Hey everybody! Back and rearing to go, welcome to the next chapter of On the Edge of Twilight! This is the beginning of the new arc/episode/series-of-events-thingy that will be in the story. I hope you enjoy, this chapter was one of the ones I waited a long time to write. (Maybe a little too long) But, anyways, enjoy!
Adventure 7: The Anti-Force
It was one of those moments… those odd occasions when you find yourself doing something that you never remember starting. It began with a thought, a single thought which evolved into motion, and then eventually I was here, walking slowly through a forest I had no memory of coming to; I had no idea for how long either, but I knew I had been moving for a long time. The air was crisp and fresh, like just after a storm, and each breath seemed to fill me with peace and contentment. There was no need to question, all was right.
The forest was cast in a silver light, everything seeming to luminesce under the grey clouds which swirled around the sky, pierced on occasion by bright bursts of sunlight that streamed down to the ground and lit up the patches of earth with thousands of motes of light.
Somewhere in my state of non-consciousness something in my mind began to stir; something about this place was familiar, but not in a good way. I felt a great sense of unease, almost to the point of dread, it was almost as if… no. I pushed away the memories quickly, how could something so wonderful and peaceful be associated with such thoughts.
I sighed in appreciation as a cool breeze wafted through the foliage, seeming to caress me as it drifted by and carrying with it the smells of deep forest. I suddenly stopped, standing still and staring out in the dusky clearing in front of me; the grass on the ground shifted slightly as the wind blew through again, this time the smell even stronger.
I crinkled my nose in distaste at the odor… something about it was off. I shook myself slightly before pushing on, but I had yet to take my second step when another breeze blew through, this one carrying on it a stench so horrid that my stomach seized up and I felt bile rise up my throat.
Hacking violently, my legs froze in place, I knew that smell… pushing my body into motion I clenched my teeth to prevent the coughing and turned slowly around, a slight tremble in my hands the only sign of the deep internal struggle raging inside of me. I stared out into the silver clad forest, eyes wide as I tried to take in everything at once.
A single drop of rain was the catalyst; I watched as it plummeted from the sky, seeming to glint in the fading light as it rotated slowly. For a single moment time seemed to stand still, stretching on as light refracted through the droplet of liquid… then the raindrop hit.
With a mighty roar, the sky broke into a maelstrom of black energy and wind. A dark and malignant power seemed to wash through the area as water cascaded down from all sides, and soon, the entire area, myself included, was drenched.
I took a shaky step forward as the rain pounded across my back, small tremors overcoming my body as the intoxicating effects of the forest began to lift hazily from my vision. My breaths started coming in gasps as my eyes darted back and forth, attempting to look everywhere at once but only succeeding in blurring it all together. I could feel the panic starting to set in; I knew this place, I knew it!
A prick of pain resonated from my hand and it clenched involuntarily. Water continued pouring down in sheets all around me and as the wind whipped it into my face, my visibility decreased even more. The soul rending howl of the air slicing through the trees set my teeth on edge and I flinched violently as my hand pulsed again.
Like an Amazonian drum, the thrum from my hand steadily increased in pace; a new pulse of energy following the last at a faster and faster rate. I spun wildly in circles, attempting to locate which direction He would appear from, because there was no doubt; He would be here. And suddenly, as quickly as it had begun, the thrumming stopped.
The sky roared mightily one last time, raging at the injustice of its paltry demise before quieting, the hail of water diminishing into a drizzle, and then disappearing entirely. I felt my muscles freeze up as presence off to my side made itself noticed, now visible as a grey, smoky light slowly lit up the area.
"So nice of you to join me," the dark voice echoed coldly through the trees. I felt my hand spasm again as I caught sight of something in my peripheral vision. "I was beginning to wonder, it has been such a long time since we last met. I was worried someone may have interfered with the seal."
My fist tightened as fear lanced through my body and my breath hissed from my mouth in ragged spurts. My chest constricted and my mind whirred about at obscene speeds as I tried to figure a way out of this.
'Got to get away, can't fight—got to run, body too small, gottorun! Bodyt-,' My thoughts suddenly stopped as I noticed something new. I could feel the muscles coiling inside my arms, muscles much too large for any child. I noticed the lack of wet strands of hair clinging to my neck, and I noticed how my clothes fit snugly and no longer spun around my knees, and just like that the realization dawned on me… I was in my real body, my large one. With this realization came another, I could feel the dark energy from the black brand on my hand, it was all still there; power that I could barely comprehend, just within my grasp. I was me, I was strong…I could fight.
My body started shuddering, but this time not from fear. Adrenaline rushed through my veins, my senses seemed to heighten and the world slowed. I shifted slightly until I could easily make out the figure of the cloaked man, my muscle tensing.
Ten feet away…then five… then three… then he stopped before me.
"Well…" the man began in a derisive tone, "Have you chosen your answer?"
A small smile twitched at the corner of my mouth, "Yes," I breathed out. And with that I released all my pent up frustration, pushing it through the focal point on my hand and causing the world to come to a near halt. It seemed like I had all the time in the world as I finished my turn, while moving I watched as a droplet of water slowly fell from the branch of one of the trees across the field. I noticed the odd way that the grass beneath my feet seemed to sway despite the lack of wind. And most importantly, I noticed the utterly sluggish reaction of my aggressor as he seemed to realize something was wrong.
