Micah saw the army come. He trembled as it collided with the pathetic line
of Hylian soldiers, mowing them down in one terrible sweep. Belle danced
about in panic.
"We need to help him, Micah! Go! What are you waiting for?" she screamed in despair. But Micah's limbs were like lead, and his mind was blank. He was all but still, aside from his trembling limbs.
Suddenly, there happened a strange thing. The huge army disappeared in a flash, and all that was left were the crumbled remains of Parapa.
Micah spurred Epona and she galloped fiercely, although Micah had done so gently.
When he reached the remains of the town, his heart was seized with anguish. There were none standing. He leapt off Epona's back, desperately calling "Link! Link!" None other than the howling wind answered his call.
He fell to his knees in the smoldering rubble, holding his head in his hands, sobbing, and then something shiny caught his eye. His eyes fell to a Goron sword, hewn in two. Micah gently placed his hand on the hilt, damp with sweat. His eyes searched the rubble furiously, seeking what his mind refused to see. Then they found what they had sought.
"Oh, Link..."
Micah reached his hand out, then withdrew, and was silent. Never in his short life had he imagined this moment. He, a simple Kokiri boy, lamenting over the death of the great Link, his idol, his friend... the man who was like a father to him. Micah sat, in silence, alone.
He saw Link's ocarina, lying next to its fallen owner. Micah took it with trembling hands, felt the holes on its side, felt the engraving of the Triforce on the mouthpiece. Tears streamed slowly down his cheek. It was soon joined by a heavy shower of raindrops, which quenched the smoldering flames billowing haphazardly in the rubble, and washed Micah's tears from his eyes.
Micah made no effort to shield himself from the rain. Epona trod slowly down the muddy path to the forest, while Micah's head remained drooped. With him, he took the last tangible memories of Link... the newly bought shield, the hilt of the Goron sword, and the Ocarina of Time. But they could give no comfort.
Micah rode all the way through Kokiri forest. Epona stopped, lowered her head, and started munching on grass. Micah didn't bother to move her. Instead he sat there, drenched in rain and sorrow.
"Why doest thou dwell in woe, young Micah?"
The booming voice was that of the Great Deku Tree. It grew in the center of a large clearing. For eighteen years it had been the Great Deku Tree. It was very young, but it was still very wise.
"Oh, Great Deku Tree," Micah sobbed. "It's Link. He's... he's... gone." Micah dropped his head, bawling.
The tree was silent for a moment. Then it spoke again. "And why doest thou grieve so?"
"He was... my... my best friend," said Micah. "My best friend in the whole entire world! Oh, Great Deku Tree... why did he have to die?"
"The passing of others is never painless," the tree said. "But it is a natural occurrence. Do not be in despair, for Link's time had come. His passing has made way for your time."
Strangely, the Great Deku Tree's words brought slight comfort to Micah. He gazed at the tree's knowing eyes, puzzled. "M...my time?" said Micah, sniffling.
"Doest thou deem thy meeting with yon army mere chance?" the tree said. "Nay, Micah, this new menace must be dealt with by you, and no other. This is thy quest. Go now, Micah, to the Lost Woods. Thither, thou will find the next step."
Micah stared at the Deku Tree for a great while, studying its deep, knowing eyes. Then, he yanked Epona's reins, turned her around, and took off.
The Deku Tree watched him go. "Farewell, young Micah," it whispered.
Micah rode deep into the Lost Woods, and soon became immersed in thick mist. For a while he rode in silence, but it wasn't long before he was lost. He slapped his knees in frustration.
"Why couldn't the Deku Tree give me more information?" he cried. "Why does he always have to speak in riddles?"
Belle popped out of his pocket, and spoke for the first time since the massacre of Parapa. "Maybe you could retrace Epona's steps!"
But the hoof marks left in the mud intertwined between nearly every tree. Micah shook his head. "No, we can't leave the woods now. We have to find whatever the Deku Tree was talking about." Epona whinnied, and took off running through the mud.
Suddenly, Belle cried, "Shush!"
Micah pulled gently on the reins, bringing Epona to a halt. He paused, listening. He could hear nothing but the dull sound of heavy raindrops falling from wet branches and the occasional birdcall.
"What is it?" he said.
"Shhh! Don't you hear it?"
Micah listened again. Then he heard it: a faint, faint ocarina tune playing in the distant.
"Follow that sound!" Belle whispered.
Micah rode Epona in the direction of the tune. It became louder and louder, until even the clap of hooves hitting the ground could not drown it out.
