This chapter is a break from Link's point of view and will detail the plot and subplots that Link won't be able to see. Chronologically, the events in this chapter take place before and during the events of last chapter.

COUNTING STARS

— Interlude —

"Class," began Professor Rauru, clasping wrinkled hands together, "does anyone know the name of the city that was once airborne, according to legend?" A few students raised their hands, prompting Rauru to welcome their guesses with a beckoning gesture.

"Eldinburg?"

"Faronville?"

"Hateno?"

"England?"

"…England is not a city, Nick," sighed the professor, rubbing his temples with closed eyes. His exasperation was prevalent in his crinkly features.

Zelda could relate. It had been a slow grind for her to get through this day, and it was only fourth period. It was a Thursday, the final day of the semester, but more importantly, the final day before winter break. Her last final exams, she reflected with self-pride, had been yesterday, and she knew deep down that she had aced them. Zelda wasn't extremely athletic or talented at sports, besides the couple seasons of volleyball and cheer that she'd participated in as a child, but she had always excelled in academics.

Link, on the other hand, was entirely the opposite. She knew of his enhanced abilities, of course, that proved to serve him well in feats of strength and agility. But he struggled marvelously at school. Zelda's father had bluntly mentioned his unintelligence to her the other night, stressing about his poor grades that threatened to set the bar lower for Hyrule Academy's educational system. Some weeks, Link would barely show up! Too busy fighting thugs, Zelda would muse negatively whenever she gazed upon his empty seat. He hadn't been present to take the final exams, she'd been informed, but was excused from them by her father due to his late entrance into academy enrollment, therefore missing much of the required curriculum. But Zelda cringed whenever her father mentioned Link's name; he had this notion in his mind that the two of them were good friends, which left her feeling a strange combination of frustration and sadness. But she never had the heart to tell her father off.

Slapping herself mentally, Zelda frowned, displeased for allowing her mind to drift toward forbidden lands. Why had she randomly thought of Link? It pained her to even think of his name.

Zelda half-listened to Rauru's lecture about some sky-city that dropped to the earth to form a large plateau. It seemed far-fetched, as were most of these speeches. Even Zelda, in spite of her studiousness, could no longer bear to pay attention to the rambling geezer. Allowing herself to daydream, Zelda thought of her plans for the upcoming break. Ice skating with Malon, shopping with Midna, Karane's annual New Year's party. She'd spend time with her father, she decided warmly. And even her newly-discovered mother, as suggested by her newly-discovered half-brother, Sheik.

The bell rang, and she and her classmates eagerly got up to leave. "Zelda," called the professor just as she was about to exit. "Would you mind staying a minute?"

Zelda cringed, but turned around with a polite smile. She made her way back as the last of the students filed out of the classroom, some of whom sending her their condolences with sympathetic glances. "Yes, Mr. Lux?" she inquired, voice containing a subtle hint of a groan.

Rauru ran a hand over his bald head, pensive. "Forgive me for the blunt intrusion…" he began to say. He was choosing his words. "But how well are you acquainted with Mr. Link Gaiden?"

The question blindsided her, yet she showed the slightest of a reaction. It seemed wherever she went, she could not rid herself of that boy. Keeping her composure, however, Zelda took a breath before answering carefully, "I… used to know him."

Rauru seemed to catch on. "Oh," he said quietly. "I had not meant to strike a nerve. Did I—pardon me; did I cross a line?"

"No," she answered with a slight frown, "not really. Um…" Zelda paused, unsure of what to say. "Why?" she then settled to ask, simply.

"It's... complicated to explain, Miss Harkinian. I simply have some concerns that…" Rauru trailed off, searching for words.

"That what?" she prodded meekly, sea-green eyes set in a perplexed squint.

"That…" Rauru sighed, his face hardening. "That the kingdom is in danger. I received a message—a prophecy—confirming my worries." He looked at Zelda, his persona as the friendly but boring history teacher dissolving into that of an ominous clairvoyant. "Evil is brewing, Zelda."

