Disclaimer: Obviously I do not own The Legend of Zelda or any of its characters.

Chapter 1

Lightning flashed across the sky, casting long black shadows across the tombstones for an instant. Violent torrents of rain cut through my tunic, soaking me to the bone. Any typical Hylian would have found shelter to wait the storm out by now...but I suppose I am not like most.

The solemn tombstone of my mother stands before me, unaffected by the violent weather. Perhaps she was the only soul that could have healed the wounds I sustained over the long years of battle-the only one who had the power to save the saviour of the country.

I clutched the Master Sword's hilt in my left hand. Time seemed...nonexistent to me. Hope no longer burned in my heart. After everything I had done, I was still a stranger in this world. Sure, I was the one who rejected Zelda's offer to go back and relive the seven years I had missed...but I thought that maybe, if I remained in the future, I could enjoy what I had accomplished. I had thought that I might finally belong.

No...that's not how it turned out at all. No one was there for me...no one could ever be there for me. I will admit, some of them tried. Malon...goddesses, I wonder what she'll think of me after this. Will I break her heart? Am I wrong to do this? No...it wouldn't matter what I did. She only wanted me because I was the hero. She wanted the glory, not the real me. She would find someone else once the glory sparkles had faded, and then discard me like the rest had.

I would always be alone...

Tears raced down my cheeks, hidden by rivulets of icy rain. I had killed so much in my lifetime...I could never be who I once was. No matter how much I tried to run from the past, it always came back. Not long ago, a child ran away from me in fear, calling me a monster. The look of terror in his eyes still haunts me to this day.

'Perhaps that is what I really am. Not a hero, but a killer,' I thought, staring at the tombstone, but not seeing. My tortured heart seemed to flow without any solid framework. After everything, I was still a freak. The same 'boy without a fairy,' the same reject. We can only be who we are, no more, no less. After all these years of fighting, thinking that maybe I would finally prove them wrong...show them all that I'm more than a freak...

It seems I have only proved them right.

My listless gaze shifted to the blade of the sword hanging at my side. Lightning scorched the clouds, threatening to blind me with its reflection on the smooth steel. It would be so simple...so easy to just end it here and now.

This is not the first time that these thoughts have haunted me. Many a sleepless night I wondered what it would be like to die. Would the afterlife prove to be peaceful? Would it release me from the unending pain in my heart?

The sound of screeching laughter faded in and out on the wind-the goddesses were enjoying my plight. Din was the thunder, shaking the earth in uncontrolled glee. Farore was in the treetops, swaying in the violent wind with wild amusement. Nayru...she was the stinging rain, pelting the gravestones with her fits of hysterical laughter. They were mocking me. I had fought for them, thrown my life away without even knowing what I was getting myself into. They had been planning this all along, ever since they'd killed off my mother and thrown me into the clutches of the Kokiri...

And now that I had spent my usefulness, I was nothing but a joke to them. They'd gotten tired of their toy and abandoned me-they and the rest of Hyrule.

Zelda was not much different. Now that she no longer had use for me, she's busied herself with her "royal duties." Even after Impa had revealed the shocking news that we were brother and sister, she seemed too preoccupied to trouble herself on my behalf. I'm worth nothing to her now.

I tried going back to the forest for awhile, but it didn't feel the same. Most of the villagers still avoided me, and though Saria tried her best to make me feel welcomed, I knew I could no longer live in my old home. I was never one of them, and I could never be one of them.

When I went to Darunia, he simply assured me that things would get better. I tried to believe him for awhile, but his words eventually faded, leaving me feeling even more hallow than before. It seemed nothing could make this emptiness go away.

I lifted my sword as thunder roared across Hyrule. Maybe something could make it end...the one thing I had yet to try. If I couldn't find peace in life, then maybe I could find it in death. Some might say it was a coward's act...an excuse to run from one's duties, but what do rumours mean to a dead man?

Lightning scorched a tree in the distance, a sharp crack pierced my ears. Without a moment's more hesitation, I swiped the blade across my right wrist. Hot, crimson liquid spilled from the fresh wound. It wasn't long before I could no longer see the tear in my flesh. Rainwater mixed with my blood as it ran down my arm, staining my tunic and white undershirt. In no time at all it was dripping-no, pouring onto the muddy earth below. I could already feel the cold spreading through my limbs.

I would die...no, not die. I had died long ago. I had died when I pulled that blasted sword from the pedestal. I had died when I blindly accepted to do as the deku tree asked. Now the same sword that had created Hyrule's precious savior would also destroy it. I was no longer needed-what difference would it make?

After a few minutes, I began to feel light headed. My legs were no longer capable of supporting my weight. My knees buckled, and I found myself on the ground, my face close to the muddy earth. Darkness consumed me. The howling wind and rain faded out; my body grew numb...and for the first time, I felt completely at peace.

I was finally free.

T.B.C.

Rewritten on February 25, 2005.
The rest will be rewritten shortly. I've kept a copy of the original first chapter. If anyone really wants to see it, just ask in your review or something.

I doubt I'll be adding any new content until the rest of this is rewritten and fixed up. There are some key details missing that really need addressing. Please politely point out any spelling or gramatical errors, and I'll be more than happy to fix them.

Have patience and all will be explained.

Until we meet under the stars' light again, farewell and good luck.
A disheartened LinkSage