He felt as if he fell free, above a great turbine that whirled gusts of cold air into his body, yet his eyes remained closed, and he continued to play the song. When he opened his eyes, he was once again standing before the gold and blue door, and his feet were free.
Thank you, Gardorous, for giving me one more chance, he said silently.
He drew his Sword and held it in front of his face. The blade began to dissolve.
In the next room, Karod hovered silently, anticipating the entry of his prey. In the center stood his slave, Link, standing as still as a statue, his face a rigid set of stone. Karod waited. What was taking so long?
The door exploded violently, propelling fragments of the door and the wall with it to the other end of the room, knocking Link off his feet. Through the rubble lumbered a monstrous beast, its face a grotesque set of fangs and glowing eyes, its head decorated with curled horns as thick as trees, its massive fists wielding dual wicked, golden blades, which it swung menacingly. It arched back and bellowed, swinging its spiked tail, and turned to Karod, to whom it once again swung its blades.
Ganon!
He didn't know why the Prince of Thieves was after him, or how he had escaped from the Sacred Realm, but Karod was suddenly afraid, seized by an emotion that had not felt for many years. He backed into a wall, terrified, locking gazes with the horrible monster, coming closer and closer.
Ganon roared, and swung at Karod's head, barely missing, and taking a slice out of the wall. Karod scrambled away, turning at the last moment to face the beast and whatever would come next. Ganon was swinging wildly at the air, taunting him, when suddenly a clatter on the floor broke his commotion. The Lens of Truth, having slipped out of the beast's grasp, lay on the floor.
With a telekinetic grab much faster than any gesture made by the other, Karod swiped up the lens and held it to his eye. Suddenly he began to laugh.
"Ah, the elusive Micah!" he cried. "Your new sword has proven useful, I see! Well, I'm afraid that, like all tricks, it produces no effect once its secret is discovered!"
The Ganon illusion disappeared. Before Karod stood the little Kokiri, garbed in tattered, bloodstained forest clothing, wielding a glittering sword. His face was set, rigid, indifferent.
"I finally have you," said Karod. "No more tricks, or illusions, or fantastic beasts springing from dreams. I will do away with you myself!" He lifted his hands and began to mutter an indiscernible chant.
But Micah did not move. He stood his ground, his eyes burning with a flame anew. "You cannot frighten me anymore," he said, his calm voice thundering in the enormous room. "I have crossed deserts, slain monsters, braved storms, endured heartbreak and waged battles to come here. I am the Master of the Sword of Illusion, and if fate wills it, my time will come and I will accept it will a strong heart!"
He held his sword up at Karod, and for a moment, though not caused by any trick of the Sword, he appeared as a tall, noble Hylian, robed in white, bravely fending off evil with this beautifully forged sword designed for that purpose. But it soon passed, and Micah appeared again as a small Kokiri, beaten and worn by trials long past.
"Do your worst, you miserable man! I do not care any longer if my life is taken. Strike me down with all your might!" he cried.
Karod was taken aback for a moment, but he recovered, and returned to his chant. His hands were wreathed in fire that grew, until his whole body was engulfed in flames, anxiously awaiting their attack.
A silver arrow streaked through the air and struck the Lens of Truth, shattering the face, which clattered softly on the ground. Both heads turned to the other end of the room, where Link stood, holding a bow in his hands.
Karod's jaw dropped in shock. "How did you...?"
"Your moment of uncertainty before your greatest fear has set me free," Link said. He turned to Micah. "Thank you, Micah. I may now rest in peace." And he was gone.
Karod turned to Micah in time to see the gleaming blade of his sword dissolve in front of his face. The room was instantly filled with astonishing illusions. Karod thought that he could see Micah everywhere he turned. The thousands of Micah images held their swords in positions of attack, and crept closer to bring Karod's doom. Karod cried out and tried to flee, but a gauntlet of Micahs blocked the way to the door. He was quickly encircled, while his enemies prepared to deliver the fatal swing. In a final outburst of terror, Karod summoned his powers and delivered them in equal force to every point in the circle. The illusions disappeared as quickly as they had come.
Karod stood in a position of tense anticipation of an attack from a possible enemy who he did not see. For a while his breathing was the only noise in the room. Suddenly and quickly, a glimmer of metal whirled through the air, and in an instant, the Sword of Illusion was lodged in Karod's forehead.
Micah stood like a statue, watching Karod's body slump to the ground. The sound of the broken hilt of Link's Biggoron's Sword hitting the floor echoed acutely in the large room. Micah fell to his knees, holding his hands to the blood soaked front side of his tunic. His mind slowly came to the conclusion that, although conducted in panic, Karod's final attack was not a waste, for the concussion had thrust some unknown projectiles into Micah's abdomen. And then his face hit the cold, stone floor.
