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Disclaimer: I don't own the Legend of Zelda. If I did… xD
Ascension is rated "T" for mild language and violence.

Eternity

"Huh? Where am I?"

Link blinked slowly, images swirling around him in a harsh radiant false sunlight. He held up his right hand to shield his eyes from the intensity. With the brightness dimmed slightly, he managed to pull himself into a sitting position. Other than a weary body and a sore noggin, he felt okay, at least. The last thing he really remembered was getting his ass royally whooped by some sort of monster that scarily resembled himself. As a matter of fact, when he raised his right arm just now, it felt fine. Wait…fine? But how?

Link stared dumfounded as he balled his right hand into a fist, testing its muscles. Yep, it sure felt okay to him. Looked alright, too. For some strange reason, all the pain that recently plagued his body was gone. At the same time, he didn't really feel healed. The whirling sensation in his mind was a harsh reminder of that. No, it was almost as if he wasn't alive or something.

Not…alive?

"I'M DEAD!?" Link screamed, jumping to his feet. He frantically glanced from side to side. On one hand, he saw the vibrant white light that blinded him. On the other side, there was some sort of massive opening covered by wooden planks as if blocking an entrance. A gentle, serene blue light escaped through the tiny cracks in the wood. Other than the white light and the strange door-thing, there was nothing. The ground beneath him shuddered as he stepped on it, but everything else was nothing. It was a corridor of nothingness.

Was he in some sort of portal or something? What if this was the fabled River Styx or something? What if one of these doors led to the world of the living and the other was some sort of evil hell? If that was the case, which door was the correct path? Knowing his luck and given the awful blinding vibrant flash from the other side, the boarded-up portal was the one he needed to use. Figures. Link started to make his way over, hoping he could somehow use his spiritual energy, when he suddenly smacked right into something that knocked him to the ground.

Huh? What? Something…concrete? But other than the light and the door thing, there was nothing. What did Link run into? The young hero rubbed at his sore behind. That would certainly leave a mark.

"Whoa there, kid. You're gonna die for real if you keep this up."

A voice? Someone else was in this place? But how? It certainly wasn't hospitable. Then again, he probably wasn't alive. A spirit? No, he didn't feel like a spirit. Then again, Link's senses were admittedly a bit wonky due to his environment. After a moment's pause, as he was a teeny bit afraid to see what sort of beastie thingy would live here, he raised his eyes to gaze upon his "attacker."

Fully anticipating seeing some sort of ethereal creature that reigned over nothingness or something like that, Link was quite shocked to see what appeared to be an ordinary teenager. Even more surprising, the teenager looked…just like him. Link couldn't stop his mouth from dropping open.

You've got to be kidding me! There's…there's another one!?

Link was understandably a bit frightened, especially given his recent encounter with one of his lookalikes. Okay, he could understand why he and Kallah looked alike. They were brothers, and well, biology n'stuff. He could even—sorta—guess why the nutjob from earlier who nearly killed him resembled him. He probably got plastic surgery or something to resemble Link and Kallah to strike fear in them or something sadistic like that. But here? Why did this guy look so much like Link?

"Ah, are you taken by my devilishly good looks? Hate to tell you that you're not really my type." The boy winked, leaning down over Link and giving a wide grin. Even though Link was still a bit hesitant, he had to admit that this "Other" didn't seem intimidating or harmful at all. As if he was reading Link's thoughts, the "Other" reached down and laid a gentle, comforting hand on Link's shoulder. From his touch, Link could sense that this "Other" truly didn't mean him harm. But still…

"Why do you look like me?" Link asked quietly, looking away. Even though this one wasn't a threat, Link still couldn't get his mind off the battle from earlier. He no longer felt comfortable looking at his own face.

To his surprise, the "Other" gave a booming laugh. "Because we're related, of course. There's this thing called genetics. Shouldn't a kid your age know about that kind of stuff?"

"We're related?" Link couldn't tell if he was joking or not. Link wanted to believe that he was, but there was something so serious behind the twinkle in the "Other's" eyes that Link knew he was telling the truth. Well, that was fine and good, but…how? How were they related?

"Well, you can't really tell time in here, but my guess is you're one of my descendants. Wait a minute, you can't technically be my descendant. If you can't be my descendant, that means…" After a moment of his debate with himself, the "Other" suddenly gave a small, genuine smile. The tone of his voice completely changed, and instead of the playfulness that charmed it earlier, he sounded truly relieved. "…I'm glad."

