Chapter Eight: A New Journey
So much had happened in the last few hours that it was rather hard to believe it all happened. I befriended a girl from space, teamed up with four other individuals, most of them with powers as strange as mine, and helped take down an alien invasion! Now we were all gathered upon the island off the coast in a small celebration of our victory. The others were gathered around each other and engaging in friendly conversation, including the alien girl… err… I mean Starfire.
I was there too, but I was keeping a distance. I was nervous being around this many other people and I wasn't entirely sure how they would react towards me now that the fighting was over. I took a look over to where the others were. They were talking about themselves, though not really giving any particular details. Most of my attention though was on Starfire, who still looked…. amazing.
A few minutes later, she turned her head and saw me looking at her. My face turned red and I quickly looked away.
"What's wrong with me?" I asked myself. Ever since our talk onboard the gordanian spaceship, whenever I look at her I feel all… weird.
"Link?" Starfire asked me. "Are you okay?"
I was thinking so much about this whole thing that I hadn't noticed that she had walked up to me (or maybe she floated. I don't know, I wasn't looking).
"Uhh… yeah, I'm fine." I told her with a hint of weakness in my voice. "I'm just… not used to being around people…. that actually want me around."
"You mean… you were telling the truth before? That no person has ever befriended you?" Starfire asked me.
I nodded in response.
"I had no reason to lie to you. Everything I've said to you up until now is the truth." I told her.
"I can't even be sure if they actually want me around." I said while gesturing towards the others. "I mean… it was a team-up to save the city. But now that the battle is over… I'm afraid they might reject me… just like everyone else…"
After I had said that, Starfire took my hand. This surprised me greatly, and when I turned to look at her, there was a very friendly smile across her face.
"You don't need to be frightened about that, Link. We're all friends here now… you included." She told me.
Hearing that made me feel better. Well, that and seeing her cute smile. She then insisted that I come with her back to the others, so they could all hear my story. I told her that there wasn't much to tell, but regardless, I went anyway.
But before we got there, I heard a voice.
"Link…. Chosen hero of the spirits…" it said. "You have done well in completing the task I requested of you. Now… once the ring is delivered, return to my spring. There is another task you must undertake."
I knew whose voice that was. It was Lanayru. He… wanted me to go back? To leave all of my new friends? I really didn't want to, but… I don't think I had much of a choice.
When Starfire and I joined the others, they apparently had many questions for me. But I couldn't answer them now.
"Hey everyone, I have some unfortunate news…" I began to say. "I… have to go now."
Everyone was a bit shocked to hear that, which wasn't surprising because this news was unexpected, even to me. Starfire seemed to be the most shocked to hear this.
"What?! Go? But… I only just met you…" she said.
"You've gotta be joking dude!" Beast Boy told me. "We only met about six hours ago! And now you have to leave!"
They all looked at me with disappointed looks. Well except for Raven. Most of the time, her face hardly showed any emotion.
"I'm sorry, but… there's something I have to do back where I came from. Something that can't wait." I told them.
"Well, I guess we can't stop you. And whatever you have to do… it sounds important." Robin told me.
"Whatever it is, just make sure you come back in one piece." Cyborg told me.
"I'll be alright. Don't worry." I told them.
I began to walk in the opposite direction back towards Lanayru Village. Then I realized something: I was on an island across the coast! I had forgotten! I turned around to ask if anyone could give me a lift over the water. Fortunately, Starfire volunteered.
When I was back on the other side of the coast, I looked towards the mountains in the background of the city. I needed to travel over them to get back to the Village.
"You came from that direction?" Starfire asked.
I hadn't realized she was still behind me. I guess she wanted to say good-bye. Well… at least good-bye for now. It was a good thing too, because I realized I had forgotten to give her Lanayru's ring.
"Yeah. Over those mountains is the Village that I grew up in. That's where I need to go." I told her.
"It seems like quite a long journey." She said. "I… could fly you there… if you want…"
"That's nice of you to offer. But you don't have to do that… I'll be fine walking" I told her.
Starfire looked sad, and her head was down. I asked her what was wrong.
"It's just… I'm going to miss you…" she told me.
"I'll miss you too." I said to her. "But before I go, there's something I want you to have."
I then pulled the ring out from my pocket and held it out in my hand for her to see. When she took it, I could've sworn it glowed just a little.
"It's beautiful… thank you." she told me.
"That ring is actually one of a pair. I have the other one." I said while showing her the ring I had on my hand. "You may think this is crazy, but I got these rings from a guardian spirit. I was hoping that I'd be able to give it to a friend… if I ever got one."
Starfire gave a small giggle, and then smiled at me again.
"I don't quite understand why no one would've ever wanted to be your friend, Link." She told me. "You're a wonderful person."
My face turned red again after hearing that, but I quickly got it back to normal.
"I wish I could give you something to remember me by…" she said.
"Don't worry about that. Let's just say… I already have a way to remember you." I told her.
"Right! Our new communicators!" she said.