His eyes opened, and he felt peace.
He was no longer in the hard, cruel, stone fortress of Karod. He saw nothing, yet could see everything. He felt no pain, and knew no weariness. He knew, somehow, that his journey was over.
Where am I? he called.
There was no answer. A moment passed, and then he became aware of the presence of another.
Who is there? he said.
I am, came a reply. It was so startlingly clear and sharp a sound that he was sure that the speaker had been speaking into his ear, yet he saw no one there.
Who are you? he demanded.
I am the Dream Caster, came the response, as clearly and as sharply as before. As to the answer of your first question, you are in the presence of the Dream Caster. Any clearer of an answer would be inaccurate.
This was the kind of answer he got from both Gardorous and the Great Deku Tree, and it normally made his stomach turn. This time he felt no effect. Only peace.
Why am I here? he asked. He waited for a response, until he realized that he already knew the answer. I... I died back there, didn't I.
Yes, said the Dream Caster. However, moments earlier you had slain Karod, thus liberating me from his grasp. According to the law set forth by the gods who created me, that makes you my new master. Your soul, that is. That is why I could not give you a clear answer to your first question. You are physically nonexistent, but the very fact that you are my master gives your soul consciousness in the physical world.
Micah did not speak for some time. This was too much information for him to absorb.
Micah, do you know why you died? said the Dream Caster.
No, said Micah.
It is because you had fallen victim to the trap explained to you by Gardorous. The blinders of illusions were set before your eyes, and so you...
Illusions?! Micah cried, astonishing himself by his interruption. That's impossible! I had the Eye of Truth, the Sword of Illusion...
Not physical illusions, Micah, said the Dream Caster. Illusions set up by you and your presumptions. See, you really believed that you were the One. Gardorous's conviction seemed so strong. This conviction manifested itself in the World of Delusion as the fortress of the Sword of Illusion.
Micah was stunned. That whole fortress was an illusion? he cried. Even the prisoners?
The true fortress is yet to be found, was all the Dream Caster said.
Micah couldn't believe it. Then why was the sword so effective against Karod? he said.
You were convinced that the sword you retrieved from the fortress was the Sword of Illusion. This, coupled with Karod's worries that you were, indeed, the One, manifested itself in illusions that mirrored those of the true Sword of Illusion in power. Karod believed that the sword was true so much that he succumbed to its false power.
Silence echoed once again. Micah, disturbed as he was, remained at peace.
You tricked yourself into believing you were something you were not, the Dream Caster continued. You longed to be like your friend Link all your life. When the opportunity came, you assumed the masquerade that you had been preparing for all those years. That was your ultimate downfall.
Silence.
But enough negativity, the Dream Caster said, taking a different tone of voice. You did succeed in freeing me from Karod. Now the dreams of all in Hyrule will remain at peace.
But what's the point? Micah wailed. I'm dead. So is Link, and presumably, Belle. You were right; I shouldn't have gone off on this quest on a false notion. I should've paid attention to that legend...
Ah, yes. The famous Kokiri legend: all Kokiri who leave the Forest Haven will be doomed to death. Tell me, Micah, do you really believe that that legend is any more valid than the "false notion" that set you off on your quest?
Micah had no answer. At last, he was compelled to ask his most pressing question. Now that you're free, and I'm dead...what happens?
There is only one thing that can happen as long as I am in your power. I can offer you a lifelong dream, in which you would never want to wake up. I can give you the life that would have been had the Army of Minds never existed.
What would the point of that be? Micah cried. I would be living a lie!
Micah, considering all the illusions you had lived under in your true lifetime, would it be any more of a lie? said the Dream Caster. Truth is only what we make it. If you choose to believe that the life I'm about to offer you is invalid, then that's what it is. However, if you choose to believe that this life is the life you've always lived, that also can be true.
Micah thought about it for a long time. He was tempted by the idea. He longed to feel the gentle breeze of the Kokiri Forest, and to see the glow of fairies dancing in front of the backdrop of time-old trees. He longed to feel the flutter of Belle's pink wings as she flew playfully around his head. He longed for the friendship of Link, who was more of a guardian to him than the Great Deku Tree itself. He longed for the days of carefree happiness, when he would fight heroically against inanimate foes, which he knew would never fight back. He even longed for the tall, scratchy weeds of the deep woods, which he would brush against but not care as long as it was real, all of it. Most of all, he longed for the days when he looked forward to fighting, instead of actually doing it.
The bittersweet nostalgia shattered the peace. He felt his sorrow vibrating in the emptiness.
I'll do it, he said. On one condition.
Of course.
Micah paused. I don't want to remember any of what happened to me, he said. Any of it.
Of course.
