on her. She clenched her fist in anger. As if in response, she felt her fore-fins harden into blade-like appendages. She seethed at the ghastly sight of the whalers.
"No!" She shouted at the top of her lungs, "Leave him alone, you bastards!"
The whalers turned their attention away from the creature, and toward Alex's form. They shouted words amongst one another. Only one word stood out to Alex as she pieced together their conversation.
'Aberrante'...? Are they calling me a freak? Oh, now that really fries my hide!
Cocked rifles echoed through the air. Alex found herself staring into the barrels of their weapons. She crossed her arms over her shoulder.
What the fuck am I doing? These whalers have guns, and all I have are flippers. This hardly seems fair at all. I should run away with the rest of the fish in the sea. Of course... Cass always was the smart one between the two of us, and I never did like bullies...
Time slowed to a crawl. Bullets flew through the air. Alex swung out her arms.
Here goes nothing!
Seized by energy, her fore-fins flew away from her, whirling through the air like boomerangs. The bullets clanged against the surface of the fins. Alex watched, in shock, amazement, and horror, as the fins knocked the guns out of a whaler's hands. It fell into the water, sinking into the deep blue depths. Their eyes, too, widened in shock. As if by magic, the fins flew back and re-attached themselves in a flicker of light.
Holy shit, it worked. It's just like Majora's Mask.
Alex dove far beneath the water. Bullets sped through the surface, slowing to a crawl. Her lips rose into a cocky grin. With newfound confidence, she sped toward the surface. Energy surged within her being, unlike anything she had ever felt before. It streamed throughout her body, mingling with her blood. She had no time to think about this newfound force, for bio-electricity surged around her. She pierced the surface of the water, and grabbed onto the railing of the boat.
Like a bolt of lightning, energy surged through the metal. The whalers spasmed and convulsed, until they fell to the ground, paralyzed. On the sight of them breathing, Alex let out a sigh of relief. She turned her head toward the partner boat, snarling at the whalers aboard, who stared at the scene in stunned, horrified expressions.
"Anybody else?"
Angry shouts and curses filled the air. The boat sped away from the scene, the words "diablo" and "aberrante" interspersed with other foreign words. Alex released her grip from the boat railing and plunged back into the water. A trail of smoky crimson sank into the depths of the sea. The creature swam away, cries of pain echoing in her mind. Her eyes widened in horror.
Oh no...
"Wait!" Alex shouted, "Please wait!"
She swam after the creature. Surprised by its speed, it disappeared down a steep underwater canyon. Only the trail of inky blood gave Alex any indication of where it had gone. Like a hound, she followed the trail, until she made her way into a dark crevasse. At the bottom of the dark depths, the creature rested at the bottom, blue eyes fading in and out of focus. She swam in front of the creature's face. To her surprise, a voice called out to her in her mind.
«What is it, little one...? I'm dying...»
The voice, small and weak, sent shivers down Alex's spine. She shook her head, not believing her eyes. Pained laughter rang through her thoughts.
"You... can speak?"
«I don't understand. Why are you speaking the Terran language...? Are you not from Hyrule?»
Alex blinked in confusion, stunned by the words floating in her brain. The creature's words all but confirmed her suspicions. Like an invisible hand, she felt something enter her mind, feeling her every thought and emotion. She shirked backwards, taken aback by the strange sensation.
«I see... you are not one of my children... You are... Terran...»
«Terran...?»
«Yet, you know of me... somehow... it does not matter. There is... no time...»
Alex shook her head at the creature once more, uncertain of the telepathy she somehow found herself tapping into. Like many things relating to her Zoran form, she found it strange and invasive. Before this being, she felt stripped naked, her insecurities and confusion brought to the forefront. In spite of her feelings, she searched for her voice and called out to the creature.
«Who... are you?»
The creature closed its eyes.
«I was once known as Jabu-Jabu. I lived in a fountain with my children, the Zora. Together, we protected the waters of Hyrule, on behalf of the Goddesses who created our world. My children worshipped me as a god. They doted over me, attending to my every need. Now, I am but a shadow of my former self, lost within the mind of this dying whale.»
Alex looked down at Jabu-Jabu with a stunned expression. She did not know what to make of the creature's words, or the fact that he, much less the world from a video game she had cherished since childhood, actuallly existed. She swam closer to Jabu-Jabu's body, running her scaly fingers across his flesh, as if to affirm his existence before her.
«So wait... Hyrule exists? As in the Hyrule, the place where a bunch of wars over a magic set of triangles left behind by some stupid goddesses happened?»
Jabu-Jabu coughed.
«You have... an interesting choice of words. I would mind that tongue, if I were you. It is rude to speak of Those who are listening.»
Alex rolled her eyes. In all the times she had played The Legend of Zelda, never once did she see Link get struck by lightning for doing something against the Golden Goddess' will, the 'Cucco Revenge Squad' notwithstanding. At the same time, the way the creature spoke to her put her on edge.
«Alright, well, um... I'm sorry, I think...? Anyway, uh... what brings you to my waters? Um, why are you here, exactly?»
A sad groan rumbled in the back of her skull.
«The light of the Convergence has swallowed my world, and everything in it. Our bodies and our minds have been pulled into your world, hybridized with the creatures that live here. I... am but one of those creatures, as are the hybrids of my children, the Zora. The Convergence seeks to merge your world and ours, and when it is finished... destroy it completely...»
