Author's Note: Wow, when was the last time I updated this? I guess I've been neglecting this fanfic for a while, huh? It's either writer's block or school, I tell you! O_e But seriously, I've been busy with my part-time job, and homework, and trying to get service hours, etc. It's like life is trying to keep me away from . I've actually noticed almost all my notes consist of different ways to justify my sudden disappearances... O.o I'll have to figure out a way to write this fanfiction without my parents getting upset at me... Suggestions and feedback are appreciated! :D

Well, this chapter is longer than usual, but I hope you readers finish this 'til the end. (By that, I mean 'til the end of the fanfiction, if I ever get to it. .) Here it is!

Chapter 14 – Finding the Third Gate

The day was still quite early, yet Link was up and about taking care of the Ordon goats. I sat on the balcony of his treehouse, legs crossed as I stared at the sky. Clouds scattered and obscured the once clear setting, but it was fine. Clouds always made the day cooler anyway. The sun had risen a bit, and the color of the sky was slowly but surely returning to its familiar blue color. How often did I see the sunrise? Not very often since school was always one of the top priorities in my head. But here in Ordon Village, it was the perfect way to start the day. I stood and returned inside his house, deciding to change to my tunic. It seemed very stereotypical that I would've gotten a tunic in this game, and coincidentally it was available in my favorite color. After thinking like this, things seem... almost convenient. I shook my head. Maybe I was just thinking too much. I've been having these types of thoughts lately, strangely...

I took off my sleeping clothes, which consisted of a sleeveless undershirt and, well, brown shorts I had to borrow from Ilia. If I hadn't, I would've had to sleep in my underwear... And that would obviously make both me and Link very uncomfortable. I was thankful to have such kind friends, even though I really didn't like Ilia from the beginning (what I mean by that is from when I first played the game). I put on everything that was included in my tunic: the long-sleeved white undershirt, the white leggings, the chain mail, the purple tunic, and later my belt and boots. I felt like I was going to go on an adventure for today; well, technically I am.

Sepherene suddenly appeared from me, clenching her hands into fists and shaking them left and right in a girly fashion.

"Ooooh, Theresa!" she squealed, "You look so cute in that color!" Honestly, I didn't think she was that much into fashion. But I smiled and nodded a thanks to her compliment. And then... The teasing, sarcastic Sheikah had to appear and ruin it.

"Does the color really matter that much?" he asked, looking unimpressed, "Not that it helps the look on you anyway..." I groaned and swung my arm at his face, once again making it disintegrate for a moment and return to its original form. His face remained unchanged; perhaps he was getting used to it. I huffed and walked out with my short sword in its sheath. I even took my bag full of supplies, like the blue potions Princess Zelda gave me. I'll have to replenish the food, though.

Why was I packing?

Well, it's because I intended to free the next soul. I noticed on my left hand, there were four slots in a circle; two of them were occupied by the alchemical signs of water and fire, obviously representing my possession of Sepherene and Dyten's souls. The other two were obviously meant for the remaining two: earth and air. I had no idea which one would come up next, but I talked it over with the two of them yesterday about how I could find the next one.

"Well, it's obvious you are able to see souls now," said Dyten, crossing his arms, "If you really try, you can even sense and locate them. But, uh, judging by your magic ability right now, even THAT would be hard for you." It was there I swung through his head for probably the hundredth time.

"So, how do I do that?" I asked, grinding my teeth at him.

"Well..." Sepherene started, playing with her fingers nervously, "We're just aware that it's possible. We don't actually know HOW to do it, exactly..."

"Maybe if I concentrate or something? Would something like that work?" After composing himself, Dyten decided to answer my question nicer than usual.

"It's worth a try. Normally, mages require concentration to search for something, not souls in particular, though."

"F-For the experienced ones, though, they could locate people based on their amount of magic. Since you've been training with your magic more often, maybe you can use that to locate the next Gate?"

"Still, the Gates were meant to keep people, especially mages, from finding us. It's punishment from the Goddesses, remember?" Sepherene looked down with disappointment, and I could've sworn for a split second, there was a hint of fear in her eyes. Maybe remembering it was enough of an ordeal for her. I chimed in to interrupt it.