Zelda took cautious steps backward, feeling ill at ease. Why was he speaking so grimly? She decided to ignore the strange prophecy comment, opting to cut right to the chase. "H-how does this involve Link?" asked the blonde. "Or me?"

Rauru offered a small smile, but it achieved nothing in calming Zelda's nerves. "If the prophecy is correct… you will find out soon."

Frowning, Zelda scoffed at him. "So you're not going to tell me?" She was frustrated, to say the least. He nearly scared her to death, preaching about a looming evil and claiming to be some kind of soothsayer, but had the nerve to leave her in the dark like that? What was even the point of the conversation?

"I want to be entirely sure before I frighten you," he offered after a moment to form a decent answer.

Zelda did not deem it decent. Frighten me, the girl repeatedly mentally. As if you haven't already done that!

"But, if there is one takeaway you can find useful from this talk," said Rauru, expression suddenly softening, "it's this: in the near future, if you see something abnormal, hear something unbelievable, or anything of that sort, the skeptic in you will tell you that it's nothing. I'm asking you to ignore that skeptic, and just run with it."

When Zelda said nothing, her mouth slightly agape and eyes still squinted in confusion, Rauru dismissed her. The girl gladly left his presence, but the meeting did nothing to better her day.

"I'm tired of not being appreciated," groaned the big oaf, his red pompadour drooping down to reflect his mood. The person he was complaining to, a shorter, classier boy, rolled his eyes.

"Just face it, Groose," huffed Ralph with a shrug of acceptance. "We're nobodies. We try too hard to be somebodies, and now nobody likes us." Ralph heaved a dejected sigh as he and the other redhead ambled down the sidewalk of the bustling city. "Hell, we're barely even in the story nowadays!"

"What?" grunted Groose, but the smaller boy waved it off. "Well anyway… unlike you, I was a somebody. I had friends and everything. I was the star of the basketball team!"

Ralph glanced his way with a smirk. "Didn't you average two points per game?"

The larger boy sent him a dirty look, eliciting a chuckle from Ralph. "…I had two good friends who got arrested for being in gangs," said Groose with a small nod, getting back to the topic. "Ghirahim and Vaati. And since Coach kicked me off the team for beatin' up that pipsqueak Pipit—"

"Ugh," groaned Ralph in disgust.

"—I lost my basketball friends, Drake and Dirk." Groose hung his head, his yellow eyes sad.

"What about that guy that looks like a blueberry?" chimed Ralph. "With the creepy Michael Jackson face?"

"Cawlin?" said Groose.

"And that big-nosed, banana-lookin' dude?"

"Strich?"

Ralph nodded. "Yeah, those losers. Weren't they your buddies?"

The oaf shrugged muscular shoulders as the pair of redheads passed by a pizzeria. "Kinda. Cawlin became obsessed with some girl. And Strich is a nerd. He likes bugs, or something." His long face contorted into a cringe. "Bugs gross me out."

"Link tried setting me up with friends once," Ralph lamented. "Truthfully I think it was just to get me off his chest."

The oaf scowled. "I hate Link."

"He's not that bad, honestly." Ralph ran his fingers through his bangs, a petulant scowl growing on his face as he muttered, "Zelda doesn't seem to think so, at least."

Groose shook his head. "Her 'n Link aren't together now."

Muddled, Ralph blinked. "I didn't think they ever were."

"Well…" In thought, Groose rubbed the back of his neck. Ralph thought he noticed steam emitting from his ear. "She only had eyes for him. That's the only reason I didn't have a chance."

"Didn't she know you before Link moved here?"

"…Yeah," admitted the larger boy with a huff, hanging his head once again. "I guess I never had a chance."

"I don't think I did either. I thought all girls liked money," sighed Ralph, staring down shamefully at his glinting Rolex and luxurious Gucci belt.

A sad silence settled between the duo as they shuffled down the sidewalk. They continued for awhile until a sudden whiny noise was heard nearby. Ralph and Groose shared equally intrigued and confused looks, and as they proceeded down the path with guarded curiosity, the sound intensified.

"What is that?" Ralph asked upon stopping at an alley and peering in. The whining had subsided, now replaced by a quiet rumbling that seemed to be coming from within a steel trash can lying overturned in the alley.

