A/N: IMPORTANT! I decided to post these last two chapters at the same time, so make sure you've also read the previous chapter before reading this one. Unless you really don't want to read that chapter. I suppose I can't tell you what to do. Either way, enjoy!

Chapter 14: Epilogue

~Hey. I'm Senaria12, but you can all call me Serena.

A few days ago, I was cleaning out my dresser drawer, getting rid of old clothes I haven't worn since high school and stuff like that. But, as I was doing this, I discovered something I haven't looked at in years. I found my old letters that I had written to my brother from the age of 12 up until a couple years ago. You might think it's strange that I kept the letters I wrote, but it's not quite that simple. I never even mailed those letters in the first place.

You'll probably need some context to understand some of what I say, so I'll tell you the basics. When me and my brother, Ben, were 12, my mother and I got into a car accident. Mom sadly did not make it, and I was left in a coma. I was in that coma for a few months, and luckily I only suffered from a scar on my forehead that my bangs now cover up. When I woke up, I was devastated to find out that my mother was no longer with us, and also my brother was nowhere to be found.

It's important that I mention that Ben was not my biological brother. We were a foster family, and my parents took him in. Nevertheless, he was my brother, and he was gone. I was already devastated due to the passing of my mother, so I was quick to draw conclusions. I assumed Ben had left to live with another family once things started to become rough with ours. I decided to write an angry letter and mail it to him, basically telling him off. It wasn't until I asked my father to mail it to him when he told me the entire truth.

While I was in a coma, my brother had committed suicide.

The strange thing is, it took a long time for the implications of that to sink in. Years, probably. But at the time, all I thought was 'I acted like a jerk' and wrote another letter apologizing to him. That was how it started. I began writing to him regularly. I didn't write to him very much, but whenever something happened to me, I had a problem, or just wanted to catch up with him, I would write a letter. I did this until I was in college. Eventually, I figured that writing to him even after he was gone was just making it harder for me to let go. I wrote one final letter, letting him know that, even if I didn't write anymore, I still loved him.

And now I found the letters again. I read through each and every one, and I thought it was interesting to see these letters I wrote throughout my later childhood. I don't know if any of you will find it interesting, but I decided to post the letters online anyways. I hope someone out there finds this fascinating, too.

-Serena~

X

The rain hammered brutally against the old home, hysterically trying to find an opening to get inside. It had no luck, however, since despite being well lived in, the house was still very well cared for and would not be leaking any time soon. What did manage to enter, however, were the flashing lights that fell from the sky and the earth-rattling roars that accompanied them. It was a night designed specifically for people to stay indoors and wait for the storm to end. Unfortunately, such luxuries were not available to everyone.

A young woman stood silently by the window of the home, watching as the trees in the surrounding woods shuddered against the brutal wind and pounding rain. The tall trees seemed to be in an endless brawl, constantly bashing into one another with the wind's strong encouragement. It had been a long time since she was last afraid of something as mundane as a thunderstorm, but she could not say the same for her father.

"Are you sure you didn't use this address by mistake?" asked her father, who approached from behind her with two small packages in his hands. Flecks of silver were beginning to form in his hair with age and new distinct lines were forming on his face. Still, he made himself look professional and knowledgeable with neat clothes and a disciplined mindset, like any respectable businessman would. If he truly was ageing, then he was ageing well.

Lightning struck, working its way through the thick rain to inside the home. The young woman frowned at the small boxes in her father's careful hands. "Pretty sure, Dad. I don't even remember ordering anything, let alone sending it here." She found the entire situation to be rather strange. She rarely ever purchased anything online, and when she did, she always sent it to her small apartment in the city. It had been years since she last used the address of her old home for anything.

"Well, they say they're for you," he reminded her, gesturing to the eBay shipping labels on the sides of the boxes. Clearly printed were the words 'Serena Mori' directly above the mailing address. Oddly enough, the two packages had different return addresses, meaning that two different people made the same mistake around the same time. And though she didn't dare admit it to the older man, neither address looked remotely familiar to her.

Serena looked away from the packages and back up to her father. "Yeah, I know. They're probably some late birthday presents or something from some high school friends. Nothing to be concerned about," she assured the older man, whose face clearly displayed his unease. It was not unlike him to worry about small things like this. He'd been like this ever since the accident, always fretting over problems that aren't really problems at all. Serena wished there was a way she could quell his fears, but it seemed that there was always a new thing for him to nitpick on whenever the last one disappeared. As much as she loved her father, she was glad she was now living on her own. Visits like these were welcomed, but any more would likely drive her mad.