"So~ All I have to do is concentrate on the source of magic, right? It sounds easy enough!"

And that's when we decided to try it out. I packed everything essential for my travel, and hoped Link would be ready as well as soon as he was done with work. I was lucky enough to survive Dyten's Gate without him; I don't want to go through another without Link! I exited the house and sat cross-legged once more, and I began to breathe calmly and closed my eyes. Neither Dyten nor Sepherene dared to speak to me, for they knew how urgent this was. I had a feeling if I completed this task, I would be able to reach my goal: return home. Surely, this would be no different. I cleared my mind and focused on finding souls. Closing my eyes made everything dark, but in a few moments, some glowing lights could be seen despite obscuring my sight.

They were obviously the residents of Ordon Village. I could even see Link's soul moving on top of Epona's while the goats ate their grass. The ones closest to my location, though, seemed to outline their bodies with the color of their soul. I just hoped that the kids wouldn't come and disturb me.

All of a sudden, Dyten and Sepherene were by my side. Sure, I was able to see them even if my eyes were closed, but they felt... closer, in a way.

"W-What are you guys-"

"Be quiet." Dyten demanded, "We just entered your body so we could help you with your search." Sepherene nodded. Instead of a light glowing from their bodies, their very skin was the color of their soul. Sepherene was completely blue, and Dyten was red. They actually looked kind of cool like this. As I looked longer, almost everything started to light up! I could see outlines of trees and grass, but there were missing things that remained totally black, like it was a missing part of the land.

"Why does the land look like this?" I asked.

"You should know this by now, Theresa," Sepherene started, "Everything living has a soul: grass, flowers, even the smallest animals have souls."

"The missing parts of the land are obviously non-living things," Dyten added, "Like the large rocks in this area, or that scarecrow you and Link always train with." It made much more sense now. Honestly, the whole world looked more beautiful this way. But I looked towards the sky, and that was covered in darkness as well. I actually expected the Sun to be in my sight, but then again, it wasn't living.

"Come on, now, don't get distracted!" I flinched at Sepherene's loud voice.

I relaxed more and tried to extend my senses. Now, it felt as though Sepherene, Dyten and I flew over the whole land of Hyrule. Different colored lights were all gathering up and moving about; I could see the whole land as I "flew," I even saw monsters' souls! What I saw in the distance was bigger than a normal village, so I assumed it was Hyrule Castle Town. I could even sense the Princess's soul; somehow, I had a feeling she was doing better than normal since the last time I saw her. I was relieved, but I couldn't stop and check on her. My breathing began to become uneven since my magic power had run out, and now I was relying solely on my physical energy.

"Just a little longer...!" I thought. I did my best to focus. Where is the nearest Gate? Suddenly, I felt a tug, like something was pulling me. The three of us flew over the land once more, this time past souls that seemed to... float smoother than what would seem like walking. It couldn't be...! It was the Zora's Domain! There were souls that moved in a swimming motion, graceful and calm. I was unable to tell the bodies and which one was the Prince, nor was I able to see the land or the river, but I felt excited nonetheless. A smile even formed on my face. Too bad that excitement was dying down with my growing exhaustion.

Going past Zora's Domain, however, meant only one thing: I was headed to the Snowpeak Ruins. I was beginning to breathe heavily now, and even the souls that I had left behind were beginning to falter like static on a television. I finally saw two souls, probably belonging to Yeto and Yeta. I always thought they were such a sweet couple... Especially after I beat the boss!

Sadly, I didn't have the time to remember things like that. The three of us landed on the ground just outside of a large area of what seemed to be the house. And there it was: the third Forbidden Gate.

It wasn't all that extravagant. It was just huge, and kind of scary... Almost like it was a gate to the Underworld. Nope, I've seen worse through games and manga and such. It did give off a powerful aura, though. Well, what would one expect from the power of the goddesses? Still, for some reason I was able to pass through it, and so was Link. Maybe it was my magic that allowed me to, and Link was just the main character. Of course he'd be able to do something like that.