"Could be a raccoon," offered Groose with a shrug.

"Raccoons don't make that sound!"

"You don't know that." Groose stepped in toward it, but froze as the lid burst off, kicked away by the creature escaping it. The boys gazed in bewilderment at the ravenous being that crawled out of the trash can, red skin stretched taut against gaunt limbs.

Ralph took fearful steps back, eyes widened. "That's no raccoon," he muttered.

Groose turned to break off into a run, and Ralph followed, but the two were halted at the alley's exit by a strange figure.

"Don't move," the person commanded beneath the hood of his ragged purple cloak. Before Groose or Ralph had time to process anything, the figure whipped out a pistol with a suppressor extension attached to the barrel, shooting directly between the two boys. They leapt in fright at the sudden action, but sighed in relief upon turning their heads and seeing the creature fall back onto the pavement with a hole in its head.

"What?" asked the figure when the two shifted their gazes back to him. "It was just a bokoblin. Sad I had to waste a bullet."

Ralph and Groose looked him—at least he sounded like a him, despite a rather squeaky voice—up and down. His cloak masked most of his maroon-hued face in shadow, revealing only a frightening, fanged smile. The pleated purple linens draped down low to his shins and hung loosely above his wrists, revealing black hands that appear to have been charred and scalded. "Who are you?" the ginger-headed boy asked gingerly.

"I'm Wizzro," said the man, the discomforting smile still present on his face.

"Do you know about that… that thing?" Groose asked, attempting to calm his trembling limbs.

"Well… you weren't supposed to see that." Wizzro grinned, amused by their fear. "…Until later," he added slyly.

With a frown, Ralph pressed, "What do you mean, later?"

Wizzro pointedly ignored him, turning to Groose. "Hey, aren't you Vaati's friend?"

The oaf's eyes widened. "…V-Vaati?"

"You are his friend," he said with growing excitement. "I have my suspicions about that guy, so you two are coming with me. Hehe! This'll keep him loyal."

Talo walked along the snowy sidewalk, gazing idly at the beach and the cold waters of Lake Hylia. He held a basketball at his hip, bouncing it whenever he stepped across a dry spot in the pavement, and hummed a country tune to himself. The brisk December air nipped at his round cheeks and bare neck, and he pulled the hood of his sweatshirt over his messy brown hair.

It had been over two months, Talo reflected sadly, since he had last talked to Link. Ever since he moved to the city of Lakeside, his primary focus was becoming a varsity athlete; perhaps he'd lost his most valued friendships along the way. On top of that, Talo couldn't bring himself to tell Link that he ended up getting cut from the team a few weeks ago. It broke his heart, but he didn't want any sympathy, nor did he want to face the embarrassment.

When he first moved, he'd made the effort to call his good friend Ilia at least three times a week. He regretted leaving her alone in Ordonia so soon after Link had left for Castle Town, but the excitement of opportunity that Lakeside offered was too much for him to turn down. He explained that to her, and she told him that she understood. Their conversations were nice, to begin with, but eventually Talo began to realize just how miserable she was. She'd told him that Link hadn't spoken to her since the day he was picked up in the limousine to leave. They hadn't parted on the worst of terms, Talo told her, so it was strange that he just up and left without so much as a text.

As Talo became busier with his training and eventual tryouts for the basketball team, his frequent phone calls with Ilia had started to become more and more infrequent. It was then that Talo finally realized how difficult it could be to keep in touch with people at long distances. Obviously, Talo knew Link had his uncle's case to solve, along with attending the most academically-prestigious school in the kingdom. So, with downbeat acceptance, Talo told himself Link was doing fine without him.

His thoughts were dark. He didn't like Lakeside. He missed Ordonia. Genuine, caring people lived there, whereas this city consisted of privileged kids who called him Farm Boy or Stable Hand behind his back. But Talo always heard.

Soon the sidewalk disappeared, and he traveled down a winding back road after picking up an abandoned, rickety bike. He pushed leisurely on the rusty pedals, careful not to break the old contraption, and rode for a long time.