A malicious grin split my face as I cocked my hand back; the cloaked man was still mid-step as I released my punch, right at the side of his head. Another flare of dark energy burst into existence and suddenly everything burst back into real time.
The cloaked man's head flew up at the same time his hand did, deflecting my fist in a shower of black sparks. My heightened awareness allowed me to sense his next attack rather than see it and I raised my knee up to deflect his retaliating kick.
The man seemed thrown off center by my sudden burst of speed but I was already on the offensive, this time, he was the one going down. Pulling more energy from my reserves I blasted into him, throwing punch after punch at his face.
He reeled desperately backwards as he blocked my blows, forced on the defensive as he attempted to regain his balance. I continued to hammer into him, barely feeling any strain as my arms began to blur. I noticed the air begin to distort around my swipes, funneling into dark spirals of condensed matter as they picked up speed.
I took a step forward… then another…. and another. Soon I was walking at a steady pace as I lashed into my enemy. His guard began to crumple and blow after blow smashed through it, each one connecting with an explosion of black sparks. Another barrage of punches slipped through and sent the man stumbling to his knees, crashing into the ground; a kick to the gut sent him skidding away, pulling up furrows od dirt as he dug his hands into the ground to stop.
I took several measured steps forward and reached down; twisting my hand into the fabric of the hood on top of his head and yanking it up, tilting it back as well as holding it in place. As I cocked back my fist I noticed a hint of color in the depths of the cowl, an odd flash of something bright, but even my now hyper sensitive eyes couldn't see it.
Power poured into my fist as I willed it to gather strength, gathering and condensing until a black flame surrounded my raised hand.
"Leave me, dream demon." I announced coldly. And with that my arm snapped forward.
(LINE BREAK)
Far away in a deep, dank cavern, crammed under chains and rock older than time itself, a pained scream split the air. Echoing across the cavern the horrible, gut wrenching wail reverberated through the room, the sound so tortured and pained that the very earth around it began to weep. As it echoed it seemed to grow in intensity, increasing in volume and getting louder and higher pitched until— with another agonized cry, it began to drown itself out.
Then it suddenly dropped in volume, decreasing at a rapid rate and beginning to cut in and out of existence in a staccato like fashion. The pain in the voice dissipated, quickly replaced with a malicious overtone as it continued to drop until it reached such a low octave that it altogether disappeared from the range of human hearing. The already dead air seemed to stagnate even further as it became obvious that the thing was laughing; expressing some sort of horrid glee that sucked up all happy emotion and caused the rocks around it to tremble in fear.
Then, in the darkness an audible sound once again registered, a sharp clink as single chain link cracked.
(LINE BREAK)
I awoke to an odd sense of calm, the vestiges of a forgotten dream tingling at the corners of my mind but disappearing just as fast as they came. I groaned groggily as I shifted, suddenly gasping as pain shot up my arm and quickly revitalized my slow moving system.
My eyes flew open as adrenaline rushed through me and I jolted up slightly, eliciting another pained moan as my back seized on itself and caused my body to curl around my gut. Squirming awkwardly onto my arm I froze as agony overcame my senses, sending spasms through my body and stealing my breath.
Suddenly I was looking at the ceiling and somebody was holding down my arm while pressing something cool into it. It took a second for my mind to process the images it was receiving, but when I could, I noticed the concerned blue eyes of Link hovering above me.
The adrenaline filled haze slowly lifted, and with it rushed in a new batch of pain, this time coming mostly from my back. Along with the pain something else unexpected came… resignation. 'It's sad,' I thought to myself with a sigh, 'That waking up in intense pain has happed so often it seems normal.' With that happy thought I moved onto the next topic on the list… where the heck am I?
"Wh—what hap'nd?" I muttered out groggily. I attempted to meet Links gaze but my vision was swimming and I couldn't make out anything clearly.
"Quiet, it'll all be okay," Link said soothingly. I felt my body relax slightly as his voice wafted into my ears and tension bled from my shoulders. I closed my eyes for a second and inhaled deeply, wincing and immediately wishing I hadn't when the slightly sulfuric tinge the air still possessed entered my nostrils.
I attempted to sit up, but my body wouldn't respond and my good arm couldn't find the strength to lift me up. I felt strong arms wrap around my back and slowly lift me into a sitting position; looking up I smiled groggily at Link. Taking notice of my surroundings I saw that we were still in the volcano… actually, we were still in the same room that I had collapsed in. The large rock fall was still there, covering a huge portion of the room and blocking off one of the doors.
I turned stiffly to look at Link, only to find my vision filled with a large bottle of sloshing red liquid as he pushed it at me.
"Drink this," came a voice from beyond the glass. Reaching up I grasped the neck and pulled it over and up to my lips. Tilting it back I drank slowly, still grimacing at the herby taste it possessed but nearly sighing at the relief it brought to the pain.
Setting it down, I wiped my mouth on the back of my hand before looking up at Link… wait, up? I cursed mentally as I sluggishly started patting down my body, grimacing after passing the waist line. Yep, I was small again.
"Uuugh, wwhhyyyy?" I groaned out dejectedly, shoulders drooping as I realized how much I was once again missing.
"Don't be so overdramatic," came a condescending voice from over my head. I craned my neck back to peer up at the shadow encrusted imp hovering over me. "Anyways," she continued, "You look better like this, much less… weird." She ended, fixing me with a searching look.