While Link didn't follow the "Other's" little self argument and he certainly didn't understand why his mood changed, he did get the feeling that the two of them were connected. Maybe he really was his descendant. Regardless, it made him feel a little more comfortable again. Now that he was at least 90% his ancestor—it was better to think of him as Link's ancestor instead of another Other—wasn't going to harm him, he had a few questions he needed to ask.

"What is this place?" Link asked, pulling himself up. Thankfully, his ancestor was in front of the boarded up door thing, so Link could look at him and not worry about getting blinded. His ancestor shook his head, as if still thinking about whatever was on his mind earlier, and turned back to face Link.

"This is the realm between worlds," he explained softly. "There are two worlds that coexist peacefully. Think of them as two sides of the same coin. There's the world you currently reside in, which we call the Realm of the Living, and then there's the other world called the Spirit Realm."

Link nodded. None of this was a real surprise to him, he already knew about spirits and the Spirit Realm. That being said, he was only really familiar with the basics. To his limited knowledge, the "Realm of the Living," or the "Life Realm" as it was usually called, was where humans and other races lived. They would be born and they would die. The other world was the Spirit Realm. Just like the name implied, it was inhabited mostly by the spirits of people who died. There was a certain plane of the Spirit Realm where the deities lived, and then there were various different levels and places spirits resided, depending on their spiritual status. Not every human in the Life Realm entered the Spirit Realm after they died, in fact, most humans just became another part in the circle of life. Even if he knew all of that, he didn't know there was another world between those two.

"In order for a mortal being to enter the Spirit Realm after their death, there are certain conditions that must be fulfilled. First, the being must possess at least adequate spiritual energy. Secondly, they must be deemed worthy of eternal spiritual paradise by the deities. That's why most people end up unable to join the Spirit Realm," Link's ancestor continued, leaving out the basic bits because he knew Link understood. Link nodded again. It really did all make sense. He was pretty certain a condition like that. The Spirit Realm was a type of paradise, so of course the deities wouldn't let bad or unworthy people join the Spirit Realm. It seemed a little unfair, especially since he knew that every human being was inherently flawed, but that didn't mean he didn't understand.

"You seem like a smart kid, so I'm sure you've heard all of that before. You're probably wondering what this world's gotta do with the others. You see, as you've probably figured out given your outburst earlier, you're not exactly alive here. At the same time, as you can also probably tell, you're not really dead, either. You see, you're currently a spirit. This is what your body would feel like if you were in the Spirit Realm. Pretty nice, isn't it? Other than some occasional discomfort as you interact with your environment, such as being affected by that light, you don't feel pain. You don't get tired. You don't get hungry."

A spirit? So this was what it felt like to be a spirit? Link looked down at his body again. He could feel himself touching his shirt, he could still feel the movement of the ground, and he could even catch a faint whiff of some sort of smell. It was as if his five senses were still working, but the rest of his body wasn't living. He could understand why many considered entering the Spirit Realm as an eternal paradise.

"You possess a strong spiritual energy. Your heart is pure. There's no doubt in my mind that you were chosen by the goddesses," Link's ancestor continued to explain as he watched the young hero poke his body, testing his senses. "This world exists for such people. It's a pathway between worlds. When someone possesses extremely strong spiritual energy finds themself on the brink of death, their spirit comes here. They have the choice to either enter the Spirit Realm, or return to the Life Realm."

Huh? Link looked up. That made very little sense. "But wait," Link interrupted. "I don't get it. Such a strong user would enter the Spirit Realm if he died anyways, right? Wouldn't he choose to go back to the Life Realm?"

"Not necessarily," His ancestor said with a shake of his head. "The deities considered this to be an act of mercy for their chosen ones. True, no matter what that person will still enter the Spirit Realm when they die, but that's the point. They'd have to die first. This gives you the option to enter early, even if you aren't exactly dead. It was intended to be for people with terminal illnesses or fatal injuries, so they could enter the Spirit Realm without having to suffer through death first."

Well, Link guessed that made sense. The Goddesses and the other deities loved their chosen ones, right? Of course they would want to make their suffering as little as possible, right? But still. Something…something seemed off. The intention was good, wasn't it? But wouldn't everyone try to go back to the Life Realm? Wouldn't they try to live as long as they could because the end result would still be the same? Or was that just Link?