He had heard rumor of an adventurous boy from his school who had stumbled upon an abandoned, haunted building located far past the northern city limit. He told his friends about it via text, then entered curiously. According to his friends, he hadn't returned.

Talo loved adventure, himself. And when it came to studying the supernatural, his interest levels always spiked. But most of all, Talo wanted to gain the respect of his peers; he figured that saving the person—or if he were nowhere to be found, simply having the courage to explore the frightening building—would make the rich kids at his school treat him like one of them.

But he would, of course, need proof of his endeavor, he thought to himself. Talo dropped his hand to his pocket, feeling the weight of his FiPhone within it, and nodded to himself assuredly. He would get footage, and as soon as school was back in session following this winter break, Talo would show his classmates what he had discovered.

Assuming he returned, he considered grimly. But at this point, Talo didn't care. He had no friends anymore. His humble upbringing in Ordonia had rendered him self-conscious among those who are better off; as a result, the boy was susceptible to peer pressure.

When an hour had passed, Talo had traveled so far north that the trees bordering the road all but disappeared, the snowy grass replaced by a dry, reddish dirt. Slowing to a stop, Talo viewed the path ahead. Crags lined the jagged horizon, and half a mile away was a steep canyon drilled deep between two mountains. Just before that canyon, tucked behind a rock formation near the bottom of the left mountain, seemed to be a hidden, manmade structure of sandstone. Talo squinted, focusing in on the structure, and tightened his jaw. He'd found it.

Another bikeride brought him around the crag and to the bottom of a carved-out staircase. Leaving his bike at the bottom, Talo climbed the grainy steps, feeling his heart thump in his chest. Pressing forward, he pushed his fear away and arrived at the top of the stairs.

A stone walkway, bordered by obelisks with intricate tribal engravings, led up to the wide entrance encased in ominous shadow from within. Talo stopped just before the building, glancing up at a message etched in the sandstone wall above the entrance:

WITHIN THESE WALLS OF IKANA FORTRESS, A CIVILIZATION HAS DIED

THE GHOSTS OF THE DEAD SHALL FEED OFF INTRUDERS FROM OUTSIDE

A warning. Talo shuddered. He withdrew his phone, turned on the flashlight, and gathered his courage. Taking in a shaky breath, he stepped in.

Whispers seemed to echo in his ears, but he told himself he was imagining it and proceeded down the dark corridor. Flicking his phone in various directions, looking for danger, Talo noted the etchings on the walls. The language was foreign, although the detailed pictures seemed to tell extravagant stories of their own.

Eventually the corridor broke off into a large, cubical room. Balconies lined the four walls, vines growing wildly and hanging over the edges. Hallways led deeper into the fortress, but Talo was unwilling to explore it in its grand entirety.

He was about to call it quits and sprint back outside when he noticed an intriguing reflective glint. Flashing his phone's light on the spot, Talo concluded that it was a shiny, metal object on the side of a column near the middle of the room. Interested, he got closer, the air suddenly colder around him.

The metal turned out to be a necklace, of some sort, with a shiny sapphire dangling from the chain. Staring in wonder at the gemstone, which seemed to encase a mystical baby-blue light that swirled around within, Talo nearly forgot where he was. He then realized with horror that the necklace was being held up by a hand—which was stuck to the column by an arrow that had been shot through its forearm. Talo stepped backward, eyes wide and jaw unhinged, gazing upon the slouching body that owned the wounded limb.

Talo all but shrieked when the head snapped upward and regarded him with confusion, then recognition. "Farm Boy?" he said in a youthful voice.

It was the guy who had gotten lost! Talo didn't even know his name. Somebody must have shot him with a bow and arrow when he tried to steal that necklace—and that must have been days ago, Talo affirmed, noting the boy's gaunt features. But who would shoot him, or what? "Hey…?" Talo answered, unsure of what else to say.

"Say, Farm Boy…" said his classmate with a growing smile. "Do you know what redeads are?"

Talo frowned. "Wha—"

An ear-splitting scream froze Talo in his place, and he stared with dread at the boy whose outer skin peeled back to reveal rotting flesh. His eyes grew ink black, and ravenous teeth inched their way toward Talo's unmoving neck.

