Now that I showed them I was willing to help, the mood lightened up considerably. The fire became warm and inviting, the air felt lively and joyous, and the sweat on my forehead and neck evaporated. I was just starting to wonder what I'd gotten myself into when I felt two small arms cling around my neck. Farore shouted excitedly into my ear, probably a 'thank you' if her kisses on my cheek were any indication. I looked up at Din and Nayru, whose gazes eased up on me as I hugged Farore back. Even Din seemed much calmer now.

Said Goddess caught my attention with a stout 'ahem' and said, "Now that you've willingly offered your services, we can explain more of the situation without fear of you backing out." I saw a glimmer in her eye that made me shudder.

I gulped and turned my gaze away as she continued. "It is true that the danger lurks in the future, but we would not be so naïve to think we could contain it by merely offering you power, wisdom, or courage. The true evil is coming to this dimension, to this time. That is why you must fight. This evil will devour the dimensions, realms, universes, or whatever you prefer to call them—"

"I like realms."

"Very well then, and don't interrupt me again. The evil will devour every realm one by one until nothing remains, and it will start with ours, what you would call the Legend of Zelda realm."

She waited several moments, which I took to mean it was my turn to speak. "Can't Link defend his realm? In fact, can't all the heroes protect their own realms? I said I'd help, but it looks unnecessary..."

Din seemed patient enough, apparently sensing my doubts and suggestions before I ever said them. She didn't glare either, only nodded in understanding. She looked like she was persuading a child to play with others.

Nayru moved swiftly but gracefully over and knelt to my left. Her sapphire eyes were much gentler than Din's and she smiled as only a mother could smile.

"Zach," she began, "you must understand that things in other realms are not as you have seen them before. At the current moment in Hyrule's history, you would consider it as the world presented in Twilight Princess, but this world has no Hero. Link does not exist in this period of history, but I can sense the courage inside you to become a Hero in your own respect. The evil will arrive in our realm in one week, but we plan to send you three days from now."

I merely nodded, as I was too stunned to do much else. The way her brow furrowed caught my focus again.

"But you must be warned, young one." I'm nineteen! "Every realm will hold differences, some major, some minor, from the way you have seen them before. Different paths will be taken, paths that were taken before will be changed now and above all, you must realize that unlike the video games you have grown up with, you do not get a second chance if you die. Once your health and strength is used up, it is Game Over."

I nodded again as I mulled over the information. I took several deep breaths as I tried to organize the whole thing clearly.

"Let me put this into terms I understand," I said, my voice shaky but still loud enough, though that probably didn't matter. "I go to your realm, save the day, come back here, but I only get one life so no room for error?"

All three Goddesses slowly shook their heads and Farore sat right in front of me as she said, "Ours isn't the only realm you will need to protect."

That puts a dampener on things.

Nayru placed her hand on my shoulder and warmth filled me. Her voice was all I could hear as she said, "You will need more assistance throughout your quest than we can give. You must gain allies from each realm you visit. You will know whom once you find them, or they find you. If, over the course of your journeys, you find others who have deep meaning for you or your allies, they may join you as well. Once you save our realm, we will return you and your chosen here to continue with your life until we are ready to send you to the next realm. Is your task clear?"

Naturally, yet another question popped into my head, so I asked, "Why three days? Wouldn't it be better if I left now?"

Din was the one who answered. "We understand time far better than your scientists and writers. Also, we wished to give you adequate chance to say your farewells and gather supplies."

I ran my hand through my short hair and sighed as I thought about what I would need to do over the next few days. In fact, three days seemed too long to wait for this to start. I didn't have much to gather or say to anyone, anyway. I only had to tell my friends Leila and Ryan, and my parents—

"My parents!" I cried out. "They'd never believe that three Golden Goddesses came and asked me to save all of reality from myself from the future and I have to leave and I don't know how long I'll be gone and—"

"Calm yourself, Zach." Din ordered firmly. My mouth shut instantly and I stared into the ruby eyes of Din. "We will speak with your parents tomorrow so that they will know the severity and importance of your quest." She cupped her chin in her palm and added, "I hope they will not be as foolhardy to convince as you."

My cheeks burned with embarrassment as I took a sudden interest in the carpet. "I feel like a kid waiting for permission to go to summer camp," I muttered.

Farore giggled and hugged me tight enough to hear bubbles in my spine pop. She planted more kisses on my cheek as she laughed out, "It is like a summer camp! You'll be outside, the sun will be shining, the Zoras will be swimming, and it'll be so beautiful!"

I laughed and patted her back as I said, "You wouldn't mind sharing some of that Courage with me, would you?"

