Point of view changes ahead. Shouldn't be too hard, I clearly marked them. :)
Chapter Ten – Visions
The blinding light was beginning to give her a headache. It had assaulted her a few minutes before and had yet to fade. The harsh, unforgiving light had yet to give away anything. What was its purpose? Why had it disturbed her pleasant slumber? Why had it shattered her dream that she was so close to making permanent?
All pain had just begun to fade from her body. The nightmares that had tormented her were beginning to dissipate; in their place came complete darkness. Comfortable, calming, protecting darkness. Her painful memories had been fading. They had finally been giving her rest…
So why was this light bringing them back?!
A distant whispering caught her attention. "Who's there?"
"..as.a…"
Inasha stood and faced where she felt the voice was coming from. "Speak up! Who are you?"
"Inasha!"
That voice…it was so familiar. It had a similar quality to…
"Lanayru calls you! Come forth, Child of Light!"
Of course! That would explain the blinding light. Lanayru was calling her. Lanayru…had his strength back! Link had restored light to his province!
She closed her eyes and focused on the spirit's call, willing herself to join him. Upon reopening her eyes, she came face to face with Link. His blue eyes lit up with shock and excitement.
"You're safe!" he pulled her into a tight hug. "I was so scared…I thought you were done for!"
"You saved me…you came after me and saved me!" she threw her arms around his neck, burying her face in the crook of his neck. "I was afraid you wouldn't make it…"
"I was too…" he set her feet back on the ground, but kept his hands on her shoulders. He finally looked her over for the first time since she appeared from the waters of the spring. "Whoa…"
"What?" she glanced down at her outfit…but instead of her white shirt and grey skirt, she found a long white dress. The square neckline was bordered with a gold thread; the embroidery about half an inch thick. A thicker thread of the same color bordered the hem of the dress. It cinched in at her waist, then flowed subtly down to her ankles. Her boots were simple, dark brown colored combat boots that were easy enough to walk in for long periods of time.
"I'm not sure what this is…" she murmured, feeling the silky material that skimmed her body. She looked back up and prepared to speak once again, but was stopped in her tracks when a pair of gentle lips found their way onto her right cheek.
The two met each others' gaze, their cheeks both beginning to burn with embarrassment. Their words were lost.
"Children of great destinies…I have messages from above for both of you…" the Light Spirit finally broke the silence that had settled between them. "Separately," he added. They took a few steps back from each other, finally breaking their stares to look up at the huge, golden snake that represented the light of the Lanayru Province.
X-X-X
Inasha POV
I braced myself for what the spirit had to show, closing my eyes tight and emptying my mind to allow him to enter with his visions. I felt as though I were being stretched across worlds—no, across dimensions. Nausea overtook me briefly, then faded. After feeling nothing for a few moments, I opened my eyes.
It was completely black.
I could plainly see myself, but I was in a sea of black. There was no definite divide between the ground I stood upon and the air around me. There was nothing.
"Well? What did you want to show me?!" I called out.
The only reply I received was a faint mumbling. I couldn't make out words, or even tones. The mumbles were soft whispers at first, but slowly grew in volume and clarity. I could make out female voices now. I couldn't place faces with the voices.
Suddenly, there were three silhouettes of gold surrounding me, their shapes unclear. They were fuzzy and disjointed. The voices grew louder still, more clear, and the figures in front of me also began to become clearer. They took the shapes of three women clad in dresses, shining with an eerie golden light. Their entire bodies and dresses seemed to be made of solid gold.
The…the Goddesses… I fell to my knees before Them in reverence. What could the Goddesses have for me, a simple orphan? I peeked from underneath my bangs at them. Their faces were featureless. All I could see was gentle indentions for the eyes and a point for their noses. I also noticed that around each goddess was a different colored glow. One red, one green, and one blue.
Din, Farore, Nayru…
One of the Goddesses approached me. It was Din. "Rise, child."
I obeyed, and found myself at eye level with the three of them.
Farore spoke next. "You wish to know of your destiny?"
I nodded eagerly. I had so many questions for them, but my mouth was sealed. I wanted to know why they found such humor in the ironies and tragedies in my life. It was time I received some answers.
"Very well…" they faded from my view, and I found myself looking down on a touching scene of mother and newborn baby. The child was wrapped in a pale yellow blanket, eyes closed in slumber. The mother was resting upon a soft bed, exhaustion apparent on her face, her brown hair sticking to her forehead by sweat.
I felt a jolt of recognition, followed by a flash of pain.
I hate you!