He didn't know what to do. He couldn't move. The shriek had been so loud, he felt deaf.

Thankfully, the arrow hindered the monster's advancements, giving Talo ample time to break free of whatever spell had binded him to stay rooted in place. The monster thrashed against its restraint, lurching forward with a predatory fervor, but Talo was already sprinting back to the exit. He could have sworn he heard additional footsteps behind him in pursuit, and even the whizz of an arrow being let loose, but Talo didn't turn back. He emerged back out into the open, darted down the steps, and hopped on the old bike.

With an odd sense of happiness in spite of his terror, Talo noted that his phone was filming the entire time.

"Monsters…" murmured Mido with wonder. "I can't believe it—they're terrifying!" He met his friend's calm gaze woefully. "I'm even looking for them under my bed at night! I feel like I'm seven all over again."

Pipit smirked. "You look like it, too."

With a roll of the eyes, Mido sighed, "Will I ever get past the short jokes?"

"As soon as you get past the 'Must Be This Tall to Ride' signs."

"Whatever," the runt spat. "Shorter people live longer lives, anyway."

Pipit leaned back into his seat at their booth, turning his head to survey the visitors of the lounge. "You know what they say. I'm here for a good time, not a long time."

"Your life isn't all that," grumbled Mido, taking an Oreo from the package at their table and stuffing it in his mouth. "I sure wouldn't wanna be you."

"I'm flattered," said Pipit. "But my life is awesome. I'm perfectly content."

Skeptical, Mido squinted his eyes. "Are you?"

"Yep."

"Because Link said—"

"Don't listen to what Link said," Pipit quickly interrupted. "It was nonsense. Don't listen to him. Listen to me." As Mido sank back weirdly into his seat, Pipit leaned forward on one elbow and pointed a finger at himself. "My life is awesome."

"Awesome," Mido repeated disbelievingly, still giving him the weird look. "Right."

"You see," Pipit began, arms outstretched, "when I was born, I was given a choice by the goddesses themselves. Either become the awesomest person on the planet, or have a perfect memory."

"Oh yeah? And what did you choose?"

"I can't remember."

Mido rolled his eyes, but felt it best to let it go. He knew Pipit was in denial; apparently he didn't want his friends to know what he and Link had previously talked about.

Turning his head, Pipit set his gaze toward the bar—non-alchoholic, that is—and he tapped Mido on the arm to get his attention. "Hey, look over there," he said, and Mido swiveled his head. "There's a girl for you."

Mido looked back and forth from the girl sitting alone on the barstool to Pipit, expression blank. "Why do you think you have to set me up with someone?"

Pipit shrugged. "I want you to experience my life, first-hand. What it's like to be me. Also, I kinda feel bad. Remember the time I stole that girl you were checking out from you?"

Piqued, Mido crossed his arms. "I thought your memory wasn't good."

"Some things you don't forget," Pipit laughed, reaching to hand him a brotherly slap, but Mido shifted out of reach.

"Well. I very much appreciate you giving me this girl," he drawled with a bitter roll of the eyes, "but I'm good. There's no way I have a chance with her, anyway."

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, for starters…" He looked back at the girl, and seemingly confirming his pessimism, he nodded to himself. Meeting Pipit's expectant look again, Mido stated bluntly, "I look like a complete nerd who is socially awkward, reads books all day, and can never get a girlfriend."

"That's completely untrue. You don't read."

Mido snorted, shaking his head. "Oreo?" he offered, holding out the package of cookies.

Pipit went to grab one, but stopped and raised a quizzical eyebrow. "You're trying to trick me. I bet they're expired."

"Nope," Mido answered, pointing to the small black writing on the plastic. "Expires February fourteenth."

"Hey, look at that!" Pipit exclaimed cheerfully. "You finally got yourself a Valentine's Day date!"

"You really enjoy attacking me," Mido said blankly.

Pipit grinned and took a cookie. He turned toward the girl again, who turned her head and looked back at him. The boy squealed in fear and shot his gaze back to Mido, eyes widened, sinking low in the chair.

