The Legend of Zelda: Time Gate

Chapter 10: Soul Control

I lay in the field of blossoms, the wind gently brushing against my face. The entire field was empty, only me and the fairies that flew above me. I already have a hunch that I'm dreaming. But I don't want to wake myself up. If I am truly dreaming, then I don't want to wake myself up from this paradise. This place is quiet. Peaceful. I sit up in the grass, and I look over the horizon to see fairies zooming over the hill.

But as I squint my eyes to make them a bit clearer, I see that they aren't fairies.

They're people.

I continue to watch them, until they are right next to me. They're both men. One looks like the adult me, but with black hair, black clothes, even his eyes were all black, his pupils a faint red.

The second man also looks like the adult me, but his hair is silver, and his face has red and blue tribal colors painted on his jaw and forehead. His clothes are more like mine: a tunic, except white, and a blue breastplate, along with black leggings.

They both stand next to me, staring in the direction my back is facing. Then they both bend down so that they are sitting on their toes.

"You will become stronger, that I promise you," the silver haired one says. His voice sounds godly.

"But we need you to do one simple thing for us," the other one says. His voice sounds more cruel. "We need you to wake up... wake up..."

"Wake up!"

My eyes burst open, and I sat up in my bed, in the same room I had slept in before. Uzuki was standing next to my bed, kunais, shurikens, and a scythe attached to her belt.

"Uzuki! What is it?" I asked her, dumbfounded.

"You must have been having some dream!" she laughed. "I yelled at you three times to wake up! It's time for morning training!"

"What the... morning training? What time is it?" I looked at the clock on the wall, which was strangely similar to the ones in Clock Town. It read four a.m. I gave Uzuki a look of disgust.

"What? We always wake up at this time."

Yashiro came walking into the room, a bag of chips in her hand. She put her elbow on Uzuki's shoulder.

"What's up Link?" she asked. "Ready for morning training?"

I flopped back onto my back in defeat.

"Come on sleepyhead!" Yashiro laughed. "Get up! You're almost as lazy as Uzuki!"

"Very funny," Uzuki mumbled. Yashiro shrugged and then lifted me up with her hands. She dragged me out by the collar of my tunic, all the way out into the living room, and then outside. When we were outside, she threw me onto the cold dewy grass.

"Alright, I'll bite, what am I doing today?" I asked in a sarcastic tone.

"Hey, you were the one who wanted to train with us, so quit your complaining," Yashiro snapped. "You're training with Mitsuhiro and Mr. Mew today."

"Okay, Mitsuhiro I understand, but... Mr. Mew? Who the hell is that?"

"You shouldn't bark in that tone to one of our members," Mitsuhiro snickered. He walked out from the backwoods, a black cat sitting on his shoulder. He pointed to the cat. "This is Mr. Mew. Or Miu for short. She's Shuto's cat."

"So, if it's a female, why is it's name Mr.Mew?" I asked.

His face flushed. "Uh, long story. That doesn't matter anyways. I'm going to be your teacher today, so be prepared for a lot of blood and pain."

I swallowed. Uzuki winked at me.

"Don't worry," she whispered to me. "He's just joking. He's actually a really good teacher. I learned most of my skills from him."

"If you say so," I whispered back. Uzuki left with Yashiro and Shuto to the back end of the house, multiple kunais hanging from her hands.

"Okay Link, I'm in charge of teaching you how to use your energy properly," he began. "In a Reaper's body, we have special veins that carry a certain energy, which helps us use our spells and charms. We call this energy 'Soul'. But because you're a fairy, you probably refer to it as 'magic power'. Our energy lines are different from a fairy's however. Ours is more controlled, so we pretty much already know how to harness it ourselves. We have special 'doors' in these veins, and when opened, we can add more strength to our attacks."

"Uh, I don't really understand, but okay..."

He slammed his foot against the ground. "I need to make you understand then! This isn't just something you can learn along the way! I'll give you an example. Let's say that Yashiro is fighting a powerful enemy, and she's been fighting with a level one strength, which is powered by a tiny bit of Soul. If she wants to add more power to her own strength, she has to open one of the doors using her mind, and when that certain door opens, she can obtain a level two power, which obviously uses more Soul. There are two types of Soul in a Reaper and a fairy's body: Mental, and Physical. We gain Mental Soul as we grow up, but in order to gain Physical Soul, we must first become stronger with our bodies. The maximum level a person can achieve is up to five levels, the fifth level using a lot of Soul, almost every bit of it. We can only use this if we have been heavily trained, or in an emergency situation."