"Mom…" I could hardly believe it. She was there…so close to me! I wanted to run up and hug her and tell her I was so sorry…but…I remembered it was only a vision. I wasn't really here. I couldn't speak to her still…
She lowered her face to kiss her child. "Inasha…my dear Inasha…you are the Light of Hyrule…the one destined to save this land!" Tears fell from her bloodshot eyes. "This is what I get…for thinking a Goddess could raise a child…for ignoring the ancient rules…I'm so sorry…but I must do this…it is my punishment…but it affects you, too…"
Her voice grew stronger as she raised her hand above the child—me. Her hand began to glow with a soft aqua light. "Inasha Kyoko, this is your destiny." Her tone had completely changed. She was no longer the weeping mother. She was…a deity. A goddess. "To be the Light that saves Hyrule. Alongside the Hero, you will face many challenges. In the end, you will sacrifice your life to bring a peace that will last for centuries, and close the evil doorway that has been opened. So the Goddesses have decreed it, and so it shall happen. Hyrule's Cycle of Destiny must continue as it always has."
The scene faded, along with her voice. I was once again standing before the Goddesses. Nayru would not look at me.
"So…Nayru…" I finally found my voice.
I hate you!
"You're…"
"I am your birth mother. I lived the full cycle of a human because of my selfish desire to feel the love and bond between a parent and child. Because of my decision, the Cycle of Hyrule's Destiny has been shattered, opening up a door for a greater evil to destroy not just this land, but others as well." A heavy sigh passed over immobile lips. Din laid a hand upon her sister's shoulder.
"She always was intrigued by the emotions felt between families. We didn't see it coming…we didn't think such tragedy could come from such a miniscule desire…"
"How does my life affect the future of Hyrule…?" I asked skeptically.
"You are a distraction towards the Hero. You stand in the way of his duty, and your existence is not supposed to be. None of our plans held you in them…and the future is threatened by your very existence…this is why, once we found out about your destiny, we tried to place you in a place that taught pacifism. We thought that you would be repulsed by the idea of killing…we tried so hard to prevent it from happening…I even went so far as to believe that Renado could help to quell your adventurous spirit…"
"What if I just leave Hyrule and leave Link to finish the job himself?" Leaving the boy who had grown to be such a great friend to me pained me, but if it was necessary to save all of Hyrule…
Farore shook her head. "You are necessary in the cleansing of Hyrule…you cannot leave now. To leave would be to forfeit Hyrule to the demons who attempt to take it. You are needed now…"
Din and Farore began to disappear. "We'll leave you two to talk, as mother and daughter…"
I hate you!
I looked at the last goddess before me, who still would not meet my gaze. "Mom…"
She looked up, then pulled me into a tight embrace. "My…my daughter…I'm so sorry.."
"Mom I don't hate you!" Tears began to pour from my eyes as the golden woman held me close to her. Despite her appearance of being made of solid gold, she in fact felt just like any other human would feel.
"I know…hush my child…it will all be okay…we'll be reunited…"
"I'm not ready to die!" I interrupted her. "I have a whole life ahead of me! I can't die yet!"
"I'm so sorry…my child…I wanted to watch you grow up…find yourself…find love…have a family of your own…I never wanted you to know about your heritage…I wanted to see you grow into a fine young Hylian woman…"
"Why can't you do anything about it?" I asked, drying my tears. "You're a Goddess! Certainly you can change something?!"
"Fate is not in my control…it…it is in Hylia's."
Hylia. The main Goddess. She was around long before the three sisters. I should have realized she controlled all fate…
"You can't appeal to her…?"
"She is angry at me for my disobedience. She says I must learn from my mistakes..."
I nodded, having heard that lecture plenty of times before. "But…even at the cost of my life…?"
"It's one…versus millions…"
I sucked in a breath. I understood…but I wasn't ready to accept my fate.
A golden hand turned my chin up to face my mother once again. "My daughter…it is my fault for being so selfish. Because of that, I have set upon you a destiny that none should ever have to endure…" She looked upon me, and even though I could not see her eyes, I knew there was fondness in her expression. "I will not give up…I won't resign myself to accepting your fate just yet. Perhaps there is still something I may do…"
My eyes grew wide. "Mom…"
"Go, my child. Our time is up. Follow the path you are on for now. I will continue to search for an alternative…"
I held onto the goddess tightly. "Mom…don't leave me again…please!"
Love filled her voice. "My child…I am always there with you. Even when you do not see me. I have walked this entire journey by your side. I protect your life when you become trapped in the Twilight. I guide your footsteps, and the Hero's. Just because you do not see me does not mean I am not there."
I smiled at her. "…Goodbye, Mom. I promise not to disappoint you."
X-X-X
Link POV
"The dark power you seek… It waits in a temple set in the bed of Lake Hylia. But before seeking it, you must bear witness to something…and never forget it."
The huge snake in front of me had frightened me at first, but once he had brought back Inasha, I felt no fear towards him. He was another Light Spirit. A guardian of his province.
And now he had separated the two of us, apparently to depart information towards us. I was alone now, waiting in complete darkness for what he wanted to show me. I closed my eyes and allowed him to take over my sight.