"That's the official reason, but…" Once again, Link's ancestor's tone changed, this time sounding almost spiteful. "You would want to go back to the Life Realm, right? It's just like you said. You would try to live as long as you could in that world because no matter what, you could go to the Spirit Realm later. Think about it for a moment. When you first realized you weren't alive, what did you do? You surveyed your surroundings and you gathered that this was some sort of path between the two worlds. Then what? You wanted to get back to the Life Realm. But where did you run?"

"I…" Link paused for a minute, looking at the still boarded door thingie behind his ancestor. "I ran this way."

"And why did you run this way?"

"The light…the white light…even though I knew I wasn't really alive, it was so bright I couldn't look at it. You're right, it's just as you said. I thought this was a portal between worlds, and I thought that light was bad, so the Life Realm must be this way."

"Exactly." All signs of playfulness and laughter were gone now, and his ancestor's eyes were devoid of any sort of light or hope. "You were looking for the Life Realm, as many have before you. However…" he raised his hand and pointed to the blinding light behind Link. "That is the door to the Life Realm. The door you were drawn to, the door with the comforting light, is the Spirit Realm."

Link's eyes widened in shock. He started to turn around to look at the door to the Life Realm, but was forced to look away when the light was just too bright for him to handle. He was drawn to this door. One could say he was even fooled into believing this was the entrance to the Life Realm. If this really was a fair choice for the user, why did the deities have to create that light? Why did the deities have to lure their chosen ones to an early death? Why would they do such a thing?

"Surprised, are you? I don't blame you. I was like you once. I believed in the Goddesses. I believed in deities and always wanted to enter the Spirit Realm. I thought it was the most wonderful thing. Like you, I was one of their chosen ones, blessed with immense spiritual power. Then I discovered how little they actually care about us. I saw them screw over my family time and time again, despite the fact we were supposedly their most 'beloved' and 'treasured' ones. If we were so precious, why did they always hurt us? Why did they always screw with our destinies?"

Link was surprised at the venom in his ancestor's voice. Just before, he seemed so carefree and playful. Link could tell that he was a good person. At the same time, Link could feel the hatred and resentment brewing in his ancestor's heart. Maybe it was genetics or because their spiritual energies were similar, but Link could feel every bit of his pain. Was this hatred towards the gods the reason why he was trapped here?

Wait a minute, his ancestor was trapped here?

How did I know that?

"We're connected, you and I. By blood, by destiny, the whole nine yards. As you sensed, yes, I'm trapped here. As a matter of fact, I don't know how long I've been trapped here. It's felt like millennia. While I have the occasional visitor for about two seconds, I've been here alone, stuck in this accursed existence, forced to toil about in this nonliving state for all eternity. This is my punishment." His ancestor turned away from Link, obviously not wanting Link to see him in this state. Link could only guess that he was trying not to cry, which his ancestor found to be completely and utterly embarrassing. Link wanted to go over and comfort him, to tell him that it was okay, but he was afraid he would make it worse. Instead, he turned away, allowing his ancestor a moment to regain his composure.

Why? The question kept swirling around in Link's mind. Why? Why would the Goddesses or any deity for that matter allow this to happen? Why would they allow him to suffer so much? He wasn't a bad person. He couldn't be. Link didn't sense a single bad bone in his ancestor's body. He may have been warped by hatred and loneliness, but he was an honestly genuine person. To be trapped alone for eternity…what—if he did anything for that matter—did he do to deserve this?

His ancestor gave a few small coughs and shook his head, slapping Link gently on the back to get the young hero to face him again. Although he had regained that previous smile and twinkle in his eye, now all Link saw was a façade, a desperate attempt to mask to hide an eternal pain. Link could barely bring himself to look at him, he only did it so his ancestor could have the wonderful experience of actually looking at someone in their eyes.

"Enough. I shouldn'tve said all of that. I usually don't say a thing to people who come here, but…but…anyways! You have to get out of here. While I'm sure your body is okay for now, you might want to return to it just in case something happens. You may not know it, but time flows in this world the same as it does in the Life Realm. You were unconscious for most of it, but you've been in here for about six hours."

Six hours? That long? Link wanted to jump up and bolt towards the Life Realm no matter if that awful light was burned into his retinas for all of eternity, but to his surprise, he couldn't move. Six hours was long? What was he thinking? How could he be so concerned with his own situation, when…?