"So in my case, I use magic power? I already know how to use that," I objected.

"You know how to use spells, but do you have full control yet? There's a difference between knowing and controlling. We're going to work on controlling. Observe." He took the cat off his shoulder and set her down on the ground. He turned towards one of the big trees that were surrounding the area, and he set his right foot against the bark. Then he actually managed to set his left foot against the bark as well, and he began to walk up the tree. "If you can control your magic, you can send it to different parts of your body, like your feet. I want you to try this now. Start by focusing your magic to your feet."

I stood still before the tree, and then I attempted to focus my energy to my feet. My feet started to feel as if they were burning, so I figured I had focused my magic enough. I placed my right foot against the tree bark, and then my left. I began to walk, and I could feel myself climbing up the tree...

...and falling flat on my back. I landed with a loud thud, and the ground wasn't all that soft either. Mitsuhiro laughed from the top of the tree.

"Is that all you've got? Pathetic," he insulted. "I would expect no less from a fairy boy." He added a cruel emphasis to the words fairy boy. It was almost as if he was mocking me. He leaned himself forward, looking as if he was going to fall from the tree. I flinched, waiting for him to fall, but then he laughed again, and I growled at him. He was hanging upside-down from a tree branch. "Now this is true strength! You can always give up and try later though!"

I didn't want to give up.

I wasn't going to give up.

I pulled myself up from the cold grass, still in a bit of pain from the hard fall. I tried extremely hard to focus this time, I ended up clenching my fists, trying to get the energy to stay in my feet. When I was ready again, I ran up the tree, hoping to make it farther this time. I made it about two centimeters higher, and then fell again. But I jumped back to my feet, and kept attempting to climb the tree. Mitsuhiro remained hanging from the branch, laughing every time I fell.

"Just give up!" he snickered. "You'll never be able to do it!"

"Just watch me!" I screamed at him. I jumped onto the tree this time, and actually made it up quite high, but every time, I would end up losing control, and then I would fall again. Mitsuhiro eventually jumped from the tree and went inside, Mr. Mew following close behind him. But I remained outdoors, determined to climb the tree before nightfall. I wanted to prove myself to Mitsuhiro, to show him that I had just as much control over my magic than any other Reaper. I continued to practice, even as Yashiro, Uzuki, and Shuto came from their training. It was afternoon by then.

"How's he doing?" I heard Uzuki ask Mitsuhiro, who had come out to watch how I was doing.

"Okay, I guess, but he's taking too long. It shouldn't take a person this long to learn how to control their power."

"Give him some time. You weren't the best at tree climbing either when you first started."

"Whatever. We just have to make sure he doesn't tire himself out too much."

After a while, Yashiro brought me out lunch. It was a tray with an apple, sandwich, and a glass of juice on it. I decided to rest, and eat up the food. I hadn't eaten in a while, so I was starving.

"You should rest for a while," Yashiro said as she watched me eat. "You look terrible."

She was right about that. My clothes were all covered in a light layer of dirt from the ground, and I was bruised from all the falls I had taken. My hair was dirty and sticking up everywhere, and I had a few cuts on my face from small tree branches that had caught my skin.

"I can't, not yet," I muttered back. "I'm not going to stop until I can make it all the way up the tree!"

"But Link, if you go any longer, you'll-"

"I already said it, and I'm sticking with it. I'm not stopping yet." I took one more bite from my apple and put the core on the tray. "I'll come inside once I can make it up the tree."

"Suit yourself..." She took the tray and walked back into the house.

I had a feeling that I was going to make it this time. For the millionth time today, I focused all the magic I could to my feet, making sure that I would concentrate and keep it focused. Then, I took a step onto the tree, and began to walk up. I made it farther and higher, until I was higher than all my previous records. I began to smile, but then, my concentration broke because of my pride, and I fell, landing really hard on the ground. I could have sworn I heard my back make a snapping noise. The pain from the fall began ringing through my ears, and I could barely get up without pain shooting through my body. I carefully pulled myself up, and wearily stood to my feet. I could barely even stand up without the pain. It felt like knives were shooting through my back. I started to feel depressed. I started to think that Mitsuhiro was right, that I would never make it up the tree.

