Legends of the Waker: Remnants of Old

Chapter LXIII: Escape

(Link)

After an explosion of light that pressed itself against my eyes, the world seemed to dissolve before me, colors running together and blurring. The ruby on the wall seemed to be getting closer and closer. Everything ran like this for a few minutes, and then my sight began to recollect itself. I tried to move several times, and found myself incapable. I seemed to be in a different room. I could see a gray pillar, set against a wall filled with more thick veins of Ruby in the walls. I also saw what looked like a ruby sword sticking out somewhere over there.

And still I couldn't move. I soon realized I also couldn't smell, feel, hear...or breathe. Panic hammered my brain for a moment, but soon died out. I wasn't dying.

What had happened to me? Why was I stuck like this?

More importantly, how was I going to get myself out of it?

(Zelda)

Hopeful dreams are the only thing that kept me going. At night, recovering from a flood of pain, I would see vivid pictures of possible futures. Link smiled and picked me up, walking over the threshold of a small house on a beautiful island. Link grinning as we laid in the grass of that same island, light breezes ruffling our hair, a full moon smiling back down on us. Children running everywhere, climbing on Link, stealing food, and one asking me to kiss a scrape.

But then other, darker nightmares would enter in. Me locked in battle with a giant, blue-skinned Moblin. Link, broken on the ground, getting stabbed through the heart. Link, a Rito I didn't recognize, a much older Tetra and I, standing in the court of a strange castle, where a spindly-legged creature with spinning eyes sat on a throne, tilting it's head.

That one seemed to stick. Green stone walls patterned with ivy in deeper shades of the same color stood around us. But the room wasn't that big. It was a small windowless box, containing the six of us, and...it. I swallowed distastefully as I took in the being that sat on the ornate gold throne, glinting dully in the lamplight.

An oval shaped head. A long, segmented neck. Eyes the color of the walls, but spinning, always spinning, so fast they made spiral patterns. Four long black limbs, twisting seemingly of their own accord. A golden carapace that almost gleamed like the throne behind it. A wide mouth, trapped in an evil grin.

The hairless insect seemed to be waiting for something. ...But what?

I looked over at my companions for the first time. Link was standing right next to me. He wore a simple brown tunic and carried a single sword, which, I noted with interest, was neither the Master nor the Left, as he called the sword he'd taken from Ganondorf. His familiar blue hat remained perched atop his mop of blond hair. He looked back and tossed me a skewed grin, twisting one of the long white scars on his face. He was unworried. Confidant. That reassured me, but only for a moment.

That means nothing. He's always confidant, I thought to myself. He looked much older. A little taller and less skinny, and I realized I was older as well. I guessed we were in our late twenties.

Tetra was only recognizable because she looked so much like me. Her blond hair was cropped up, and she wore the loose garb of a pirate. The same clothes I was wearing. Looking at her reminded me of my own hair. Back to almost waist length. The Rito was obviously a postman. He wore a bag at his shoulder and kept shifting from foot to foot. Nervous?

The insect man seemed to be leaning over in his seat, almost hungrily. Everyone kept glancing at me. Was I meant to speak?

Link peeked back at me, then stepped forward and began to speak.

"King of Iim. We have come from a faraway ocean seeking land for our people to resettle. In the wake of Ganondorf's defeat at my hand, we humbly ask for your aid."

For some time, the king did not speak. Then the words came rattling from his body. A hoarse rasp like the voice of a dying man. "We...will not...help you."

Link, a poor diplomat, spoke his next words colored with anger. "Then we will be on our way," and without another word, the four of us turned and began to leave. I glanced back for a lingering moment, and felt a dull thread of horror clench my stomach as the insect king began to speak again.

"You...cannot... leave, my... pets."

In a blur of movement Link had drawn his sword and lunged at the creature. Vines of ivy lurched from the wall and wrapped around him. I reached for the sword at my waist and instead found a bow. I can make that fly, I thought, pulling an arrow from the quiver that had gone unnoticed on my back, the way only years of habit can make something do. I leapt back and fired an arrow point blank, just as Tetra drew a sword and the Rito pulled something from his bag.

In seconds, Link was stuck to the wall, limbs swinging wildly, Tetra fought surprisingly well, better than even I could wield a sword, but she was quickly swept up by the vines as well. My arrow was caught in one of the insect's spidery palms. The Rito drew out a shining silver orb. The surface danced in the torchlight.

The Rito spoke with a stutter of fear but held his ground even so with admirable bravery. "I-I ho-hold in my hand the Terrasina Sphere. R-release my friends at once or I-I will destroy you, and everyone within ten miles."

While the King of Iim concentrated on the orb, I drew another arrow, and quietly took aim. My arrow missed, going wide, but to my shock, an arrow was suddenly piercing his neck. Link dashed up, urging the Rito to put the Sphere away. "We mustn't use it, Quill." As Tetra was freed and we made for the door, the dying King spoke again.

"GEYT THYRP LILIL!"

The double doors that were the only exit burst open, and a flood of insect people stormed in. We were soon surrounded by spinning eyes, fluttering limbs.

I moved my bow the way I'd taught myself, launching arrows that stuck in limbs, necks, and the ivy. One insect man advanced on me and I fired an arrow that bounced off his bronze colored shell. The next struck his eye and sent a cloud of smoke in the air.

Link was a moving power, bringing down three, four, five, six enemies in a minute. Quill had pulled out a boomerang and begun launching it at multiple targets at once. It crossed paths with Link's boomerang, which followed his sword around, slamming an enemy from behind and drawing it towards his deadly blade.

But the battle was taking the toll it was bound to. I was covered in bruises from being grabbed by absurdly powerful limbs. Tetra's hair had fallen over her face, cloaking one eye, the other glaring out at undiscerning enemies. And Link was covered in wounds.