Suddenly, I felt like I was being pulled back, and my eyes opened to see I was back on the balcony of Link's treehouse. As soon as my eyes opened, I gasped loudly as I took a deep breath. It really drained my physical energy! I breathed heavily as I held my chest and stared at the ground in both awe and exhaustion. I even saw a few beads of sweat drop down to the wooden floor and my white leggings. Sepherene was the first to come out of my body, and she looked more concerned for me. She immediately floated next to me and repeatedly told me to breathe. Dyten, on the other hand, remained with unemotional eyes as he sat in front of me.

"So..." he started, "Now we know where to go." I took a few seconds to catch my breath, swallowed, and sat up. My breathing was calming down.

"Yeah," I answered. It was somewhat difficult to even speak. It was like trying to talk after running a marathon without any breaks! "We're leaving right away." Dyten raised an eyebrow and put a hand to his chin, his eyes never leaving me. He didn't seem concerned about leaving so soon, but about some other matter.

"I wonder why it's so far... Besides, how are you sure of the location? You didn't even study a map!" Oh crap. They never saw me looking at a map, and I took that knowledge from playing the game.

"What? You think you've been keeping an eye on me every second?" I asked, sarcastic, "Of course I studied maps, especially since I'm gonna have to find the other gates!" Dyten kept his expression, but after some time he sighed, giving up. "Stupid..." I muttered, grinning triumphantly. All he did was scoff and leaned his cheek on one hand. Keeping my cover about knowing almost everything about Hyrule was getting difficult. At times, I wondered how they didn't know from my mind that I played the game before. After some thinking, I just concluded that I've mastered blocking certain important subjects. It's much easier to put it that way.

"So then why don't we go get Link after getting your supplies?" Sepherene suggested. Finally regaining my strength, or at least some of it, I nodded and stood up.

"Yup. He'll probably be done with work soon." With that, I stood up, with some need of balancing, and quickly retrieved my bag from the house. Afterwards, I playfully slid down the ladder. The gauntlets really help avoid burning! I petted Mei's head as I passed her, figuring that I would walk instead and give her as much rest as possible. Besides, we would be leaving for a long travel and she needed as much energy as possible. Well, the errands were done quickly. I just sauntered over to Sera's Sundries, where she greeted me with the usual, "Oh, good morning, m'dear!" It was like she was a grandma to me, or something... She was a really sweet person. I spent some Rupees on some milk (though I really wondered how they never spoiled) and some food. With the food, however, she didn't charge me anything. I guess it's because the game never really made the characters eat anything. That makes total sense. I carefully packed the rest of my supplies inside the bag, hoping to keep as much space as possible since I still had my old school uniform and blue potions in there.

I happily left the store after some small conversation and turned to the direction of Fado's ranch. However, I caught something in the corner of my eye and turned. I saw two figures walking toward Link's house:

Link and Ilia.

I felt a sharp pain in my heart as I hoped Ilia was going to talk about trivial matters. Really, she was basically dragging him, quickly stomping away until they were out of my sight. Time to find out what's going on... Link and I had to ride to the Snowpeak Ruins as soon as possible, and if this was another lecture about Epona's welfare, it will have to wait. I walked over and hid myself behind the left wall, and peeked over past the hill to see Ilia and Link just reaching the top of the ladder and entering the door. As quietly as I could, I ran over, and slowed my pace down as soon as I reached the ladder. I didn't take my time getting up, but I didn't go so fast to the point of making noise.

As soon as I came up, I tiptoed to the door and put my ear against the wooden door. Well, I didn't need to do that to figure out Ilia was yelling. I listened closely, nonetheless.

"Why do you keep leaving?" yelled Ilia. Link stayed silent for some time, and I could hear faint sobbing inside.

"You know why I keep leaving, Ilia," answered Link, concern clearly in his voice, "I was given a mission by the Princess. I have a letter as proof!"

"No... No! I don't want you to put yourself in danger again! I don't want to be separated from you again!"

"Ilia, please-"

"It's HER fault!" My eyes widened as I realized she was taking her anger out on me. Thoughts sped through my head like bullets flying through air. This can't be my fault, right? The sobbing grew louder, and I began to feel distressed. Why was she like this all of a sudden? "Ever since she came... That girl, Theresa... You've been leaving more and more often!"

