It started like any other day, I had finished my last collage course before summer break and had returned to the dorm where i lived all year long. I was gonna chill and play the new game my friends had let me borrow, Zelda Breath of The Wild. I was excited to try it but as I sat down on the uncomfortable bed that was standard in the dorms I heard thunder rumble overhead.
"Lovely it's going to rain" I said aloud.
Shaking my head I grabbed my switch plugging it in and I laid back my head on my pillow, my long brown hair spilling out behind me. Starting the game I listened to the thunder and lightning as it raged outside the windows of my building. I had barely gotten out of the tutorial of the game when the lights overhead started to flicker, I sat up hoping that they weren't going to go out completely. The flickered a few more times before a blinding flash came from one of the transformers outside everything happened so fast. The slash had made me jump out of my skin, my arm shot out and knocked the water on my night stand over, sending it right onto the outlet where my switch was plugged in to and almost a quick i felt a zapping sensation from my other hand before pain flooded my entire body. The first jolt sent me to the floor and I smacked my head on the empty bed next to mine. I remember being shocked twitch more before a numb feeling invading my mind as the world blurred and eventually faded into black my blacked switch still grasped in my hand.
I awoke to a buzzing all over my body as if I had forgotten to turn off my alarm and it wouldn't stop vibrating. Opening my eyes it was dark except for a faint bluish glow, was it morning already? Had I been knocked out all night? I gave my head a test shake hoping nothing had been fried too bad. I really need to get to the ER to make sure I wasn't injured. I managed to push myself to my knees and squinted to see around where the light was coming from. The windows were dark and the lights remained lifeless and still. It was then I glanced down at myself and realized I was the light source. Panic started to claw at the back of my mind but I stuffed it back into its box where it had come from and got to my feet. I opened the night stand and brought out the flash light I kept there for times like these and flicked it on. The beam was small and narrow but it would be due for now, I shined it around the small room and spotted my switch still plugged in giving off the same weird blue glow that I was and bent over to get a closer look at it and the device sparked and started shaking ever so slightly.
"Oh man this is some freaky Friday bullshit." I muttered as I took a step away from the hand held.
The vibration got stronger and the blue one my skin started to slowly seep toward the screen and I felt the pull in my gut. I took another step back and turned around to run but the pull became too much and with a flash of blue my life as I knew it was gone.
It all felt like a bad dream, I was sure I would wake up in my crappy bed in my crappy little dorm like always but instead I felt wet and cold. I opened my eyes to a sort of twilight and sat up quickly. I rolled to my side and then to my knees to get a better look around. Once i had determined that I was alone I took stock of myself. I wasn't injured from what i could see though i couldn't feel much due to the addeline. I got to my feet and stumbled out of the entrance and down what was left of a ramp. It was only then that I realized my feet were bare and my close were wet, no wonder I was cold. I had only been wearing thin pjs and a tank top when I had been whisked away from home . I spotted an old chest in a dusty corner , walking over. I opened it and reached inside ,I found a small blade that was rusted and chipped and I slid it into the waist of my pj pants. I grabbed a piece of green fabric and used it to tie my hair out of my face since it was sticking to anything and everything. Now I was somewhat protected. I turned to face the rest of the room. There wasn't much here, scraps of wood and a few metal rings from long ago broken barrels. From what I could gather with my scattered thoughts and my half frozen mind I had somehow been sucked into the game due to the freaky storm and now I didn't know what to do. I shook the thought out of my head. I knew what to do, I needed to get the hell out of here and figure out my next step. I headed up the stairs and scaled the small wall managing to scrape my knees and feet in the process. The second set of the stairs opened up to a forested cliff side. My mouth dropped open; it was just like the game. I looked to the right and saw the ruins of the temple of time. I headed toward it hoping that I could take shelter until morning came and I could head somewhere else. The walk down the hill side was hard on my bare feet but I managed to get to the opening of the temple before I froze, I heard snoring. I peaked around the corner of the ruined pillar, there was a sleeping Bokobiln blocking the entrance.
"Well shit." I mutter under my breath.
I crept up the stairs when I spotted a bow and a quiver of arrows about 6 feet away from the sleeping monster. I swallowed hard, my heart shooting straight to my throat and I made my decision. I wasn't going to die this time in this unknown place, as quietly as I could I walked around to the bow and quiver, once I had them in hand I took a few steps back and strung the bow and aimed at the creature's head. I hesitated for only a second before I fired. The arrow sailed straight and true and struck right between its closed eyes. It died instantly and went up in a puff of black smoke leaving behind a fang and a couple horns. I gathered them and tucked them away in one of my pockets and continued on my way toward the interior of the temple. I stopped in front of the statue of the goddess not thinking anything would happen as I was not from this world and the goddess only spoke to Link who was the main character of the game.