Her father frowned deeply. "If you say so..." he sighed, clearly unconvinced. She didn't want to know what he thought the packages might be. Explosives, perhaps? No, that was wildly outlandish, even for a racing and active mind. Maybe he could tell that the return addresses were unfamiliar, and thought his only daughter had acquired a perverse stalker. That seemed a bit more likely, but Serena still doubted that was true. If somebody was watching her, they would know where she lived. Her suggestion of gifts from old friends seemed the most likely, and also the most harmless. But just to make sure, she planned on waiting until she was alone to open them, on the off chance that there truly was something disturbing within that she wouldn't want her Dad to see.

Serena cleared her throat, disrupting the awkward silence. "Well," she began, trying to change the subject, "thanks for giving them to me. And thanks for giving them to me in person instead of just mailing them to me. I was looking for an excuse to visit you, anyways." She granted her father her warmest, most sincere smile. He smiled back at her, fear slowly disappearing from his face. Classic redirection. Worked every time, or at least in most situations. Nothing seems to distract people more than flattering them. It was a trick her brother had taught her, and still held true after many years.

"Thank you, sweetie. I'm so glad you took the time to visit me," he said, just as thunder rattled the house once again. The storm did not want the two to ignore the war outside. But they did, or at least tried to. Family came first, even before nature.

"I know," the young woman said, her voice soft compared to the bellowing winds outside. She made a quick glance through the rain-covered window. The sky was spotted with patched of blacks and greys, with the occasional burst of light revealing the bulbous shapes of thick clouds. It seemed darker than she remembered. Louder, too. She made another quick glance to the grandfather clock that rested beside her. Somehow, it had become midnight during her visit with her father.

"Oh, wow," she said, eyes widening in surprise. "I'd better get going. I have work in the morning, and my boss will murder me if I come in half asleep," she started towards the front door, grabbing her thick coat from where she had tossed it.

Her father nodded. "I'll drive you," he informed her.

Serena stopped what she was doing and raised a thin brow at the older man. "No you're not. If you drive, then I won't have my car in the morning. And I'm sure not walking to work, especially if it's still raining." Her tone was kind, but still absolute, as if what she said was final.

Her father sighed heavily. "If you insist..." he muttered. Years ago, he would have protested, but it seemed now he was beginning to learn to give up. As sad as it made Serena to see her father like this, she was more than grateful to be given a longer leash. In any other circumstance, she possibly would have tried to comfort him and remind him of how responsible she had become, but she really just wanted to go home. It may have been selfish, but she didn't want to wait for the storm to get even worse. She zipped up her coat and grabbed the two small packages from her father's hands.

"See you later, Dad," she said, unlocking the front door. Her father gave a small polite nod. Thunder struck, but neither of them seemed to notice or care.

Then Serena's father looked into her eyes for a bit longer, before suddenly wrapping her into a big, tender hug. Serena hugged him back tightly, knowing how scared he must be even after all these years. "I love you," he said softly into her ear.

"I love you too, Dad."

When their embrace was broken, Serena gifted him one last warm smile before opening the door and closing it behind her. In an instant, she was removed from the compassionate scene and thrust into the chaos outdoors. The wind immediately began whipping around her, sending her long dark hair flying about. Not wasting any time, she bolted towards the beat up old car parked in the driveway. After one, two, three different attempts at trying to fit her car keys into the door lock while in the dark of night, she finally opened it and clambered inside, thankful that the old car was yet to acquire any leaks. Then, after trying briefly to fix her hair and quickly admitting defeat, she started up her car and drove away.

The drive back to her apartment in the city was thankfully uneventful. No collisions with other cars. No animals darting in the middle of the road. The nefarious rain did succeed in obstructing her view slightly, but thankfully that did not lead to anything unfortunate. The young woman started to grow tired, but was constantly jarred to wakefulness by the thunder every time she began to tune out her surroundings. She supposed, in a way, the storm was helping her stay safe, in its own deranged way.

Once she finally reached her destination, she once again was forced to make a mad dash towards the nearest dry area; in this instance, her apartment building. Despite her best efforts to stay moderately dry and well-kept, she wound up dripping with rainwater that trailed behind her as she made her way to the second floor. Luckily, she had managed to keep her mysterious packages dryer than herself, tucking them safely into the deep pockets of her coat.

Once inside her tiny apartment, she immediately slumped off her coat, tossing it to the floor. She once again tried to tidy up her windswept and drenched hair, and once again gave up, resolving to run a comb through it when she was finished with her more pressing task.

Lazily, Serena tossed herself onto the worn sofa in her living room slash dining room, placing the two boxes atop the table in front of her. She didn't bother turning on a light, relying solely on the flashing strikes of lightning that entered through the window and the ambiance of the city. For a while, she stared down the packages, trying to figure out the mystery surrounding them. She couldn't figure out who would send her these packages, or why they weren't addressed to her apartment. If this mystery person – or people – were not acquainted with her well enough to know her residence, then why would they send gifts? Unless it wasn't a gift, but something important. The shipping labels both had eBay logos in the corners, so perhaps somebody purchased items online and sent them directly to her. But why cut out the middle man? Was the person who bought them trying to hide their identity?