The next morning, I woke up to the intoxicating smell of pancakes, bacon, and sausage links. After determining the time on my phone to be 10:34, I dressed in a pair of navy blue sweatpants and black T-shirt, and then made my way downstairs. I nearly slipped on the stairs when I saw Din, Nayru, and Farore all sitting at the table sipping at mugs of what I assume to be coffee, my parents and brother sitting across from them. Somehow, I completely forgot the events of the night before, so I was in for a shock once I saw the Three Golden Goddesses chatting with my family as if they stopped by every day.

Farore was, naturally, the first to greet me with an energetic wave and a syrup-smothered grin. "Zach! Come join us, the food is still warm."

I didn't want to make a scene so I squeezed into a seat between Farore and my mom. There was already a plate made for me, complete with two pancakes, two slices of bacon, and two sausages, just the way I liked it.

Breakfast seemed pleasant enough. The Golden Goddesses explained the situation and overall, my parents seemed calm and collected. They asked questions, the Goddesses answered, they made mild complaints here and there, such as what would happen for college, my career, my safety, and the Goddesses assured them that everything would be well worth it in the end. It seemed to take minutes, but three hours went by before they finally addressed me.

My father cleared his throat and gestured to me as he said, "I guess the only thing that's left is what you decide to do."

I nodded and rested my head on my fist so I could think. I didn't have to think about the decision; I took care of that last night. I only needed to think about what I would need, and who to tell that I would be going away for a while.

"Send me tonight," I said. "I'll be ready then."

The Golden Goddesses nodded, no doubt that they already knew what I thought. My parents, however, were less understanding.

"But Zach," my mom said, "are you sure you'll be set to go in just one day?"

I looked at her as I said, "I only have to pack some food, a bottle," I chuckled at that, "maybe a change of clothes, and a map. I can get all of those things quickly." I stood up and quietly excused myself to the basement, where my computer awaited.

I sat down into the leather desk chair and booted up my computer, while taking note that that might be the last time I use my computer, or any of my stuff, for a long time.

Ryan would be simple enough to break the news. He and I were good friends, but we tended not to hang out very much. Leila, on the other hand, would be practically heartbroken, since we knew each other since I was fifteen.

I decided to tell Ryan first and thus pulled up Skype, since he only used his Facebook every six months or so. As if it were divine intervention, which I don't doubt, he was online.

Me: Hey, Ryan.

Ryan: heya, sup?

Me: Listen, I'm going on a trip in a few days, so I won't be able to text or go to class for a few months.

Ryan: okay… where you headed?

Me: Can't say. You wouldn't believe me.

Ryan: try me :P

Me: Maybe when I come back. I'll have proof that I went where I said I went.

Ryan: alright, man. good luck to you and tell me how it went when you come back.

Me: I will. Try not to fail German while I'm gone. :P

I sighed in relief as I exited Skype. That was the sort of short-term goodbye I liked; short, painless, vague but interesting. Unfortunately, I knew Leila would be more difficult to hear this kind of news.

I logged into Facebook and saw that she was online as well. In truth, I was hoping she wasn't so that I could just send a short message and leave it at that.

Me: I need to tell you something.

Leila: …?

Me: I'm going away for a while.

Leila: Why? Where are you going?

Dammit.

Me: I can't tell you until I come back.

Leila: How long will you be gone?

Me: I don't know, few months maybe? At least two, maybe four.

Leila: :'( I'll miss you

Sigh.

Me: I'll miss you too.

Leila: *hugs*

Me: *hugs back* Take care.

Leila: YOU take care, mister. And be sure to text me sometimes while you're gone.

Me: I won't be able to text or call.

Leila: :'((( Why not? Are you avoiding me or something?

And here comes the guilt.

Me: No, I'm not avoiding you. I have to go on a trip to some place far away and cell phones and computers won't work there.

Leila: Okay… *kisses your cheek* Be safe and text me when you get home.

Me: I will. Bye.

I knew she would react that way, even though we weren't dating, but it still annoyed me that she was so melodramatic. I knew how she would get extremely depressed at the most ridiculous things, so I hoped with all my heart that she would understand that this was serious. Then again, I didn't exactly tell her that, but I hoped she'd figure that if I were going somewhere for months, it would be important.