I gaped at her for a second, disbelieving. How in the world could red eyes, fangs, and claw like nails be more normal looking than my original form?! I was about to defend my old forms honor when Link startled me by suddenly standing up.
His face had morphed into a hardened mask as he slid his sword from its sheath, the rasping sound of steel sliding over hardened leather echoing across the room. I gave him a questioning glance as he slowly stalked forward, and was about to ask him what he was doing when a hand clamped over my mouth.
"Quiet idiot!" came the whispered hiss from near my ear. "Don't alert them that we're onto them!" I glared down at the hand covering my mouth before a devious idea came to me. Midna let out a disgusted curse as she quickly pulled her hand away from my mouth and began violently wiping it on the side of her leg. I grinned to myself as I attempted to scratch the taste of condensed shadow from my tongue with my nails. It tasted like burnt toast… and death.
A battle cry brought my attention back to Link and I watched as a spurt of purple icor burst through the air, quickly followed by a disintegrating bubblin head. Link flicked his sword around before re-sheathing it, and calmly walking back to us.
"The crazy things haven't given us a moment of peace since the battle." Link began as he sat down heavily next to me, "I have no idea where they're coming from but they keep trying to sneak up on us." He slowly massaged his forehead as he grumbled to himself. Then something caught my attention.
"Wait," I cried out, snapping my hand forward to latch onto his, quickly pulling it down to study. Link let out a startled grunt at the unexpected action but I was already engrossed. Prodding his hand I studied it for a second before moving on to study the rest of his body and quickly coming to the up-surd realization.
"What the heck happened to your clothes!?" I exclaimed.
"What?" Link gaped back before quickly looking himself over, "What's wrong with them?"
"Exactly!" I cried, "What happened to all the burns and scorch marks and tears!?" I asked.
Link looked dumbfounded for a second before Midna came to his rescue, "Fairy," she said.
"Huh?" I replied intelligently. Midna rolled her eyes before responding.
"Fairies, as in the healing sprites." Seeing my look of confusion she continued, "There was a nearby spring and that rock-a-lanch you created opened it up and revealed a couple fairies. I caught one and brought it back to Link and had it heal him." I stared at her for a second.
"But the clothes?!" I exclaimed, gesticulating wildly. Seeing a look of confusion on her face I quickly dropped the issue. Yet another thing to add to the 'many things that magic can do' list, automatic repair service… I wonder if it does T.V's.
Shaking my head I stood up slowly, grimacing as pain shot through my hand. Once up I twisted a little, noticing that there was something wrapped around my torso.
"Careful," came Links voice, "I just finished bandaging up your back and if you do too much it could open up again."
I looked down and noticed the frayed and slightly bloody shirt I was still wearing and grimaced, even from here I was able to see the bandages through tears in the fabric; or more correctly, I was able to see the strands of fabric still covering the bandages. 'Wait,' suddenly a thought struck me, 'If he got bandages on under my shirt he had to…'
A brilliant blush suddenly split my face and with speeds I thought impossible I turned around and smacked him right across the face, screaming, "Pervert!" in a high and very shrill voice. Clutching my arms across my body I turned away and squatted down, glaring into the ground and trying to stop the rush of blood to my cheeks.
After a few seconds of self-righteous fury, the feelings dissipated and I began to notice awkward silence that had greeted my actions. Conscious thought began to take root again and the first thing that popped into my mind was, 'Why the freakin' fudge did you do that?!' I dropped my hands from my face as if they were on fire and stared down at the traitorous appendages with a mounting sense of horror. Why the heck should I care if Link had to take off my shirt to apply some bandages, it was helping me, 'Plus!' my mind screamed out in addition, 'You're a freaking guy!'
My gender identity crisis was put on hold as something crashed into the back of my head, sending a sharp pain coursing along my scalp and causing me to yelp and stagger forward a few steps.
"Midna!" came a scandalized exclamation from behind me, "What did you do that for?"
"She deserved it," the imp replied snidely. I turned around and glared at the imp in question while delicately rubbing my head; she just fixed me with another of her condescending smirks before hopping back into Links shadow. Shaking myself off, I looked up into Links face and saw him tenderly rubbing a faint red hand print on the side of his cheek. Seeing the print I felt an odd sense of guilt overcome me...along with a mild sense of panic.
"Sorry," I mumbled in apology as I twisted my foot in the dirt, "Don't know why I did that bu—"
"Don't worry about it," Link cut in, "You're probably just tired." he ended with a slight grin. Turning around he bent over and began picking up our supplies and stuffing them into his bag. After about minute he got up and turned to look at me.
"You ready to go?" he asked with a roguish smile.
(LINE BREAK)
"HOLY S-!" My exclamation of surprise was drowned out by the roar of a giant fiery chain crashing in the wall, the impact sending shards of jagged rock spinning across the room.
"The ankle chains! Grab the freakin' ankle chains!" I screamed at Link as I dove, once again, under the legs of the possessed giant we were attacking. I quickly scrabbled out from behind him as the magma dripping golem continued to flail around blindly, flinging spatters of molten rock across the room and raising the already high ambient temperature of the room to a nearly unbearable point.