A cliff face emerged through the mist. Micah yanked on the reins, and nearly fell backwards in the process.
He felt the cold, damp surface of the rocky face. He couldn't see the top, and it was practically unclimbable. Yet the tune was loudest there, and it seemed to be coming from no other place than where Epona stood at that moment.
Then Micah had a thought. He glanced over his shoulder, towards where he came from. He turned Epona around and took off in a direction perpendicular to the wall.
"What are you doing?" Belle squealed.
"I have an idea," said Micah.
"You're going to make us lost!"
"We can't get any more lost than we are now. Just bear with me."
As Epona galloped, the ocarina tune grew fainter, until there was complete silence in the woods. Micah kept up the pace, neither slowing nor changing course.
Finally, a cabin appeared out of the mist. On its front porch sat an old man, playing an ocarina, yet making no sound whatsoever.
Micah leapt off the horse. The man lowered his instrument and looked at the boy with a toothless grin.
"Good job finding me," the man said.
"How did you do that?" Micah cried.
"How did I do what?" the man asked casually. He raised the ocarina to his lips once again. He played the same catchy tune, but this time, the ocarina sounded like a full orchestra. Micah was baffled. "Things are not always as they seem," the man said when he stopped playing. "Or happen as we believe they should. For instance: what would happen if I drop this ocarina?"
"It would hit the ground."
The man held out the ocarina, and looked at Micah again. "What else?" he said.
Micah shrugged. "It would sit there," he said. "Maybe break."
The man dropped the ocarina. It hit the ground all right, but bounced like a ball, right back into the man's hands. The man laughed.
Micah cleared his throat and spoke sternly. "Sir," he said. "Did you lure me here with your song just to show me magic tricks?"
"No, certainly not," the man said. He flicked his wrist, and the ocarina was gone. "Though they are pleasant to watch, aren't they? No, Micah, I have brought you here to aid you in your quest to rid the world of the army that killed your friend."
Micah folded his arms across his chest. "How did you know my name?" he said. "And about Link?"
"Telepathic," the man said promptly. "Micah, now is not the time to wonder about such things. I am a wizard, and in the next few days, you will get used to seeing them, I am sure."
"Who are you?" said Micah.
"Who am I?" The man laughed. "That's obvious, isn't it? I'm a senile old hermit who is very good at magic tricks. Now, what my name is, that is a different question."
"What is your name?" Micah asked, irritably.
"My name is Gardorous," the man said. He reached into the crack between the porch floor and the ground, and brought out his ocarina. "And the reason I am showing you these magic tricks is because you will need to learn to not trust your eyes, if you are to survive these next few days. 'What will happen to my ocarina if I drop it?' You said it would hit the ground and possibly break, because you know the effects of gravity on small, ceramic instruments. But that is not what happened."
"Why?"
Gardorous lifted his finger, revealing a line of string wrapped around the ocarina and tied to his finger. It was an ocarina, but also a yo- yo. "Now you know why," he said. "But you will not always know in the World of Delusion."
"What?" said Micah, startled.
Gardorous drew in a deep breath, and sat for a moment in thought. Finally, he said, "Every night, we have dreams, be them pleasant or ill. But where are we, exactly, when we dream? In our minds? That is only a partial truth. Every night, when you dream, you travel to an alternate world, the World of Delusion. All dreams take place in it. No road leads to it. No artist can draw it, because it is constantly changing, constantly morphing into new dreamlands.
"All this is orchestrated by the Dream Caster, an intangible specter residing deep within the World of Delusion. Anyone who reaches the Dream Caster had the power over all the dreams in the world. Because of this fatal flaw, the Dream Caster was sealed within a great orb, where it has stayed for many years."
"What does this have to do with my quest?" said Micah, impatiently.
"An evil wizard tampered with the orb," Gardorous said. "In the process, the seal between the World of Delusion and our world was torn. Now dreams can flow into our world, and people can travel into the World of Delusion more easily. That is how the Army of Minds got here. The Army of Minds is really a collaboration of dreams that have been cursed and used by the wizard. That's the army that killed your friend."
Micah clenched his teeth and shook his fists. "How do I destroy this army?" he muttered.
"It cannot be destroyed," said Gardorous, "except at the source. You must go to the World of Delusion and defeat the evil wizard. Once he is gone, the spell over the souls will be gone, and their dreams will cease."
Micah shook his head helplessly. "But how do I get there?" he said.
Gardorous stood up, and a blanket of fog wrapped thickly around him and his house, until both were invisible. Faintly, Micah heard him say, "Go to the Kakariko graveyard. There you will find your answer." The fog receded, and both the man and his house were gone.