Soon our adversaries began to carry weapons. Whips that seemed to be made of the wall-ivy, and strange, clockwork weapons. After a handle and a bit of machinery, a long dull blade with appropriately sharp teeth would spin, slicing through any barrier. Grinding noises filled the air as sword met miniature blade, and soon blood began to litter the floor. Our blood.

Link fought his way to me and looked at me with infinite sadness in his blue eyes. "You must escape. I give you life."

"No. I won't leave you. We'll help Tetra and Quill escape, and you and I will die together if we must." Even in this strange future, my love for Link was unchanged. Strong. I couldn't see him hurt.

He shook his head. Somehow the outside world had slowed. I knew Link was doing it, but also that he couldn't hold it up for long. "You must go. If not for us, do it for our son. Escape." He smiled, kissed me, and suddenly time swung into full motion again.

But Link was gone.

Lost in the crowd.

The four of us kept fighting. There was no other way, but Link was always there to protect us. And soon, wounds began to whisper of the Hero of Time's coming doom.

Out of the darkness that had descended over me, I heard a scream. Tetra had seen Link fall to his knees. But it didn't matter. Our enemies were leaving. I spun full circle, gazing through the crowd for a glimpse of him. There! Shoving my way through, I landed on my knees beside Link. He'd fallen backward. His body was covered in whip lacerations and chainsaw cuts. I felt for a pulse...

The Hero of Time was dead.

I came awake screaming.

I knew what I had to do. It was time for me to escape.

Chapter LXIV: Strange Times

(Fado)

Pain and sorrow fought to rule over me as Holly and I searched for Mako. It didn't take long. With my new form of vision, I could see that our lost friend was nowhere on the ship. But I couldn't give up. Couldn't face going on without him. I didn't know what I'd do if we never found him. Holly was a comforting balm in these dark times. She'd changed. Even as Holly shared my agony, she had gained a spark about her. The very spark I felt as though I'd lost.

Laughter, happiness, it all seemed so far away now. As far as I was from my dear home. From the shelter of the Great Deku Tree, and the ease of living in a world where suffering was not a normal occurrence.

We were searching an isolated room far removed from the rest of the cabins. I couldn't see much. Life had not touched this room for some time. Holly glowed a brilliant violet, but other than that, there was nothing. I was turning to leave, when I saw a flash of blue. I concentrated, and saw a book. I pointed, and began to walk towards it.

As it turned out, the book was actually in a secret compartment behind a chest of drawers, which was blocked off by a trunk. As Holly opened the book and began to read, normally I would have said we were wasting time, but I'd seen the cover of the book. It had to have answers. The title read CAPTAIN'S LOG.

(Mako)

I wasn't sick anymore.

The battle was over. I'd found the will to fight from somewhere deep inside and gone to it savagely. Thoughts of what I'd done hung over me, weights ready to crash down. What was this quest doing to us? Kokiri are creatures of peace! The senseless mauling had stopped when I'd caught both leaders. Eventually my shouting cut through the frenzied bloodlust and people stopped to look up the hill at me.

Maybe I was going to be sick after all. These two peoples were obviously longtime enemies. What could I say to make them stop fighting? I held them both beneath a sword. One appropriated from each. "What are you doing, Maker? Release me, so that are enemies may be destroyed. Kill Karbuzal, and I will forgive you the evil you've done today." I ignored him. The Faceless Chief's words meant nothing. Except...

"Marauders! I am your chief now!" I cried out, plunging the sword deep into Karbuzal's stomach and twisting it through to the heart.

"All hail our new chief!" one Marauder shouted. Cries swept over the crowded press of warriors. I all but collapsed sobbing with relief. It was over. I was wrong. One death did matter. It had made all the difference.

"One of them cannot lead us!" An old Marauder shouted.

"No, look closely! He is not like them, but like both our peoples." The Marauder that had first cried out to me replied.

I cried out that there would be no more fighting. Shaking hands with the Faceless Chief, I gasped in shock when pain flowed from it. When I withdrew, I realized I'd been stabbed.

"Do you know why our world has no sun in sight, Maker? Legends say the evil of our people made it hide its face."

Chapter LXV: Torn

(Laruto)

I felt broken. Defeated. I was already locked in battle with Octo I had risen from the sea on. But for what? Were my friends even alive anymore? Did I have any hope of surviving this?

As weariness pressed in on my sore muscles and tired eyes, I fought on. There was nothing else to do. Perhaps if I could get past it, I could go on alone, and complete my quest.

As I flitted into the water and swam underneath a net of tentacles, a sudden, massive, blast pushed me deeper into the water. When I stopped reeling, I looked up to see that the Octo above me, and all the others, were gone.

I surfaced and saw the gray, rainy world lit by thin strands of golden light that spread across the sky in arches. I followed them down to a tiny point almost too far away to see. Shimmering gold, with her hair lit up and floating behind her stood what appeared to be a queen.

I looked closer and gasped.

Zelda!

After a moment she became the young pirate I'd known before and slipped into the waves. As tired as I was, I didn't have much time before I could swim no longer. I would be fine, but what if Zelda needed my help?

A cry broke the sad, twisted air, and I turned to see Medli struggling. Now I didn't know where to go. Surely Zelda would be okay? Without a second thought I was helping Medli up, and we were limping towards the Headstone Isle.

At last, I crashed into the sands of the island I strived so long for. I'd lost my people, my home, and in many ways, my self. Broken dreams of the future I almost had had haunted me every day. I'd been hunted, lost, broken, hated, and even raised an army. I'd had so many fight, so much pain.

But none of that mattered then, as I collapsed onto the sand with Medli beside me and lost the world before my eyes were fully closed.