"Don't blame this on her!" Link snapped, his voice stern, "She has nothing to do with Hyrule! I was only helping her return home!" Ilia's screaming and Link's protesting began to slur and fade. The world through my eyes was slowly tipping back and forth, my body cringing at the pain in my chest...

Was I... jealous? Jealous of their relationship? No... I felt guilty. I felt guilty that it was my fault that their relationship was diminishing. I hadn't realized that Link had been spending more time with me. Was he getting more attached to me in these few weeks? Whereas Ilia was his childhood friend? From her point of view, I could understand her feelings. My hand formed into a fist. I didn't want to jeopardize their friendship.

I had a feeling from the beginning that I was never meant to be with the main character.

I'm just a minor character that randomly fell out of the sky, and Link trusted me enough to do whatever he could to return me to where I belong. I began to wonder if I even deserved his attention, while Ilia just watched us from the background... There was only one solution that I could think of. Leave without Link, and don't come back.

Yes, that was the only answer that came to mind. I quickly and silently turned away from the door, sliding down the ladder again. I did my best to silence my landing by squeezing the ladder harder, but it made a smooth, continuous rubbing noise. Hopefully, Link wouldn't hear it with his enhanced sense of hearing.

I tiptoed over to Mei and made sure everything was ready. I pulled my bag and tied it to the saddle, hoisting myself up afterwards. Unfortunately, I kind of landed abruptly and startled Mei, causing her to neigh loudly and stand of her hind legs. My legs held tightly around her sides while my arms momentarily hugged her neck, then she landed hard and we both took off into the woods. The last sound I heard from there other than Mei was the sound of a door opening.

Wind blew through my hair as we rode on and on, the road seeming endless and eternal as I traveled through Faron Woods. Soon enough, the bright light of the sun pierced my eyes. It was clear that I reached Hyrule Field. As I tightened my grip on the reins, Sepherene and Dyten revealed themselves once more. "Why did you leave so suddenly?" asked Sepherene, alarmed, "You KNOW it's not your fault for Link's departures!"

"Yes, but I'm responsible for their fighting..." I answered, never taking my eyes off the field, "This... is for the best, right? Link won't have to worry about me anymore..." I slowed Mei down when I figured we were far enough from Ordon Village. Mei did a calm trot towards the direction of Lake Hylia, where I would cross the bridge and into the Lanayru Province. I continued to speak with my two companions. "I don't want to ruin their friendship. Link doesn't have to do anything for me, in fact he's not even supposed to have anything to do with me! I'll find the way home on my own."

Sepherene looked away from me. Even Dyten didn't say a word, but that silence pierced me like a sword through my chest. "Don't look like that..." I thought. I could imagine her expression. It wasn't one where she felt pity, or she felt she was unable to help me. For the first time, she was looking away because of disappointment. "Don't... Don't be like that... I'm trying... to help..."

"If you think this is for the best..." Dyten finally said, staring at me with his mysterious red eyes, "Then you're wrong." I turned toward him sharply, ready to protest, but he continued. "If you truly believe this is better for everyone, then why are you crying?" I put a hand to my cheek and found that I really was crying. I didn't notice this whole time... My face was pretty much soaked in my tears. I turned away.

"This..." I started, my voice shaking, "I-I..." I stopped Mei from walking, and I held my face in my gloved hands. Why should I be crying? Was it because I was leaving the person I wanted to meet and spend time with? After figuring out that he was real, and more than just a fictional character in my head? That was a likely reason, but a selfish one. I didn't want to be selfish. I didn't want to wreck the friendship between Link and Ilia, the friendship that has been building up for years. And yet...

"Why am I feeling like I'm making the worst mistake of my life?"

Suddenly, hot wind quickly flew past my left hand. I opened my eyes and saw something bright sticking out of the ground about ten feet or so away from me and Mei... It was a fire arrow. I turned around quickly, and widened my eyes at what I saw: it was a pack of Bulblins, all mounted on armored, malicious boars. I kicked Mei's sides without even thinking, and made her run as fast as she could. The Bulblins were still following, and I felt fear as I realized I was being pursued.

Oh, Theresa, if I were you, I'd stay with Link no matter what and slap that crazy Ilia! :D She's just confused, don't blame the girl... TToTT

All reviews are appreciated! Stay tuned for more chapters.