Stunned by the deity's words, Alex found herself unable to speak or utter a thought. The gears in her head ground to a halt. Her mind shifted back to the events of the plane crash, and the light that twisted the passengers into twisted abominations based on a world she believed to be fiction.
«What are you saying? That light... that light that enveloped us all that night... is going to destroy us?»
«If left unchecked, our worlds were merge, and unable to bear the weight of their combined forces, will shatter under the pressure.»
«I can't believe I'm asking you this, but... how do we stop it? How do we put an end to this... 'Convergence' you speak of?»
«The power of the Goddesses... the heart of our world, the Triforce... if the lost pieces are brought together, They will have no choice but to descend onto this place and grant the wish of the holder. Only the Goddesses have the power to undo the Convergence.»
Alex ho-hummed, unsurprised by his words. She gazed into Jabu-Jabu's tired blue eyes, her expression nonplussed.
«And, let me guess... the pieces are held by a pig-faced Demon King fellow, a princess-goddess-wannabe Sheikah chick who has trouble not getting kidnapped, and a heroic mime with a penchant for assaulting poultry and pottery. I mean, I think I might be missing a few details, but I think I have the gist of it, really...»
For a brief moment, Jabu-Jabu's dull, listless eyes gleamed with bewilderment.
«I know not how you know of my world, and the bearers of the Triforce, but it matters not. Unless the sacred triangle is reassembled and brought together, our worlds... are doomed...»
Silence hung in the air. Alex frowned at Jabu-Jabu. The deity sighed, his energy fading. Even now, Alex felt his grasp fading away. In spite of herself, she looked into his large eyes again. Jabu-Jabu's words ate away at her mind. He said she was not one of his children. She glanced down at her scaly, Zoran body in confusion before gazing back up at him.
«Hey, um... I'm sorry if I rubbed you the wrong way. I've... never been the best at expressing myself, but if it isn't too much trouble, I have something I want to ask you.»
«Speak. I have so little time left... I can feel myself... fading away...»
Alex drew water into her gills and sighed.
«You said I wasn't one of your children... A Zora. If... If I'm not a Zora... then what am I...?»
Jabu-Jabu hissed in pain, struggling to remain awake.
«Your shape... it is the product of magic. Yes, I sense it... a mask conceals your true nature. Remove that mask, and you will regain your form.»
Alex cocked her head to the side. She remembered the day she woke up on the deserted cay. In response to her resemblance to Zora Link, she had tugged at her face in order to remove a mask from her face, only to find nothing there. From behind membranes, she raised her eyebrow at Jabu-Jabu in confusion.
«What are you saying? That I've actually been wearing a mask this whole time?»
«Precisely.»
«But that doesn't make any sense! I tried to check if there was a mask on my face, and I couldn't get anything off!»
«Only the one who donned the mask can take it off.»
Alex cast an annoyed expression at Jabu-Jabu.
«So you're telling me, and I mean no disrespect to you when I say this, is that an ass clown put this mask on my face, and the only way to get said mask off my face is if the ass clown who put it on my face removes it.» Alex sighed. «Alright, well, do you by any chance have any pointers on who said ass clown might be so I can have a few choice words with him? Her? It?»
The sensation of another presence probing her mind made Alex flutter in the water. A part of her felt scared, to know the truth of her circumstances, while another wanted very much to put the nightmare that had become her existence out of its misery. For that reason, she tolerated the creature digging into her mind.
«I sense another will beside your own, slumbering in the shadow of your very soul...»
Jabu-Jabu paused. The creature trembled, weakness setting in. Alex floated in the water, waiting in suspense. Moments passed, and Alex waited. As she felt him burrow further and further into her mind, something stirred. Jabu-Jabu pulled himself away from her thoughts, his eyes widening. He gazed into her eyes with what little strength he had remaining.
«He lives... the Hero lives...»
Alex's eyes widened. She did not like the direction their conversation now took. Jabu-Jabu laughed, delirious.
«Jabu-Jabu, what are you going on about? You're not making any sense!»
«He lives... in you...»
Alex waved her hands and fins in front of Jabu-Jabu's face.
«Jabu-Jabu...?»
«May the way... of the Hero... lead... to the... Tri... force...»
Jabu-Jabu's eyes rolled into the back of his head. The creature fell limp into the water, the life from his body gone. Alex shook her head, not believing her eyes. She swam closer to his body and pounded on the cold blubber of his body.
"No... no! Don't do this to me! Don't fucking do this to me, you goddamn fish!"
Tears welled up on the outside of the membranes covering her eyes. They floated upward like bubbles in the sea. Overcome with emotion, Alex pounded her fists against Jabu-Jabu's inert form.
"Wake up... please wake up... Don't leave me alone like this... I have so much I want to ask you... Please..."
Alex collapsed onto the sea floor and sobbed, her pleas falling on deaf ears. In the depths of the sea, she mourned the loss of a being she hardly knew. Even as night fell, she never left Jabu-Jabu's side. When she next opened her eyes, she glanced up at the white halo piercing the surface of the water far above. She looked back at Jabu-Jabu's body and sighed.
"Jabu-Jabu... it was nice to meet you. Goodbye... Thanks for everything..."
She sped away from his corpse in silence, not looking back for a second.