"You must know that it was the will of the goddesses that we lock away the forbidden power…" When I reopened my eyes, all was black. I was back in my village clothes, and falling slowly. It felt as though I was falling through tree sap.
"When all was chaos, the goddesses descended and gave order and life to the world." Streaks of red, green, and blue shot past me. I tried my best to watch their path. They created a grassy hill in front of me, alive with magic.
"The lands where the goddesses descended came to be known as the Sacred Realm." All of this I already knew. Suddenly, I sensed someone beside me. Ilia was now at my side. I wanted so badly to talk to her, to ask if she was alright, but it was just a vision. I wasn't even in full control. All I could do was look at her and smile like an idiot. Her sweet smile greeted me, and we turned back to the grassy hill.
"For ages, the people lived at ease, content in mind and body…" Lanayru's narration continued as the three streaks of light combined in a golden flash, leaving behind the Triforce. "But soon, word of the Sacred Realm spread through Hyrule, and a great battle ensued…"
In Ilia's hand…rested a dagger. I was no longer in control at all of my body. Her eyes turned completely white, and she looked at me with a malicious smile. She raised the dagger and prepared to strike…
A gasp left her lips as I lunged forward first, slitting her throat with my sword. The dagger clattered to the ground, far away from her bleeding body. I was repulsed by myself…I killed my best friend!
No…this wasn't me. This was only a vision…
I ran forward towards the golden power, my eyes also now only pools of milky white. Suddenly…I was clad once again in my green tunic. Just as I got close to the Triforce…three figures stood in front. They all looked exactly like me…except their tunics, hair, and skin were completely black. They also had demonic red eyes.
"Among those living in the light, interlopers who excelled at magic appeared."
So that's what these…shadow-mes were.
"Wielding powerful sorcery, they tried to establish dominion over the Sacred Realm." A huge mask that I recognized to be the complete form of the Fused Shadows rose up over the Triforce, blotting out its beautiful golden light.
They reached out to me, and I instinctively took up a defensive position, crossing my arms in front of me. Their magic reached me anyways, and I felt as though my very soul was torn from my body. I couldn't hold back the scream. My body disappeared in shards…and the middle interloper took my appearance. Once again, my eyes were a milky white, and my face was contorted in an expression of malice.
The three looked at each other as if to congratulate each other.
"It was then that the goddesses ordered us three light spirits to intervene." Three golden orbs pulsing with light surrounded the Fused Shadows. The interlopers watched helplessly as they took away the Shadows, sending them back into the depths of the earth. "We sealed away the great magic those individuals had mastered."
The interloper that had taken my appearance screamed in agony as it was torn from the realm. All that was left was the grassy hill. "You know this magic…"
I was back in the spring, though I was completely alone. Four Fused Shadows floated around my head. I watched it all as though in a dream.
"It is the dark power you seek…the Fused Shadow."
I felt myself go weak. My knees could barely hold me up. I became disoriented. I saw…Ilia once again. She was all around me…her laugh echoed around in my head. Vaguely I could still distinguish Lanayru's voice…
"O hero chosen by the goddesses… Beware…Those who do not know the danger of wielding power will, before long, be ruled by it. Never forget that…"
She was everywhere. Laughing. Her laughter was so…soothing. I missed it. I missed her…
Ilia…!
I snapped back to my senses in the spring, feeling completely alone. I could hardly believe what I had just experienced. It was…overwhelming.
I still felt weak. I vaguely realized Inasha standing beside me. She may have said something, or she may not have. I collapsed on the ledge, barely breathing. Lanayru parted with his final words…
"The dark power that you seek is within the sleeping Lakebed Temple in Lake Hylia…"
I closed my eyes and gave into my exhaustion.
X-X-X
3rd Person POV
Inasha's scene shattered like water droplets, leaving her filled with bittersweet, conflicting emotions at the side of the spring. Next to her, Link stood in a trance, yelling in pain.
"Oh my Goddesses! Link! Wake up!"
Midna joined in soon, also disturbed by his sudden cries of pain. He wouldn't respond to either of them, even when Midna began to smack him around.
"Lanayru! What's wrong with him?!" Inasha asked the snake angrily.
"It is only part of the vision. Be at ease, my child and Midna. He is in no real pain."
She backed off from the Hero, still nervous despite the Light Spirit's assurances. His screams had faded now, and he swayed back and forth unsteadily.
Suddenly, he dropped to the ground, kneeling beside the waters. Lanayru disappeared, his parting words echoing around the cavern. "The dark power that you seek is within the sleeping Lakebed Temple in Lake Hylia."
Link lost consciousness and collapsed onto the ground. Inasha dropped to her knees beside him instantly, attempting to shake him awake. He was breathing as though fast asleep, but he refused to wake up.
What did he do to him?! What did he see…?
X-X-X
Revised 12/23/14
Typo fixes again.
Short chapter, but better than combining this and the one before it.