Her curiosity amplifying rapidly, the young woman finally stopped her ruminating and took action. Without hesitation, she ripped open both packages and pulled out the contents inside.

What she found only confused her more.

Inside the larger of the two packages was another seemingly unopened box, this one displaying an image of a Game Boy Color. Confused, she opened the second box. Inside that was the same atomic purple device shown on the box. She slipped it out of its packaging, inspecting it carefully. It seemed to be in mint condition, and even came along with its charger. As odd as it seemed, the device seemed brand new, or at least unopened. But who would go out of their way to buy a new Game Boy Color? Curious about owning one, she had in the past researched the prices of the system. She knew that getting an unused version of the device could be somewhat costly. It was much more reasonable to purchase a hand-me-down from a garage sale.

The smaller box also contained an item that appeared brand new, despite its age. It was a small blue case, with a boy in a green tunic on the cover. She didn't even need to read the title to know that it was Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages. Like any good Zelda fan, she knew about all the official games and played all the ones she could. But unfortunately, she had never owned a Game Boy Color, meaning that unless she wanted to use an emulator, the Oracle series was off limits. But now it seemed she could finally try out the games.

Neither box had any sort of letter inside, like she was hoping. The identity of the sender was still a mystery. Since it wasn't a secret to anyone that she was a Zelda fan, the gifts could have come from anyone she knew, or even people she didn't know.

A feeling of uneasiness washed over Serena. The whole situation reminded her somewhat of those stories she'd read on the internet. The ones where people buy games with torn off labels from shady looking people, and then the game turns out to be hacked to have macabre imagery or is haunted by a disturbed spirit. This situation didn't fit the exact description of those stories, but the fact that she had no real idea of where the gifts came from was beginning to put her on edge.

Serena shook her head. No, there was no way something like that was happening to her. Those were just stories, many of which weren't actually that scary. The darkness and stormy atmosphere must have been getting to her. It was probably just from a generous friend or family member that forgot to include a card or letter. Nothing to be concerned about.

Out of curiosity, Serena put the small cartridge inside the Game Boy Color. Aside from the strange nature of the presents, they seemed almost too good to be true. After all, she'd wanted to play one of the Oracle games ever since they first came out. With her luck, either the handheld or the cartridge was broken. But as the game came to life, she saw that it was working perfectly fine. As that opening theme began to play, she was immediately hit by a wave of nostalgia. For a moment, she was brought back to when she was little, playing Ocarina of Time with Ben.

Hitting start, she was brought to the file select screen. To her surprise, two of the three files had already been created, providing her with a short yet direct message:

TO

SERENA

The young woman nodded silently to herself, now knowing for sure that the game was specifically sent for her. She ignored the other files and created a third one named 'Serena', this one using lower case lettering. She decided she would delete the other files later, once she was certain that the game was in working condition. She would play for five, maybe ten minutes, just to make sure the game wasn't broken or haunted. Then she would go to bed. The next day, she would start asking her friends which one of them sent the game to her.

She ended up playing for hours that night.

And in her tired state, not once did she realize the truth that was hiding within those save files. She had already determined that the game had never been played, or even opened. There was no way anyone would have been able to create those save files without ever turning the game on. That was impossible.

But it wasn't impossible for Ben.

The drowned boy smiled to himself, watching his sister play the game. It wasn't a malicious smile this time, like the one he had grown accustomed to, but an actual, genuine smile. He followed her little sprite around, taking great care to stay invisible as she progressed. He didn't think he'd ever been so happy before as little red tears begin to well up in his eye sockets. This was the closest he had ever been to spending time with his sister ever since the accident. And now, after all those years, and everything he had gone through, he could finally give her the game.

He finally made her happy.

As minutes turned into hours, however, Ben knew he couldn't stay. On the other side of the country, there was a person that needed to be killed. Ben couldn't stay away from his work for too long. He always needed to be ready for the player to turn the game on again. If he ever failed, then he didn't even want to imagine what would be done to Serena. He hated his job, but it was definitely worth the work.

Meanwhile, Serena continued to play the game, unaware of the soul that exited from it. Unaware of all that he did for her, and all he continued do. Unaware of all the people that were being murdered, and that she was just one slip up by Ben away from being murdered herself. She didn't need to know about all that. She didn't need to worry. All she needed to know was that she was granted a gift from some anonymous person. That was all Ben would ever let her know.

The storm continued on.