Again, the peace overpowered him. With a final farewell and thanks to the Dream Caster, Micah's eyes, which would never again see, closed shut.
Thank you, Gardorous, for giving me one more chance, he said silently.
He drew his Sword and held it in front of his face. The blade began to dissolve.
In the next room, Karod hovered silently, anticipating the entry of his prey. In the center stood his slave, Link, standing as still as a statue, his face a rigid set of stone. Karod waited. What was taking so long?
The door exploded violently, propelling fragments of the door and the wall with it to the other end of the room, knocking Link off his feet. Through the rubble lumbered a monstrous beast, its face a grotesque set of fangs and glowing eyes, its head decorated with curled horns as thick as trees, its massive fists wielding dual wicked, golden blades, which it swung menacingly. It arched back and bellowed, swinging its spiked tail, and turned to Karod, to whom it once again swung its blades.
Ganon!
He didn't know why the Prince of Thieves was after him, or how he had escaped from the Sacred Realm, but Karod was suddenly afraid, seized by an emotion that had not felt for many years. He backed into a wall, terrified, locking gazes with the horrible monster, coming closer and closer.
Ganon roared, and swung at Karod's head, barely missing, and taking a slice out of the wall. Karod scrambled away, turning at the last moment to face the beast and whatever would come next. Ganon was swinging wildly at the air, taunting him, when suddenly a clatter on the floor broke his commotion. The Lens of Truth, having slipped out of the beast's grasp, lay on the floor.
With a telekinetic grab much faster than any gesture made by the other, Karod swiped up the lens and held it to his eye. Suddenly he began to laugh.
"Ah, the elusive Micah!" he cried. "Your new sword has proven useful, I see! Well, I'm afraid that, like all tricks, it produces no effect once its secret is discovered!"
The Ganon illusion disappeared. Before Karod stood the little Kokiri, garbed in tattered, bloodstained forest clothing, wielding a glittering sword. His face was set, rigid, indifferent.
"I finally have you," said Karod. "No more tricks, or illusions, or fantastic beasts springing from dreams. I will do away with you myself!" He lifted his hands and began to mutter an indiscernible chant.
But Micah did not move. He stood his ground, his eyes burning with a flame anew. "You cannot frighten me anymore," he said, his calm voice thundering in the enormous room. "I have crossed deserts, slain monsters, braved storms, endured heartbreak and waged battles to come here. I am the Master of the Sword of Illusion, and if fate wills it, my time will come and I will accept it will a strong heart!"
He held his sword up at Karod, and for a moment, though not caused by any trick of the Sword, he appeared as a tall, noble Hylian, robed in white, bravely fending off evil with this beautifully forged sword designed for that purpose. But it soon passed, and Micah appeared again as a small Kokiri, beaten and worn by trials long past.
"Do your worst, you miserable man! I do not care any longer if my life is taken. Strike me down with all your might!" he cried.
Karod was taken aback for a moment, but he recovered, and returned to his chant. His hands were wreathed in fire that grew, until his whole body was engulfed in flames, anxiously awaiting their attack.
A silver arrow streaked through the air and struck the Lens of Truth, shattering the face, which clattered softly on the ground. Both heads turned to the other end of the room, where Link stood, holding a bow in his hands.
Karod's jaw dropped in shock. "How did you...?"
"Your moment of uncertainty before your greatest fear has set me free," Link said. He turned to Micah. "Thank you, Micah. I may now rest in peace." And he was gone.
Karod turned to Micah in time to see the gleaming blade of his sword dissolve in front of his face. The room was instantly filled with astonishing illusions. Karod thought that he could see Micah everywhere he turned. The thousands of Micah images held their swords in positions of attack, and crept closer to bring Karod's doom. Karod cried out and tried to flee, but a gauntlet of Micahs blocked the way to the door. He was quickly encircled, while his enemies prepared to deliver the fatal swing. In a final outburst of terror, Karod summoned his powers and delivered them in equal force to every point in the circle. The illusions disappeared as quickly as they had come.
Karod stood in a position of tense anticipation of an attack from a possible enemy who he did not see. For a while his breathing was the only noise in the room. Suddenly and quickly, a glimmer of metal whirled through the air, and in an instant, the Sword of Illusion was lodged in Karod's forehead.
Micah stood like a statue, watching Karod's body slump to the ground. The sound of the broken hilt of Link's Biggoron's Sword hitting the floor echoed acutely in the large room. Micah fell to his knees, holding his hands to the blood soaked front side of his tunic. His mind slowly came to the conclusion that, although conducted in panic, Karod's final attack was not a waste, for the concussion had thrust some unknown projectiles into Micah's abdomen. And then his face hit the cold, stone floor.
His eyes opened, and he felt peace.