Since I wasn't going to be using my computer for a while, I decided to power it off. After all, there was no sense wasting power if no one was there to use it. I ran a hand through my hair and sat back. I just needed to pack food, clothes, a bottle, and a map. I checked the laundry room and found two clean pairs of jeans along with a green dress shirt and blue polo. After dressing in the dress shirt and jeans, I headed upstairs to look for food that wouldn't spoil easily. I noticed a piece of paper, or was it parchment, on the table. It looked like a map of Hyrule from Twilight Princess, but it was different. For one, there were no labels to define what areas were what. The orientation suggested that it was the Gamecube version, since Gerudo Desert was on the left and Kakariko Village was on the right. Yet, the Gerudo Desert was reoriented so that the Arbiter's Grounds were on the western border facing east, Snowpeak was directly northwest of Zora's Domain, and all of North Faron Woods was mirror-flipped and rearranged so that the Forest Temple was facing north instead of south. Other than the outer geographic changes, everything else seemed just like it was in the game.

I set the map down and pulled my glasses off to rub the bridge of my nose. After a moment, I felt a warm hand on my shoulder and turned to see Din looking cheerful as always. She plucked the glasses out of my hand and crushed them without even blinking.

"What are you doing?!" I cried. "I need those to help me see!"

She said nothing as she pressed her index and middle fingers of her right hand into my forehead. I felt a cold sensation running from the point of contact to the retinas in my right eye. My vision blurred out and then focused back in, and Din removed her hand. I sat, or rather slumped, in the chair and rubbed my forehead to warm it back up.

Din lifted my chin and softly said, "I have given you a gift. You will no longer need glasses, as I have healed damage done to your eye and improved it so you can focus on farther and closer things."

I nodded and smiled at her. "Thanks."

She nodded back and moved away to give room to Nayru, who sat down on the chair next to me and gently pressed her thumb to my forehead. I felt a warm buzzing in my brain until she took her hand away.

"I have given you the ability to speak and understand foreign languages, not just Hylian, but any others that you may encounter on your journeys." She turned to my parents and blushed slightly. "He won't need to take German anymore."

I couldn't help but ask her why she hadn't come before. She only shrugged in reply.

Farore tapped my shoulder and thrust a small pouch into my face. It was rectangular and made of leather, with a lid and belt loops. I took it with respect and pulled open the lid to find that it was empty.

I lifted an eyebrow and asked, "What's this pouch for? It's too small to hold anything except maybe the map."

She giggled and buried her arm in the pouch, far more than should have been possible. I should have known better than to question a Goddess, but things were still settling in with me.

"It's a magic pouch," she explained, "that allows you to store as many items as you need. It has pockets so you can keep volatile or fragile items away from others, and insulation against extreme temperatures and it will never get wet. Plus, it's filled with basic provisions like a knife and flint, extra food, extra bottles, and more clothes." She pulled her arm out of the pouch and added, "No hiding people in it though, sorry."

"There goes my smuggling career," I said.

Now that I had a pouch, I put it to use, packing away my food and water, my spare clothes, and the map. I checked my watch and saw that it was 1:44. Time certainly flies when you're busy.

I mentally went over my checklist to make sure I had everything. I had food, clothes, water, a map, but I still felt like I was missing something. I snapped my fingers when it came to me.

"I need a weapon, something to defend myself with until I can get a real sword there."

My father nodded and headed up the stairs to his room, then returned minutes later with a wooden katana. He loved collecting melee weaponry, and he had enough to show for it. He had two steel swords, three ninja short swords, and half a dozen wooden katanas. The one he was holding was black with golden characters carved into the blade and maroon wrappings on the handle, but no hand guard. It was made of oak, so it was very sturdy, if not also a bit heavy. Thankfully, I had a habit of sneaking it away to play with it, since it was such a nice wooden sword. Too bad the steel swords were flimsy props, they would have been much more useful.

He handed it to me and I took it just as respectfully, gripping the handle and blade and sliding it through a belt loop on my left side. I was fully prepared, or as prepared as I could get, so I thought over what I would do first once I was in Hyrule. It all depended on where I landed. Since I had a map tucked away with me, I could easily determine where I was and which town was closer. I trusted the Goddesses would not send me to the Gerudo Desert, since I would have no way of getting off that splotch of land. I decided to voice my concern but Farore preemptively interrupted me.

"We're sending you to the Faron area of Hyrule Field, just outside the entrance to Faron Woods," she said.

I nodded gratefully and rewrote my plans. I decided to go straight to Ordon Village, since Rusl was a very skilled swordsman and could train me, and I could help with the ranch and maybe even get a horse to make travel easier. The cover story was simple and relatively honest enough: I was a traveler from a far away land and wanted to explore but needed a temporary place to stay and since Ordon Village was the closest to me, I would go there.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked up to see Din smiling, actually smiling, at me. The smile seemed warm and caring, far from the passive resentment I felt from her before. She nodded once at me and I nodded back.

It was time to go to Hyrule.