"Shoot… the eye- my butt!" I cursed to myself through pants as I dove behind another pillar and pressed my back to it. Everything had been going fine until Midna inserted her two cents. We, well, Link, had been dancing around the creatures feet, cutting into it and slowly widdling away the hardened rock while I took pot shots at it with the flame rod. Sure, my contribution may have been small, seeing as you can't burn a fire golem; but it did a good job at staggering it.
Just a little longer and it would have toppled over from fatigue, but then Midna gave Link the great idea to blind it.
I soft pink echoing from my hand alerted me that the rod was ready for use again and I carefully inched around the corner to peek at the flailing behemoth. A small arrow stuck out of a vaguely diamond shaped structure in the middle off its flat face, and apparently, if the screams were anything to go by, it was very painful.
"Burn!" I shouted, pointing the rod in the monsters general direction and hanging on for dear life as the force of the flame expulsion shoved me back a couple feet. The haphazardly cast shot soared by the golem, barely nipping its shoulder as it passed, but even the glancing blow was enough to stagger the beast. The giant took several lurching steps backwards as it tried to maintain its balance, waving its arms wildly all the time; suddenly, one of the chains around its feet went taut, snapping its foot out from underneath it and sending the beast smashing into the floor, dousing its flames.
The wand let out a short farting noise as it launched another piece of parchment into the air. I distractedly caught it, sparing a passing glance before doing a double take and looking back.
'Amazing aim tiny, maybe next time you could actually point at the GIANT standing target,' it read. Hissing angrily I crumpled up the ball and tossed it over my shoulder before turning to find Link. I found him at the moment when he was clapping his heels together, his body bobbing up slightly from the now nonexistent weight, as he tossed the now limp chain from his hands.
Giving off a burst of speed he quickly dashed over to the golem, rushing around its side while he yanked his sword from its sheath. Skidding to a halt, he quickly spun in front of the golems face, raising his blade high into the air and bringing it down in a spinning arc.
The blade skidded off of the hardened crystal in a shower of sparks, severing the wooden shaft of the arrow as it did so. Without missing a beat, Link allowed himself to turn with the reflected momentum and brought his sword slicing around at an even greater velocity. The beast howled as a cracking sound accompanied the next shower of sparks, but Link didn't let up.
Clang after clang of steel on stone filled the room until, with a flash, the beast suddenly relight in flame.
GWWWOOoooohhHHHH! The golem let out a frightening roar as it lurched to its feet, the floor around it cracking and sending Link sprawling onto his back. The beast staggered as it clutched its head between its hands, crashing into another support pillar and sending it flying in my direction.
I flinched and quickly yanked myself back behind my pillar, just in time as shards of stone ricocheted off of my cover, several of them tearing deep gouges into the ground where I had previously been standing.
"Link!" I called out once the sound of flying rock had stopped, quickly spinning around the corner to find him. I let out a sigh of relief when I saw that he was still on his feet, having ducked behind another pillar in time to avoid the debris. The golem let out another roar as it lumbered forward, this time instead of blindly swinging its chains it was punching madly at the air, demolishing anything in that got in its path.
I felt the blood drain from my face as it crashed into a wall, bouncing off and in a different direction, now heading towards me. Turning I shoved myself from the pillar, kicking off as hard as I could and propelling myself into a full on sprint. A loud crash behind me alerted me to the destruction of my 'cover,' and I put on another burst of speed.
"Hey ugly, over here!" a shout echoed from across the room. I skidded to a halt behind another pillar as the earth shaking footsteps slowed and then stopped, a moment of silence permeated the room before several slow and ponderous rumbles indicated that the golem was turning around. A low growl echoed from deep within the beast.
I peeked around the corner in time to see a flash of green, right before it disappeared under the bulk of the golem, its running charge carrying it into the ground with enough force crack the rock and shake the ceiling. My breath caught in my throat and I felt my muscles seize up. Several seconds passed in absolute silence, tension visibly rising in the air, before a low rumbling chuckle began to emanate from the golem, the cold and malicious sound causing my knees to shake and slowly buckle beneath me.
As my knees hit the floor another sound suddenly broke the silence.
"Midna, now!" the shout echoed across the room, shortly followed by a green blur streaking through the air. The golem jerked up in surprise and turned around towards the source of the noise, just in time to catch the green object in the face.
Link let out an animalistic roar as he drove his sword into the crystal, the momentum of his flying body driving it in even deeper and sending the beast, hero and all, crashing to the floor, the impact throwing up a thin layer of dust.
I watched, mouth gaping, as the dust cloud swirled around before slowly dissipating, revealing the slowly blackening form of the golem. It spasmed slightly before, with a final jerk, bursting into thousands of dark, blue black motes. The vaguely square shaped black matter floated lazily around the room for a second before, with a barely noticeable breeze; it rushed in towards the center, gathering into a large black sphere that seemed to radiate light. After a few seconds the light dimmed and the sphere dissipated, leaving in its place an oddly shaped rune filled stone hovering above the unconscious body of a large Goron.
I slowly stepped out from behind the pillar, at the same time I noticed Midna carefully float over to the slab, her phantom hand gingerly extending to grab it before quickly yanking it into some sort of dimensional pocket. She muttered something I couldn't hear before turning to Link, who was now standing next to her.
I walked up to them as they stood staring down at the unconscious form of the Goron Patriarch. Link looked down at me and flashed me a smile.
"H-how? How did you do that?" I asked, still a little overwhelmed by all that had happened.