He was no longer in the hard, cruel, stone fortress of Karod. He saw nothing, yet could see everything. He felt no pain, and knew no weariness. He knew, somehow, that his journey was over.
Where am I? he called.
There was no answer. A moment passed, and then he became aware of the presence of another.
Who is there? he said.
I am, came a reply. It was so startlingly clear and sharp a sound that he was sure that the speaker had been speaking into his ear, yet he saw no one there.
Who are you? he demanded.
I am the Dream Caster, came the response, as clearly and as sharply as before. As to the answer of your first question, you are in the presence of the Dream Caster. Any clearer of an answer would be inaccurate.
This was the kind of answer he got from both Gardorous and the Great Deku Tree, and it normally made his stomach turn. This time he felt no effect. Only peace.
Why am I here? he asked. He waited for a response, until he realized that he already knew the answer. I... I died back there, didn't I.
Yes, said the Dream Caster. However, moments earlier you had slain Karod, thus liberating me from his grasp. According to the law set forth by the gods who created me, that makes you my new master. Your soul, that is. That is why I could not give you a clear answer to your first question. You are physically nonexistent, but the very fact that you are my master gives your soul consciousness in the physical world.
Micah did not speak for some time. This was too much information for him to absorb.
Micah, do you know why you died? said the Dream Caster.
No, said Micah.
It is because you had fallen victim to the trap explained to you by Gardorous. The blinders of illusions were set before your eyes, and so you...
Illusions?! Micah cried, astonishing himself by his interruption. That's impossible! I had the Eye of Truth, the Sword of Illusion...
Not physical illusions, Micah, said the Dream Caster. Illusions set up by you and your presumptions. See, you really believed that you were the One. Gardorous's conviction seemed so strong. This conviction manifested itself in the World of Delusion as the fortress of the Sword of Illusion.
Micah was stunned. That whole fortress was an illusion? he cried. Even the prisoners?
The true fortress is yet to be found, was all the Dream Caster said.
Micah couldn't believe it. Then why was the sword so effective against Karod? he said.
You were convinced that the sword you retrieved from the fortress was the Sword of Illusion. This, coupled with Karod's worries that you were, indeed, the One, manifested itself in illusions that mirrored those of the true Sword of Illusion in power. Karod believed that the sword was true so much that he succumbed to its false power.
Silence echoed once again. Micah, disturbed as he was, remained at peace.
You tricked yourself into believing you were something you were not, the Dream Caster continued. You longed to be like your friend Link all your life. When the opportunity came, you assumed the masquerade that you had been preparing for all those years. That was your ultimate downfall.
Silence.
But enough negativity, the Dream Caster said, taking a different tone of voice. You did succeed in freeing me from Karod. Now the dreams of all in Hyrule will remain at peace.
But what's the point? Micah wailed. I'm dead. So is Link, and presumably, Belle. You were right; I shouldn't have gone off on this quest on a false notion. I should've paid attention to that legend...
Ah, yes. The famous Kokiri legend: all Kokiri who leave the Forest Haven will be doomed to death. Tell me, Micah, do you really believe that that legend is any more valid than the "false notion" that set you off on your quest?
Micah had no answer. At last, he was compelled to ask his most pressing question. Now that you're free, and I'm dead...what happens?
There is only one thing that can happen as long as I am in your power. I can offer you a lifelong dream, in which you would never want to wake up. I can give you the life that would have been had the Army of Minds never existed.
What would the point of that be? Micah cried. I would be living a lie!
Micah, considering all the illusions you had lived under in your true lifetime, would it be any more of a lie? said the Dream Caster. Truth is only what we make it. If you choose to believe that the life I'm about to offer you is invalid, then that's what it is. However, if you choose to believe that this life is the life you've always lived, that also can be true.
Micah thought about it for a long time. He was tempted by the idea. He longed to feel the gentle breeze of the Kokiri Forest, and to see the glow of fairies dancing in front of the backdrop of time-old trees. He longed to feel the flutter of Belle's pink wings as she flew playfully around his head. He longed for the friendship of Link, who was more of a guardian to him than the Great Deku Tree itself. He longed for the days of carefree happiness, when he would fight heroically against inanimate foes, which he knew would never fight back. He even longed for the tall, scratchy weeds of the deep woods, which he would brush against but not care as long as it was real, all of it. Most of all, he longed for the days when he looked forward to fighting, instead of actually doing it.
The bittersweet nostalgia shattered the peace. He felt his sorrow vibrating in the emptiness.
I'll do it, he said. On one condition.
Of course.
Micah paused. I don't want to remember any of what happened to me, he said. Any of it.
Of course.
Again, the peace overpowered him. With a final farewell and thanks to the Dream Caster, Micah's eyes, which would never again see, closed shut.