I was actually thinking about that strange gemstone that formed when I caught one of her attacks (which I later found out she called "starbolts") from earlier. But the communicator was a good way to remember her as well.
"You will be back someday…. right?" she asked me.
"Of course! I'll take care of what I need too and be back as soon as I can. I promise." I told her.
Her eyes sparkled after hearing that, and before I could react in any way, she came up and hugged me. Once again, my face turned red, and my heart was pounding. This was actually the first time I had been hugged… ever. I enjoyed it, and hugged her back.
After the hug, I once again began to walk in the opposite direction, but stopped one last time. Just to assure Starfire that I'd use the communicator to call whenever I could. And that I'd never forget her.
About five days later, I was only about a mile from Lanayru Village. Whatever Lanayru wanted, I wanted to get it done, so I could go back to my new friends. While walking, I was holding my communicator in my hand. I remember about two hours after I had left, Starfire had called on it, and then again an hour later. While I was delighted that she cared that much, I hoped that she wouldn't call at a bad time.
I was nearing the village when something very bad happened. I'm not sure what happened, but all of a sudden, I lost my footing and fell down. My communicator flew out of my hand and hit a rock. When I went to retrieve it, I was in for a shock. The force of the impact had broken it! I tried calling the others with it, but to no avail. I wanted to go back and get it fixed, but I was already so close to the village. I decided I would get it fixed after I visited with Lanayru.
Soon afterwards I arrived at the Village and headed for the spring. It looked the same as it did the last time I was there. As I approached the spring, the water and rocks started glowing, and from the water rose a gigantic glowing serpent encircling a shining sphere. It was Lanayru.
"Greetings Link." He said. "You have done well in completing the task that I requested of you."
"So, Starfire was the right person?" I asked.
"Indeed. Though hailing from another world, she is to play an important role in these events." Lanayru told me.
"I don't understand. You talked as if you knew she was coming." I said to Lanayru.
"Her arrival was long foreseen by we light spirits." He told me.
Her arrival was foreseen?! Does this mean my encounter with her was not just by chance? That it had been predetermined? I wonder if that weird feeling I had when I was around her had something to do with that.
"However, now is not the time to discuss this. I have another task for you to undertake. One of much greater importance." Lanayru told me.
I got my mind back on what was happening here and straightened up to listen.
"You must seek out the fragments of an artifact known as the spirit key." Lanayru told me. "Each of the four fragments is guarded a Light Spirit. You must seek out the other three light spirits and collect the shards to reform the spirit key."
"What is the spirit key?" I asked.
"The spirit key is an artifact born from spirit energy. Its power is said to hold the key to vanquishing evil. Long ago, an evil force sought to destroy it, but we light spirits intervened by separating it into four pieces and hiding them within our provinces, which lie in the four corners of the world." Lanayru answered.
"Wait. Does that mean I have to travel across the world to find them?!" I asked, hoping that it wasn't true.
It was however, because Lanayru nodded.
"But… that will take forever!" I said. "I just made five new friends! I want see them again! Couldn't I at least go back to have my communicator fixed!"
"I am sorry Link, but this task cannot wait. There is already an evil force attempting to prevent you from obtaining the shards. The longer you delay, the more likely that it will succeed." He told me.
I was still trembling, upset from the fact that I would not see my friends for who knows how long! And my communicator was still broken. I wouldn't be able to talk to them either. Then I remembered what Robin had said before: "Whatever you have to do… it sounds important."
This 'spirit key' did sound very important, especially if it held the key to vanquishing evil. And someone or something was trying to destroy it. I couldn't let that happen, not only for my sake, but for my friends as well. So I straightened up and wiped the tears from my eyes.
"To retrieve each of the shards, you must pass the trials of the spirits who guard them." Lanayru said. "You have already passed my trial, so I now bestow to you the sapphire spirit shard."
A bright blue light flashed between me and Lanayru. When the light faded, there was a small glowing blue crystal floating where the light had been. It descended slowly, and I caught it before it hit the ground. As I held it, I could definitely feel a strange power coming from it.
"The next shard lies far to the east, across the ocean, within the forests of Europe. There you will find the lands guarded by the spirit Faron. Keep the shard and yourself safe as you travel. And make haste, for the darkness… is now hunting you." Lanayru told me.
This worried me a little, but I wasn't going to give up. I helped take down an alien invasion! So I knew I could finish this task.
"Still… even though you must move quickly, do not push yourself too hard. And do not worry too much… you will see your friends again, Link. I assure you." Lanayru said before he vanished back into the spring.
A few hours later, I had gathered whatever I could to help me on this journey. Using my compass, I pinpointed which direction was east, and from a map I found I located Europe. It was incredibly far away. I hoped that I'd be able to find a faster way to get there, because I don't think walking alone would cover it. It felt intimidating, but like I said before, I wasn't going to give up. I starting running east, beginning my new adventure. I'd find a way… I hoped.
The spirit was right about the darkness hunting me though. For little did I know… I was being followed.