I was going to prove him wrong!

A Short Interlude

Uzuki drank from her coffee, still able to hear the screams from outside. They were Link's screams, as he attempted to climb up the tree. Mitsuhiro was pushing him too hard...

Yashiro pulled up a chair next to Uzuki and sat down. She opened one of her books and began to skim the pages, trying to find where she last left off. Eventually, she found her page, and she began to read quietly. Shuto was playing the flute in his room, and Mitsuhiro was watching Link through the window. Kon was resting with on the couch.

"He's going to use up all his magic if he doesn't stop soon," Yashiro mumbled, eying Mitsuhiro as she spoke. "You shouldn't be working him so hard."

"That fairy boy has a lot of potential," he said back, keeping his voice in a muttered tone. "He just needs to realize that he's not the same as the other fairies."

"When did you figure that out?" Uzuki asked. "I could tell he was different by his aura, but I didn't think you could tell. How did you notice?"

"His eyes... they're more courageous and adventurous than any eyes I have ever seen. They're wild, but still noble. When I look at that kid, I see power, and strength."

"I wonder what his dreams are about," Yashiro joined in. "The first night he was here, he had a nightmare. I'm guessing that last night wasn't as bad, but when he has nightmares, the first thing he does is open his eyes and scream."

"Poor kid," Uzuki muttered through her coffee. "Come on Mitsuhiro. Let's go get him. He's probably fainted of exhaustion by now."

"He won't come inside," Yashiro argued. "He told me he's not going to come inside until he's mastered the tree climbing. You've pushed him too hard, Mitsuhiro." He turned to Yashiro and made a face.

The next thing they heard was a loud scream from outside.

It was Link.

Uzuki jumped from her chair, spilling her coffee, and Yashiro followed her. Mitsuhiro turned back to the window to check on him. He wasn't there. They all ran outside, trying to find him. They circled around the tree, looked in the bushes and the forest, but he was nowhere to be found.

"Up here!"

Mitsuhiro looked up the tree to see an exhausted Link laying on a tree branch, his arms and legs just hanging. Light layers of dirt were covering his face and clothes, and his hat had a rip through it. Link gave Mitsuhiro an I-told-you-so smirk, and then stood up on the branch.

"I told you I could do it!" he laughed. He folded his arms and mocked Mitsuhiro with silly faces, but then his foot slipped, and he began to fall.

"Link!" Uzuki yelled. She closed her eyes, waiting for him to hit the hard ground.

"No worries!" he laughed again. Uzuki opened her eyes to see Link hanging upside-down from the branch, like Mitsuhiro had shown him that morning. But then his foot slipped again, and this time, really did fall. He screamed, but then his body jerked upwards, his foot caught by something. Mitsuhiro hung from a branch higher than him, holding his foot.

"Ugh, you idiot," he mumbled. He smiled at Link, and then helped him to the ground.

"You did it!" Shuto cheered.

"Hey Mitsuhiro, want to have a race up the biggest tree in the forest?" Link challenged him.

Mitsuhiro smirked and hit Link's back with his palm. "Sure thing, fairy boy."

"You're on!" Link began heading to the house. "Right after a nap!"

Chapter 10 (continued)

I wearily opened my eyes, every single image I saw blurry and hard to make out. I tried to move my hand, but when I lifted it and looked at it, it almost looked as if it was detached from my body. My body felt heavy, and my head felt like a hammer was pounding against it. I could hear voices, but they were all like echoes, too weird for me to make out. I attempted to sit up, but I was stopped by a hand pushing back down. I ended up closing my eyes again.

"Sleep, Link. You've done enough work for today," the voice said. Who was that talking? The voice was kind, and gentle, but I couldn't make out who's it was. It almost reminded me of Byrne, and about how he always used to let me take long sleeps after a tough job of building. But it couldn't be him... he was still in Termina. When I thought about that, I remembered that I never told him where I was going. He was probably worried sick about me by now. Who was that voice? I could hear a flute playing in the background, along with a few other instruments I couldn't identify. One sounded similar to my ocarina. The other sounded like an electric guitar. The last one sounded like a piano, or an organ, almost like the one the masked salesman played.

"Nice playing, Yashiro-chan," I heard a voice say.