"Young one." the statue whispers to me.
I jumped and started to take a step back.
"You are not from this world are you?"
"N-no i'm not i was brought here from a place other than this one." I told the statue feeling stupid for my phrasing.
From the statue a transparent form emerged and stepped toward me.
" Who are you?" I asked as the figure got closer to me.
"I am the goddess Hylia." The figure stated simply now close enough for me to get a clear look at her. She was transparante but I could see that she wore a light gold gown that ended at her feet and a silver crown was woven into her hair.
"Do you know why I am here and how I can get back home?" I asked as she studied me.
"I think i may know what you are here but at this time i am not sure of a way for you to return home." she said, cocking her pretty face to one side as she watched me.
"You know why I'm here?' I asked her not to touch my hair as her gaze roved over me and my mismatched outfit.
"Long ago we faced a great evil and needed a hero to set it straight. He did his part and freed us from the calamity but the princess was still nowhere to be found. He searched for many many years unable to find her and sank into a depression. He slowly stopped showing up to places to ask if anyone had seen zelda and as time went on people stopped asking where he had gone and moved on with their lives. It's been 50 years since we were set free and link went missing. I requested a hero of some kind to try and find him. I didn't specify what kind of hero or where he or she was from. " she finished looking a bit sheepish.
I sat down heavily on the steps and tried to absorb what all she had just told me. I had been summoned to be a hero for the goddess hylia in the world of a video game. I stuck my head between my knees and tried to not pass out when I felt a chilly press on my bare arm, goose bumps immediately began to break out across my skin and I shivered.
"So you're telling me I have been summoned to a world I don't understand to help people I don't know for an unknown amount of time and I'm not even guaranteed a chance to go home." I asked my voice, holding a bit of a bitter edge. She simply nodded and waved her hand and a small fire sprang up and it's warm glow made the shadows around us dance. Hugging my knees, I turned back to her and thought hard about what I was going to do. She simply watched the fire, not seeming to be in a hurry. I bit my lip and stood up moving closer to the fire and sat down again with my back against one of the many crumbling walls of the temple that surrounded us.
"Well the way i see it i have no way of getting home right now and i have nothing better to do no offense." I said and instead of being mad she threw her head back and laughed.
"If I let something so small offend me then I wouldn't be much of a goddess would i?" She said still laughing and I couldn't help but crack a smile too, the situation was just so left field it was impossible not to laugh at it.
"If i'm going to help out i'm going to need to be more prepared than i am currently, going to need better clothes maybe some weapons and a pack or someway to carry supplies. Where is the nearest place to find any of these items?"
"I can give you the clothing and pack and you will have to tell me what weapons you will need." she said to me as she stood up and motions for me to do the same.
" a sword and shield will do and maybe a spear or staff for longer range attacks." I replied.
She waved her hand again and my damp we replaced with lightweight sturdy black pants that stopped mid calf and sage green tunic stopped at mid thigh. Nearby a pair of boots sat with what looked like wool socks on top of them. A belt at my waist held my shirt in place and a small glowing purple sword hung from it.
"That crest is the goddess crest. It will let anyone that you may come across know why you are there and why you are asking questions. The symbol is also on the wrist of your left hand." she said pointing to my hand.
I looked down and sure enough a light lavender goddess crest was delicately tattooed on my left wrist. I nodded and my ears twitched , wait what? I reached up to feel my ears and found that they had grown a bit and three dangling earrings hung off each ear. I turned a questioning glance Hylia's way and she just shrugged.
"That is the way normal people here look." She said then stood.
"I have done all I can for you at this time it is up to you to figure out what has happened and help Link out of whatever had happened to him. Oh I almost forgot this." She said as she held out a sheikah slate.
"This will help you map out the areas of the land and to travel by shrine once they are reactivated, most of them shut back down after link went missing. Some of them are still active but not all. You should get some rest and start out in the morning to get a head start. I must return the statue but I will keep an eye out over you while you rest so no harm will fall on you here. " she said, her voice starting to echo and she started back up the stairs. I watched her go and felt slightly sad .
" You are the champion of the goddess young one, young Zila." Her voice was a whisper now and I sank close to the fire, removing the sword and setting it near my boots. I clutched the slate and stared at the fire listening to the echoing of hylia's voice as I fell asleep.