"Oh, Midna threw me." Link answered distractedly, waving in her general direction. I looked over to Midna, then back at Link, noticing the distinct difference in height and therefore most likely weight.
Seeing my confusion, Midna rolled her eyes before extending her ponytail into its much larger, and vaguely hand shaped form. "Magic, nitwit," she said.
I glared darkly at the imp before Link distracted me again. He marched over to the unconscious Goron and reached down behind him, plucking up something just out of my view. Rising up he slipped it discreetly into one of his pockets before turning around to look at us.
"Okay, let's go," he said. Midna nodded before a look of concentration crossed her face and, slowly, a blackish blue portal wavered into existence upon the ground. Link walked over until he was standing on the cusp, glancing back at me he stuck out his hand. I looked around the destroyed room one last time before hesitantly stepping away from the damaged Goron. Reaching out I grasped Link's hand, and with a pulling sensation, everything went black.
(LINE BREAK)
A stern gaze met my angry glare as I stood fuming in the doorway.
"No," Link reiterated. I sputtered for a second in blind fury.
"Why the heck not!?" I shouted back at him, arms flying into the air as my emotions became more vivid.
"I've already told you," Link replied in a weary voice, pinching his nose and releasing a long suffering sigh, "It's too dangerous."
"Dangerous my a-," My sentence was cut off when something wrapped around my mouth, cutting off my air and pulling me backwards.
"Shut up," the terse whisper came from my shadow, "Someone's coming."
Angrily I stomped on my shadow, futilely attempting to dislodge the hand until, with a disgusted sigh, the shadow released me. Turning I fixed Link with a glare that clearly stated that we would finish this conversation later, before plastering a fake smile on my face.
After a few moments of silence the soft tap of feet on stone could be heard and within seconds we came face to face with Luda. Pausing in mild surprise, she blinked once before smiling.
"Oh, good, I was looking for you two. Father says it's time for supper." She said lucidly, clasping her hands behind her back before fixing us with another wan smile and walking past us. I fixed Link with a questioning glance but he refused to meet my gaze, instead turning his head away and beginning the trek to the inn.
"Psht, weenie," I insulted under my breath. The fact that he wouldn't look me in the eyes just reinforced the knowledge that I was in the right and only succeeded in adding fuel to my burning indignation. I followed several steps behind him and we traveled in uncomfortable silence for the duration of our short walk, until we arrived at the poorly lit doorway of the inn.
Walking inside I was assaulted by the odor of sweat, beer, and oddly enough, fresh bread. The large room was abuzz with activity; Gorons, Kakarikans, even the odd traveler or two chatting and conversing. An odd patch of silence greeted us as we walked by; the friendly face of the occasional Kakariko native drawing slightly; large, rock dwelling Gorons bowing just noticeably, but everywhere were the eyes; unrelenting and pursuing, they followed our every step… or rather his every step.
I grumbled to myself and folded my arms unhappily. 'He wasn't the only on there you know!' I wanted to shout at the crowd, 'I helped too!' I wanted to exclaim. But of course I didn't. After all, I was just the side kick, and no one ever noticed the support, no, only the hero got recognition for the deeds he and his posse completed… I was just the unnoticeable little, erm— not-girl— that helped him along the way.
I noticed, with a hint of sadistic pleasure that Link seemed quite uncomfortable under the scrutiny and I smirked ever so slightly as I watched him squirm. In the week since we had returned to Kakariko, Gorons had begun flowing in, all of them carrying stories of the 'Hero in Green', as he was now being called, and his amazing endeavors inside the volcanic mountain.
However it was not until the patriarch himself came down that Links status was raised from 'Lucky' to 'Legendary.' The large Goron has come down to personally thank the green clad Hylian, going so far as to declare him an honorary Goron as well as regaling us all with the story of his ability to 'summon earthquakes.' Jealously was, of course, an ugly emotion, but when someone else is taking credit for the deeds you did, even if by accident, you tend to feel a little bit cheated.
It's not as if Link didn't attempt to set the facts straight, but when Midna raised the point about how telling people of my little 'attack'— as we had decided to refer to it— was unwise. Although I had grudgingly agreed I was still a little bitter, after all, what was the point of defeating a high class enemy if you couldn't rub it in others faces?
So this, among other things, had contributed to the growing contention between Link and I. We had been spending less time around each other; the green clad hero going off to wherever it is he goes, while I brooded to myself. Link used this as one of his excuses for his most recent revelation, but I couldn't help but feel there was something more to it.
So it was with an air or malcontent that Link and I walked to the opposite sides of the small room Renaldo had set aside for our meal, each of us sitting as far away from the other as physically possible. The man in question quirked an eyebrow at our odd behavior but wisely kept quiet about the matter. We waited a little longer for Luda to arrive with Talo and the other children before we all began to eat. A melancholy air settled over the table, so much so that even the kids noticed. The silence continued on, occasionally broken by the occasional cough of tinkle of silverware; until the dreaded moment came.
"Renaldo, there something I need –," Link began.
"No!" I interrupted loudly, banging my fists on the table. Link fixed me with longsuffering look before continuing.
"As I was saying—,"
"No!" I cut in again, "I'm going with you and nothing you say is going to change that!"
"Sam—," he tried again, exasperatedly.
"I'm going!" I exclaimed heatedly, fury rising at how he refused to listen.