"We need to help him, Micah! Go! What are you waiting for?" she screamed in despair. But Micah's limbs were like lead, and his mind was blank. He was all but still, aside from his trembling limbs.
Suddenly, there happened a strange thing. The huge army disappeared in a flash, and all that was left were the crumbled remains of Parapa.
Micah spurred Epona and she galloped fiercely, although Micah had done so gently.
When he reached the remains of the town, his heart was seized with anguish. There were none standing. He leapt off Epona's back, desperately calling "Link! Link!" None other than the howling wind answered his call.
He fell to his knees in the smoldering rubble, holding his head in his hands, sobbing, and then something shiny caught his eye. His eyes fell to a Goron sword, hewn in two. Micah gently placed his hand on the hilt, damp with sweat. His eyes searched the rubble furiously, seeking what his mind refused to see. Then they found what they had sought.
"Oh, Link..."
Micah reached his hand out, then withdrew, and was silent. Never in his short life had he imagined this moment. He, a simple Kokiri boy, lamenting over the death of the great Link, his idol, his friend... the man who was like a father to him. Micah sat, in silence, alone.
He saw Link's ocarina, lying next to its fallen owner. Micah took it with trembling hands, felt the holes on its side, felt the engraving of the Triforce on the mouthpiece. Tears streamed slowly down his cheek. It was soon joined by a heavy shower of raindrops, which quenched the smoldering flames billowing haphazardly in the rubble, and washed Micah's tears from his eyes.
Micah made no effort to shield himself from the rain. Epona trod slowly down the muddy path to the forest, while Micah's head remained drooped. With him, he took the last tangible memories of Link... the newly bought shield, the hilt of the Goron sword, and the Ocarina of Time. But they could give no comfort.
Micah rode all the way through Kokiri forest. Epona stopped, lowered her head, and started munching on grass. Micah didn't bother to move her. Instead he sat there, drenched in rain and sorrow.
"Why doest thou dwell in woe, young Micah?"
The booming voice was that of the Great Deku Tree. It grew in the center of a large clearing. For eighteen years it had been the Great Deku Tree. It was very young, but it was still very wise.
"Oh, Great Deku Tree," Micah sobbed. "It's Link. He's... he's... gone." Micah dropped his head, bawling.
The tree was silent for a moment. Then it spoke again. "And why doest thou grieve so?"
"He was... my... my best friend," said Micah. "My best friend in the whole entire world! Oh, Great Deku Tree... why did he have to die?"
"The passing of others is never painless," the tree said. "But it is a natural occurrence. Do not be in despair, for Link's time had come. His passing has made way for your time."
Strangely, the Great Deku Tree's words brought slight comfort to Micah. He gazed at the tree's knowing eyes, puzzled. "M...my time?" said Micah, sniffling.
"Doest thou deem thy meeting with yon army mere chance?" the tree said. "Nay, Micah, this new menace must be dealt with by you, and no other. This is thy quest. Go now, Micah, to the Lost Woods. Thither, thou will find the next step."
Micah stared at the Deku Tree for a great while, studying its deep, knowing eyes. Then, he yanked Epona's reins, turned her around, and took off.
The Deku Tree watched him go. "Farewell, young Micah," it whispered.
Micah rode deep into the Lost Woods, and soon became immersed in thick mist. For a while he rode in silence, but it wasn't long before he was lost. He slapped his knees in frustration.
"Why couldn't the Deku Tree give me more information?" he cried. "Why does he always have to speak in riddles?"
Belle popped out of his pocket, and spoke for the first time since the massacre of Parapa. "Maybe you could retrace Epona's steps!"
But the hoof marks left in the mud intertwined between nearly every tree. Micah shook his head. "No, we can't leave the woods now. We have to find whatever the Deku Tree was talking about." Epona whinnied, and took off running through the mud.
Suddenly, Belle cried, "Shush!"
Micah pulled gently on the reins, bringing Epona to a halt. He paused, listening. He could hear nothing but the dull sound of heavy raindrops falling from wet branches and the occasional birdcall.
"What is it?" he said.
"Shhh! Don't you hear it?"
Micah listened again. Then he heard it: a faint, faint ocarina tune playing in the distant.
"Follow that sound!" Belle whispered.
Micah rode Epona in the direction of the tune. It became louder and louder, until even the clap of hooves hitting the ground could not drown it out.
A cliff face emerged through the mist. Micah yanked on the reins, and nearly fell backwards in the process.