"Playing the piano isn't that hard, Uzuki-chan," the other one said. "Your ocarina adds true depth to the music."

"But you can't play this song without the piano."

They began to play a song that I found vaguely familiar. It was haunting, and yet beautiful at the same time. I could tell that it was a song that I learned in Termina. I tried to listen in, but it sounded fuzzy. After listening for a few minutes, I could tell what song it was.

It was the Song of Healing. It was the only song I knew that sounded like that. But why where they playing it? I could hear the flute and the ocarina's music flowing together, mixing in with the piano and the guitar. It sounded so beautiful. I opened my eyes a little bit, and the image became clearer. I could see the living room ceiling, and four people spread out among the couches. But, since when was there a piano in the living room? I must have never noticed it. When I tilted my head slightly to the left, I could see Uzuki and Yashiro sitting next to each other, Yashiro playing a black piano, and Uzuki playing on a small black ocarina. A white ribbon was attached to the mouthpiece, and it went around her neck, almost like a necklace. The music coming from the ocarina sounded different from mine. It's sound was lower, more haunting.

I slowly tilted my head to the right. I could see Mitsuhiro playing on a black guitar, its strings a shimmering silver. Shuto was sitting on the armchair next to him, playing his flute, and quickly moving his fingers to each key. He was tapping his foot to the music.

I tried to sit up again, but Mitsuhiro immediately jumped up from his chair and gently pushed me back down with his hand.

"Go back to sleep. Don't get up," he ordered. His voice sounded... soothing. The tone in his voice wasn't cruel this time, but actually nicer. I laid my head back down and began to close my eyes.

Before I closed them though, I was sure I saw Mitsuhiro smile at me.

The next thing I felt was my body being lightly shaken, and I could hear voices yelling loudly.

"Hey! Sleeping Beauty! Get up already!"

I opened my eyes, and I saw Mitsuhiro standing next to the bed I was laying on. He looked angry. He began to poke my forehead.

"Uzuki, I think he might be dead, can we throw him out for the crows?" he laughed.

"I'm not dead!" I yelled at him. It almost hurt to talk.

"Shuto, he's awake. Hand me that frying pan..."

"Quit joking around Mitsuhiro!" Uzuki snapped.

He frowned. "You guys can't take a simple joke anymore!" Since when did Mitsuhiro like to joke around? He was always so serious.

I sat up in my bed, and then I realized I was in my room. Uzuki came by and dropped the Time Gate on my lap.

"Better start writing," she urged.

"Why did you make me this thing anyways?" I asked curiously.

"I think you should figure out its other capabilities on your own. It's not just diary." She tossed the ink and pen towards me, then left the room. Mitsuhiro followed her, leaving me all alone to write in my Time Gate.

I groaned, opened the book and flipped past all my other entries. I noticed that the lettering in each entry had changed to a creepy font. The letters looked creepy, sharp, and almost scribbled. I didn't write like that. I could still make out the words though. I just shrugged, thinking it was an effect from the Time Gate, and flipped to a new page. I took my pen and dipped the nib into the ink. I began to write about everything that had happened to me since I first arrived in the Dark Realm. I wrote about how I met Zelda again, and about the battle against the Reapers in the castle. I wrote about how I began my training, from the shuriken throwing to the tree climbing, and I wrote about the Reapers I was currently working with. I added all the details about Uzuki, Yashiro, Shuto, and Mitsuhiro, from their fighting styles, to their way of talking to each other. I wrote about Yashiro's addiction to quesadilla chips, and Uzuki's talent for drawing.

When I was finished, I closed the book, and put away the ink and pen. But I was curious as to how the font on my previous entries had changed. I opened my Time Gate again, and looked at the lettering from my new entry. It was still the same, but as I watched it, I saw it slowly change from my neat way of writing, to the creepy scribbled style. The letters morphed around, changing until they looked the same as my previous entries. I quickly shut my diary and jumped out of bed. The only problem was, I was still dizzy, so the moment I took a step, I fell. It really hurt this time too. I gently stood up, trying not to fall again, and I slowly made my way out to the living room. I carried my Time Gate tightly in my hand, and I approached Uzuki.

"What is this thing?" I demanded.

"You figured it out already?" she asked.

"Just tell me! It looks different than it did when I first wrote in it!"

"That's because when you write in the Time Gate... you can travel back in time."