"S—,"
"No!" I yelled. Link continued to futilely attempt to speak past me but there was no way I was going to allow it. Finally he seemed to have had enough.
"SAM!" He exclaimed loudly; slamming his fists on the table and standing up quickly, chair crashing to the floor behind him with a bang. I immediately shut up, an odd sense of fear overcoming me as his figure seemed to loom over the table. It was the closest I had ever seen him to furious, his shoulders were heaving with repressed emotion and his face was taut and strained.
"I have tried," he began in a tight voice, "To be patient, but your insistence to act like a child has forced me to treat you like one." I felt something in my chest rebel at his comment. "It is for everyone else's safety as much as your own that I came to this decision and you're making it much more difficult than it needs to be!" He exclaimed, voice rising till he was nearly shouting. Renaldo stood up slowly.
"Link," he began in a calming voice but Link cut him off.
"No, let me finish." He said, his gaze never leaving mine. "You need to stay here. I will continue on and find the rest of the…" he paused for a second, considering his words, "…the information we need." I began shaking my head in disagreement, a sense of betrayal coming over me.
"No-," I tried again, but this time a lot less confidently.
"Sam," Link cut in again, "Think. You need to grow up." His words cut into me, striking my heart and tearing something that had been attempting to hang on to… denial. "This isn't a game."
His words echoed inside me, rolling around and around in my head and causing pain wherever they went. I felt my breath seize up in my chest, and an odd prickling sensation in the corner of my eyes.
"No…" the denial came out soft and broken sounding, echoing out with barely a hint of the pain I felt. Before I knew what was happening I was running; out the door of the room, through the mocking crowds of late night revelers, and across the floor of the room of lies. I felt something streaming down my face, tears I think, but I didn't care. My chest felt like it was on fire and each breath was ragged and forced, my mind whirled about as it tried to make sense of the muddled mess my life had become and I felt the world pressing in around me.
'This isn't a game,' the words echoed through my mind again and again until I felt a sob choke its way from my throat. I realized it now and it scared me, this was real, everything was real. The dirt under my feet, the buildings I ran by, and Link, gah, Link. The entire time I had been here I had been in a state of denial, this wasn't my world, it wasn't real, it was just a game. I had been going through it as such, acting like a goofy cartoon character because if I died it wasn't real, I would just restart.
Morphed body? No problem, it was just an odd character skin, not real, just all in my head.
But now that comforting veil had been torn away and I was alone… all alone. My family, were they okay? I had spent all my time focusing on myself, not spending a spare second on them or anyone else, just selfish self-focus. Would I ever see them again? Had they noticed I was gone?
Something else inside me broke. As if in tune with my inner self the dark sky seemed to break as well, soft droplets of water began cascading from the sky as the hungry clouds opened their maws. I couldn't feel them, I couldn't feel anything, my body was numb as it ran blindly through the motion, occasionally tripping and sending itself sprawling, only to pick itself back up and continue on its panicked sprint. Mud began to well up as the rain continued to pour down, seeping from the ground and slowing down my movement to a sloshing jog.
I wondered if I would ever get home. Up until now I had blindly accepted the fact that this was like a game, and in order to get home all I had to do was beat it; but what if that wasn't the case? What if I was stuck here forever?
Panic coursed through me and my speed increased. Eventually hazy shapes began to appear in the dark, solidifying into tombstones as I drew near. I dodged past the monolithic death icons as I continued on my mad run until my foot caught on something. I flew through the air with the combine force of my speed and the slickness of the ground.
The dirt rose to meet me with a jarring thud, and I was sent skidding across the water-slick ground, slipping and sliding until I crashed into stone and came to an abrupt stop. I lay there, stunned, staring up at the pouring rain. Slowly I curled up into a ball, knees coming up to my chest and arms wrapping around them, feebly hugging them closer in an attempt to keep what was left of myself from fleeing, from leaving the shell my body had become.
And as numbness overcame my limbs my mind finally cracked. I cried, thick tears streaming from my eyes and mixing with the muddy rain. Silent sobs wracked my body and I mourned for my family, I mourned for my inability to continue deceiving myself, I mourned for my old life… but most of all, I mourned for what was to come, and in selfish desire, I could feel only my own self-pity.
The rain continued to pour, and I continued to cry and the dark that was the sky grew and grew until it claimed all.
(LINE BREAK)
I stared emptily at the grave marker in front of me, sitting in the same position I had been for the last several hours. It's been nearly a week since he left, well, left for the second time. He had returned with Telma and a wagon to take the kids back to Ordon. Link had wanted me to go with them, but I refused… something about it just felt wrong.
Unlike the first time, I accepted his refusal to let me accompany him without complaint. Ever since that night in the rain I had felt empty, lifeless and without purpose. I had followed him when he came here to retrieve the Zora armor, I knew how to move the stone and get back there, I just didn't feel like doing it.
I could tell that Renaldo and Luda were worried about me; I spent almost all of my time out here, only coming back for meals and sleep, but only because they refused to bring me my food.
Again, I don't know why, but something about this area called to me, kept me coming back and seemed to ease my grief. I know it seems childish, but I felt like I had lost something truly important, something more important than even my home world… my family.
So that's was how I had spent my time, staring at a tomb stone with glazed eyes and distant thoughts, reminiscing all of the events and people I had taken for granted before.
A soft buzzing sound snapped me out of my reveries, and I looked up to find myself face to face with a glowing blue orb.