He felt the cold, damp surface of the rocky face. He couldn't see the top, and it was practically unclimbable. Yet the tune was loudest there, and it seemed to be coming from no other place than where Epona stood at that moment.
Then Micah had a thought. He glanced over his shoulder, towards where he came from. He turned Epona around and took off in a direction perpendicular to the wall.
"What are you doing?" Belle squealed.
"I have an idea," said Micah.
"You're going to make us lost!"
"We can't get any more lost than we are now. Just bear with me."
As Epona galloped, the ocarina tune grew fainter, until there was complete silence in the woods. Micah kept up the pace, neither slowing nor changing course.
Finally, a cabin appeared out of the mist. On its front porch sat an old man, playing an ocarina, yet making no sound whatsoever.
Micah leapt off the horse. The man lowered his instrument and looked at the boy with a toothless grin.
"Good job finding me," the man said.
"How did you do that?" Micah cried.
"How did I do what?" the man asked casually. He raised the ocarina to his lips once again. He played the same catchy tune, but this time, the ocarina sounded like a full orchestra. Micah was baffled. "Things are not always as they seem," the man said when he stopped playing. "Or happen as we believe they should. For instance: what would happen if I drop this ocarina?"
"It would hit the ground."
The man held out the ocarina, and looked at Micah again. "What else?" he said.
Micah shrugged. "It would sit there," he said. "Maybe break."
The man dropped the ocarina. It hit the ground all right, but bounced like a ball, right back into the man's hands. The man laughed.
Micah cleared his throat and spoke sternly. "Sir," he said. "Did you lure me here with your song just to show me magic tricks?"
"No, certainly not," the man said. He flicked his wrist, and the ocarina was gone. "Though they are pleasant to watch, aren't they? No, Micah, I have brought you here to aid you in your quest to rid the world of the army that killed your friend."
Micah folded his arms across his chest. "How did you know my name?" he said. "And about Link?"
"Telepathic," the man said promptly. "Micah, now is not the time to wonder about such things. I am a wizard, and in the next few days, you will get used to seeing them, I am sure."
"Who are you?" said Micah.
"Who am I?" The man laughed. "That's obvious, isn't it? I'm a senile old hermit who is very good at magic tricks. Now, what my name is, that is a different question."
"What is your name?" Micah asked, irritably.
"My name is Gardorous," the man said. He reached into the crack between the porch floor and the ground, and brought out his ocarina. "And the reason I am showing you these magic tricks is because you will need to learn to not trust your eyes, if you are to survive these next few days. 'What will happen to my ocarina if I drop it?' You said it would hit the ground and possibly break, because you know the effects of gravity on small, ceramic instruments. But that is not what happened."
"Why?"
Gardorous lifted his finger, revealing a line of string wrapped around the ocarina and tied to his finger. It was an ocarina, but also a yo- yo. "Now you know why," he said. "But you will not always know in the World of Delusion."
"What?" said Micah, startled.
Gardorous drew in a deep breath, and sat for a moment in thought. Finally, he said, "Every night, we have dreams, be them pleasant or ill. But where are we, exactly, when we dream? In our minds? That is only a partial truth. Every night, when you dream, you travel to an alternate world, the World of Delusion. All dreams take place in it. No road leads to it. No artist can draw it, because it is constantly changing, constantly morphing into new dreamlands.
"All this is orchestrated by the Dream Caster, an intangible specter residing deep within the World of Delusion. Anyone who reaches the Dream Caster had the power over all the dreams in the world. Because of this fatal flaw, the Dream Caster was sealed within a great orb, where it has stayed for many years."
"What does this have to do with my quest?" said Micah, impatiently.
"An evil wizard tampered with the orb," Gardorous said. "In the process, the seal between the World of Delusion and our world was torn. Now dreams can flow into our world, and people can travel into the World of Delusion more easily. That is how the Army of Minds got here. The Army of Minds is really a collaboration of dreams that have been cursed and used by the wizard. That's the army that killed your friend."
Micah clenched his teeth and shook his fists. "How do I destroy this army?" he muttered.
"It cannot be destroyed," said Gardorous, "except at the source. You must go to the World of Delusion and defeat the evil wizard. Once he is gone, the spell over the souls will be gone, and their dreams will cease."
Micah shook his head helplessly. "But how do I get there?" he said.
Gardorous stood up, and a blanket of fog wrapped thickly around him and his house, until both were invisible. Faintly, Micah heard him say, "Go to the Kakariko graveyard. There you will find your answer." The fog receded, and both the man and his house were gone.