"What?" asked Mido with a frown.

"That girl," he said in a low, frantic voice, "I know her. We used to be… acquainted."

"Crazy ex?"

"Crazy ex," Pipit confirmed with a nod.

Mido stole another glance at the bar, but noticed that the girl had gotten up and was making her way over to their table. "She's coming!" Mido warned.

Pipit groaned, shut his eyes, and prepared for the worst.

"Hey," the girl said in an accusative tone when she had arrived, "remember me?"

Sighing, Pipit bit his lip and looked up at the brunette standing there. "Please tell me there isn't a two-year-old kid waiting outside to meet me."

"He's two-and-a-half."

Pipit flinched with a sharp gasp.

"No, I'm joking, Pipit," she said with a sigh of exasperation, and Mido watched Pipit sag his shoulders in ultimate relief. "I just wanted to know what caused you to stop talking to me so suddenly."

Pipit sent Mido a weird look, who returned it, before the brunette boy peered back up at the girl. "Ugh… Look," he began, summoning a tone of obviously-false sincerity. "It's not you, it's me. I'm just trying to focus on my career right now." He pumped his fist for emphasis, saddening his eyes despite feeling absolutely no sadness whatsoever.

The girl sighed, understanding clearly. "You don't have to do that."

"Wait, wait, my favorite one: you make me want to become a better person." One could practically see the sarcasm on his lips.

She offered an awkward, meek nod.

"But look, no hard feelings, right?" Pipit asked, standing up to offer her a friendly hug.

She returned it, hesitantly. But then Pipit turned to kiss her, and she excitedly kissed him back, a little too eager with that tongue of hers. Mido looked away in disgust.

When Pipit let go, she smirked at him and turned to walk away. She twirled her fingers in a playful wave, telling him flirtatiously, "Bye."

Pipit smiled politely, then sat back down. "I hope she'll get the message to leave me alone now." He shook his head in frustration. "I don't know how much clearer you could get."

"You're clinically insane," Mido commented, face contorted in revulsion.

Pipit brushed the comment off, snatching another Oreo for himself.

"What was that girl's name?"

"Um…" Pipit snapped his fingers, trying to jog his memory. "Ruth. I dumped her two years ago when she was going to study abroad."

"Wow. You're ruthless."

The brunette smirked. "In fact, I am."

They fell into a comfortable silence as he and Mido began to fiddle with their phones. Minutes passed before they were interrupted yet again.

"Pipit!" shouted a feminine voice, one Mido didn't recognize.

"Oh, gods, another crazy ex," the redhead grumbled.

Pipit glanced his way with an unreadable look, then shifted his gaze to the new girl. She was genuinely excited to see him, Mido noted strangely, her brown eyes shining as she slid into the seat beside him. Her brown hair was tied back into double braids, and her cute face was alive with happiness when she looked at the boy.

Mido felt sincerely sorry for this girl, who Pipit was surely about to dump.

"Um, Mido," Pipit began after seeing his weird look, "this is Orielle." He looked at her, then looked back. "M-my… girlfriend."

Orielle grinned widely and threw an arm around Pipit's shoulder. Mido smiled politely, but it never changed the current width of his eyes. "Hi," he said slowly. Now he felt even worse for this girl.

"Where are you going?"

Dark threw his pointy cap on over his head, completing his nightly outfit that was identical to Link's forest-green suit—except Dark's was black. Appropriate. He turned to Midna. "I can't find Link," he explained to her with a concerned frown.

"Doesn't he disappear all the time, though?" inquired Midna, folding her arms.

"Yes. But I disappear with him." He turned toward the window of his dorm, preparing to leap down to the outside ground below.

"Let me come with you," Midna implored, halting him. "I-I wanna see if we can find Hero again while we're looking for Link."

The irony. "No, Midna."

"But Dark—"

A knock on the door forced Dark to hastily remove the cap and mask, so as to not cause any suspicion for having similar clothing to Hero. Sheik entered, followed by his girlfriend Malon. "Am I intruding on anything?" the blonde asked hesitantly upon eyeing the two goth kids.