Instead of moving, Link looked up at his ancestor, still on the ground, as tears streamed down his face. Yeah, he was really getting a bit tired of crying all of the time, but he couldn't help it. Like his ancestor had said, he and Link were connected. Link could feel the loneliness. He could feel the resentment. He could feel his ancestor's desire to actually be with someone. Link didn't know how long he had, but…

"I swear to you," Link said softly, in-between badly stifled sobs, "I will stay here with you until the moment I have to return. Regardless of how long that actually takes. I will keep you company so, even if just for a moment, you don't have to be alone."

"Hey," His ancestor knelt down beside him and once again placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. With the other hand, he wiped away Link's tears with his hand, trying not to scrape the young hero's cheeks with his gauntlets. At that moment, he reminded Link so much of Kallah. Unfortunately, that only made the boy cry harder, despite his desperate attempts not too. He was really pathetic, always crying all the time. Kallah once said it was endearing, because it proved Link cared, but…

"You can only return to the Life Realm while your body is still alive," his ancestor continued softly. "There's no way to tell how long that will be. I know your body is still alive, because the light is still harsh from the portal, but I have no way of judging how long that will be. Not to mention, because your spirit isn't there, many of your loved ones may believe you really are dead and they may take drastic action. You have to go back to them. You have to continue to show them the kindness that you have already shown me."

"It's not fair," Link insisted. He felt his body shake, as if the earth was trembling from a quake. He stared into his ancestor's pure eyes, and could sense the eminent goodness that radiated from his inner spirit. "It's not fair that someone like you, someone who is inherently so good, is condemned to such an awful fate. No one deserves this."

Ruffling Link's hair like Kallah always did, his ancestor flicked him gently on the nose. "It'll be okay. I sure as hell don't believe in those so-called Goddesses or the fake deities, but I do still believe in humans. Besides, I have to keep people from making the same mistake that you just did. I have to keep encouraging people to live."

He was putting on a brave face and damn Link knew it, but he didn't know what else to do but listen to him. Wiping away the remainder of his tears, he allowed his ancestor to help him stand. His ancestor grinned and gave him a big thumbs-up, as Link once again saw that playful twinkle in his eye. As much as Link hated to leave him here to toil in eternity alone forever, he did have to return to the Life Realm. Too many lives depended on him. But, before he went…

"What's your name?" Link asked.

His ancestor laughed. "Of course. Where were my manners? I never introduced myself. My name is Leo."

Link smiled. The name reminded him of a lion, and his ancestor certainly fit the bill. A bit rough around the edges, definitely prideful, but possessed a strong and compassionate heart. Hell, Leo's messy golden hair resembled a miniature lion's mane.

"I'm Link."

"I know," Leo said, his small sad smile returning, "I've always known that was your name. Because…you're just like him."

A billion questions instantly popped into Link's mind, the first being who the hell "him" was. However, he really did have to go, and hey, that would give him an excuse to visit again. Well, he didn't really want to be on the brink of death again, but he hoped that he would one day encounter Leo again. Maybe…maybe…maybe he would see him in the Spirit Realm. He forced himself to look away from Leo and closed his eyes, bracing himself to walk against the harsh light, but just before he left, the sound of Leo's voice stopped him.

"Link, promise me this…be careful. Things aren't always what they seem. I just don't want you to be used like my family and I were."

The one question Link had from the very beginning tickled the tip of his tongue. He'd refrained from asking due to the delicate nature of the subject, but if he didn't find out the answer it was going to drive him up the wall.

"Leo...why were you trapped here?"

Facing the Light Realm with his eyes closed, Link started to walk towards the harsh intensity. Leo's hollow response echoed throughout the wall-less corridor, the last thing Link heard before he rejoined the living.

"I killed a god."

Eh, it's a bit short, but a good place to end. You all know how much I love my endings!

Not much action-wise happened, but at least Link's alive! It's also why even though Zelda and Co. acknowledged Link was alive but in a coma, Kallah thought he was dead.

Does Leo's name sound familiar? It should! 1000 brownie points if you know who he is. ;)

Oh I have such a love-hate relationship with this story. It's my baby and I love it, but I have been making a lot of this up as I go. While it's led to a plot I really love now, the first few chapters seem so…unpolished compared to these more recent ones. Also, I believe (or at least hope) that my writing has significantly improved since I started this story, so I've looked back on past chapters and have just shook my head at them. Part of me wants to rewrite this, while the other part of me insists that it's okay and to keep moving forward. I'd be interested to hear your thoughts. I don't think I'd change many major plot points so far, but who knows?

Anyways, please leave a review! It would make my day!

I hope you're enjoying the story and I'll see you in the next chapter! (Whenever that will be xD)