'Fairy,' I catalogued instantly. It just hovered there, doing nothing, so after a moment I looked away losing interest.
Bonk!
"Ow, hey! What the heck!" I cried, rubbing my bruised forehead. The fairy just bobbed up and down in a satisfied manner before flying over to the stone and landing on it. I stood up slowly and walked over to where it was, curious… plus, for something so small, it really hurt when crashing into your head. It took me a couple seconds to realize what it wanted.
"You want me to move the stone?" I asked, hesitantly.
The fairy pulsed green for a second and bobbed up and down excitedly. I stared for a second longer before giving in and pressing my shoulder to the stone. Then I pushed. And pushed… and pushed some more.
"Come on!" I shouted out angrily, taking a step back to ram into it harder. All that I got was a bruised shoulder. I stood huffing from exertion and glaring at the giant stone. Link had made it look so easy, a simple shove and, boom, it was moved. But the stupid thing probably weighed more than I did, and my week of laziness sure hadn't helped my strength.
A tinkling sound brought my attention back to the fairy as it shook slightly in the air.
'Wait…' I thought, 'Is… is that thing laughing at me!?' The fairy seemed to read my thoughts and the tinkling increased in intensity. I felt a blush creep its way up my cheeks.
"Well, if you think it's that easy then why don't you try!" I exclaimed, pointing accusingly at the blue light. The tinkling abruptly stopped and the fairy began pulsing an angry red, slowly drifted over to me. I felt a shiver run across my spine as it drew near, and I raised my hands in front of me defensively, backing up slowly.
"Uh, hey, I take it back?" I tried shakily, "Umm, sorry? Gomen? Pardon moi? Don't hurt me!" I exclaimed throwing my arms in front of my face. I stood like that for a few seconds, shivering, before I felt something tap my hand, right on the black tri-force.
I gasped as power coursed up through my body, filling it with an almost angry energy, then it suddenly rushed away, leaving me feeling invigorated and full of energy. I dropped my hands and stared at the pulsing black mark before looking up at the fairy who was now back to blue and drooping slightly.
"Um, thanks," I said, blushing from embarrassment and scratching the back of my neck. Well, in my defense it looked like it was trying to hurt me, not help me. Shaking my head I walked back up to the stone and gave it a solid shove, this time it move easily, but with it I felt a portion of my recently gained energy leave.
The fairy zipped past my face and through the revealed entry way, and I quickly followed. Coming inside I gasped. The place was beautiful. A deep, aquamarine blue pond dominated it center, surrounded by bounteous green and exotic plant. Fairies hovered above the water, dancing back and forth in a display on luminous, multicolored lights.
I felt something tap my elbow, and I looked down to see my companion moving in a beckoning motion. I followed distractedly, completely entranced by the beautiful sight before me. It wasn't until we reached our destination that my companion once again received my attention.
Before us stood a monolithic stone, covered in moss and ancient, faded runes; it looked like the doors of Moria from Lord of the Rings. The fairy began buzzing excitedly and flew between my hand and the stone repeatedly.
Getting the message I reached up and placed my hand on the stone. The rock was cool and moist beneath it, smooth in a way that no rock I had ever felt before was like. The blue fairy slowly circled around me before coming to a rest on my hand, wings folding up as its feathery weight settled.
It was then I felt it, a pulse, a thrum in the stone… almost like it was alive. Intrigued I probed farther, sending out faint traces of energy from my tri-force and into the stone. The world seemed to fade as I release more and more, until it looked like everything was a muted grey. I saw, stumbling from my hand, black, tentacle like objects, peeling through the transparent stone in front of me. And deep, deep, inside, I saw a pulsating golden sphere.
I felt my mouth go dry at the power I felt radiating from that sphere. It was unbelievable— unimaginable! With that much power anything was possible; I could create a world, I could bend time, I could—I could get home!
Pressing forward with renewed vigor I watched as the black tendrils lurched forward sluggishly. I cursed at the time it was taking them and pushed in more power… then the world around me lurched. The golden sphere lit up in a blinding display of light, whiting out my vision and causing me to stagger backwards… or would have if my hand wasn't sealed to the wall.
Faster than I could act I felt something seize onto the energy I had sent out, spiraling up the trails at a dizzying pace. I felt fear course through me as I attempted to sever the contact, but nothing happened.
The light continued traveling up and up until I crashed into me.
I think I might have screamed, I really don't know. My body felt like it was on fire; molten rock hissing through my veins and an unbearable sense of anguish gripping my soul.
The anguish slowly morphed, changing from fear and pain to anger and frustration. I felt total indignation, at what I didn't know, but all I knew was that I need to destroy something—
'No!' I mentally shouted, heaving with all my might and pulling my mind from the huddled mass of rage. I clenched my teeth and pulled against the bonds but nothing happened. A low moan escaped me; the rage and power from before threatening to overtake me while the sickening energy continued to pulse up my hand. Clamping down hard, I bit my cheek, focusing on the pain and holding on tightly to my sanity. My other hand slowly crept up to my head, latching on and digging the nails in, attempting to pull the invading presence out.
I could faintly hear talking in the background but I could make no sense of it; thoughts poured unbidden into my mind, voices began to serenade me with their opinions, a bastardized symphony of discordant thoughts and feelings.
"Listen to me," said one.
"Ignore him, he has no idea of what he speaks!" another shouted.