"N-no!" Midna quickly denied, posture growing rigidly straight. Dark noticed Midna clenching her teeth at sight of Malon, remembering the jealousy she held for the redhead. She loves Sheik, Dark reminded himself with a roll of the eyes.

"Hi, Dark. Hi, Midna," greeted Malon with a wave and polite smile.

Sheik surveyed his and Dark's dorm room with a frustrated glare. Pillows were tossed around, food was spilled out of the garbage can, and a watermelon lay split apart on the kitchen floor. "…Why is everything a mess?"

"There's no mess," answered Dark with an innocent shrug.

"Then why is all this junk on the floor?"

"I dunno. Gravity."

Sheik scowled. "You're cleaning this up."

"When I get back," Dark promised with an assuring grin.

"From what?"

"Finding Link."

Sheik waved that off. "Don't worry about it. He always disappears."

"That's what I said!" Midna exclaims.

Dark pointed his thumb at the girl beside him as he spoke to Sheik. "She wants to help me go find him. But I'm not letting her."

"Oh." Sheik nodded in understanding. "Because of the…" He let his voice trail off, glancing briefly at his girlfriend.

Monsters, Dark finished for him in his thoughts.

Out of the loop, Malon squinted, befuddled, and looked around for answers. The quiet hung in the room, and no one offered to explain.

"But I'm actually worried about Link," Dark stressed, turning to look at the night sky out the window. "Something doesn't feel right."

"Nothing has felt right for the past month," Sheik said. "He'll come back. He always does."

Dark sighed, shaking his head. "I'll make sure he does." And he leapt out the window, leaving the awkward trio alone in the dorm.

My daughter…

Father? Zelda answered groggily, turning over in her sleep.

My daughter…

No, no… Mother? Zelda noted the feminine voice, but it was neither her beloved late-stepmother's nor her newly-met blood mother. Yet, it held a striking familiarity, and a warmth that enveloped Zelda into a cocoon of love.

Find my blessing… Your birthright…

Suddenly Zelda was thrust into a vision. She saw, vaguely, a bright triangle that stood on a pedestal within a grand, circular sanctum. The image shifted away as quickly as it appeared, with a haunting repetition of the feminine voice:

Your birthright…

Next Zelda saw chaos. Flames. Destruction. Buildings collapsing and imploding. The academy razed to nothingness. She could have sworn she heard Rauru's voice—Evil is brewing, Zelda. But in the middle of everything, amidst the woeful victims and the cackling demons and the horrific carnage encompassing them, Zelda saw a beam of golden light. And within the beam was a boy, a familiar boy—when Zelda recognized him her heart nearly stopped. His golden-bronze hair, longer and wilder, almost more natural, as it cascaded in locks that accented the sharp features of his still-youthful but mature face. His hand set ablaze in ethereal power, fingers gripping tightly around he hilt of a magnificent sword. And, lastly, his signature green tunic that the public had either grown to regard as a symbol of hope, or an open disrespect to discipline and order. Zelda hated herself for it, but in spite of the havoc surrounding her, she felt herself smile.

Go to him… and find my blessing…

Zelda awoke with a start. She sat up in her bed, breathing heavily, scanning the room for someone who could have been speaking to her in her sleep. That would explain the mysterious voice. But, save her roommate Karane, dozing off in her own bed, the dorm was empty. Zelda shivered, frightened. Who had spoken to her?

She decided that she needed some air to calm her nerves and ease her mind. After throwing on a warm sweater and scarf, Zelda traveled down multiple flights of stairs to the first floor. She pushed past the double doors of the girls' dorm and was met with a rush of cold winter air. Wrapping her arms tightly around herself, Zelda walked.

She didn't know where to go, but simply tried to calm her rampant thoughts. When she neared the courtyard before the main academy building, she stopped in her tracks. Was she dreaming still? If not, why was the universe so cruel in how it treated her?

It was Link. He stood across from Rauru as the two of them exchanged quiet words; Zelda could not hear.

Frighteningly, the wispy voice from her dream returned.

Him... Go to him…

Zelda ignored it, turning around and fleeing back to her dorm, shivering.