"Discount them both!"
"Bring me power!" yet another one spoke.
"Drink their blood!"
"Stop!"I shouted, gripping my head harder.
"Bathe their sins in cleansing light!" the voices continued on unhindered.
"Destroy the usurper!"
"Restore the balance!"
"Leave me in peace!" I tried again, this time more forcibly, but all it seemed to do was encourage them.
"Avenge us!"
"Silence the Black King!"
"Death to the Cold One!" each shout echoed, mingling with the others and forming a barrier of repeating phrases.
"QUIET!" I screamed, my voice echoing off the walls of my head, bringing an instant and total silence. I trembled slightly as I felt myself begin to relax, then the murmuring began again, this time quiet and jumbled in a way I couldn't comprehend.
"Silence," a single voice rose above the others, filled with a great power and mystique, it sent a reverent quiet over my mind.
I gasped as something cold latched onto my psyche, pulling me into an enveloping grip as it attempted to tear me from my temporal anchors.
'No!' I thought; panic welling inside me as I fought back with all my might, pushing against the vast force that was attempting to take over me.
"Peace little one, we mean you no harm," the voice returned, bringing with it an unfounded and irrational sense of calm. Slowly I felt the fight leave me, the alien presence slowly pulling me farther and farther away, until only a thin thread of life connected my spirit to my body.
Suddenly, I found myself standing in a dark cavern; the only light coming from my faintly glowing body. I blinked slowly as I looked around me, seeing nothing but never-ending blackness, spreading in every direction.
"We have waited long for you, little one," I spun around to look for the source of the voice, stopping dead at the sight of the giant, multifaceted, golden gemstone in front of me.
'No… not a gemstone,' I thought as I watched the black dot in the center swivel to focus on me, 'An eye.'
"Quite the observant one are you not?"the eye said, taking on a humorous tone.
"Y—you can hear my thoughts!?" I sputtered out, quickly back pedaling away from the eye.
"You do not do a very good job of keeping them quiet, they are actually painfully loud." The eye began, "But that is not the reason we are here. I, and through me them, are here to speak with you about much greater matters, the reason behind your presence in this world and to reveal to you the power you bear branded on your left hand."
I felt myself gaping at the eye; I couldn't find words I was searching for as I attempted to formulate a question. Then something chilling dawned on me.
"Wait, you? Are you the one who's been attacking me in my dreams?" The accusation came out weak and pathetic, and if I was true to myself, I dreaded the answer. If a being powerful enough to steal into my dreams had managed to pull me into his realm… well then, I was screwed.
"There will be time for questions later," the voice said again, "Our time here is limited so I will make this short."
I closed my open mouth with a snap as a serious presence overcame the voice, I could feel it vibrating through the air; whatever it had to say was important.
"An ancient evil has arisen; its power, power that you have felt in your dreams," well, that answered my question, "is slowly but surely returning and with it will come untold misery and woe."The eye narrowed slightly as it continued, "You have been brought here to aid the last defender of light in his quest to destroy this power."
"Wh-what? The last defender of light—you mean Link?" I managed to stutter out. The eye simply stared at me, giant black pupil swiveling ominously… and then it dawned on me.
"Wait. Brought here? You brought me here?" I began; a chilling feeling warping down my back… the silence gave me my answer. "…You," I gritted out, hands trembling in barely suppressed rage, "YOU!" My shout rang out across the empty space, one finger pointing accusingly at the mocking golden orb, "You brought me here, you stole my soul from my planet and planted it here; here in a place based off of a GAME!" by now my whole body was shuddering, the indignity! What gave him the right to do this?! What gave him—?
"Silence," the voice echoed out; it didn't change in pitch, tone, or anything conceivable, but something about it was so cold that it froze my very blood.
"Such foolish notions cloud your mind. You have seen and felt the world around you, reveled in its magic's, and yet you still cling to the imprudent conception that you are dwelling in a realm coded by laughable computer technicians." He ended in a condescending tone.
"W—what are you talking about?" I questioned, "I've seen this game, I've p—played through it all! This it just a world modeled off of-," my throat constricted as the eyelid lowered more, cutting off my speech.
"It is as real as anything can be, if you die here, you are dead for good."
I felt something in me shrivel, and I realized it was the deluded and irrational hope that getting back home would be easy.
"Then how? How do I get home?" I asked quietly, voice cracking slightly. The presence paused before answering.
"Complete your mission. Destroy the evil that is permeating this realm and restore the balance and then, and only then, will your path home be illuminated." The voice said, "But know this, not everything is as it seems. Evil has a way of slipping through the cracks; you must always be wary of what it will attack you with next."
"S-so… all I have to do… is beat Gannondorf?" I questioned feebly. Something about the eyes presence was so powerful and wise that, as soon as my rage had dissipated, I found it hard to speak. A weary sigh split through the air, a stream of hot wind blowing past me at the same time and ruffling my hair.
"If only it were that simple. No, the world you know from your game is fiction based off of fact. Hyrule is a very real place." The voice seemed to mellow as the sentence drifted off, then it picked up again, "A lesson on the history of your worlds would be long, arduous, and take much more time than we have. So I will give you a condensed version."
I watched as the large eye dimmed slightly, glazing over and viewing something that was not there. The giant, gold plated eyelid slowly slid closed until only a sliver still showed; bright, glowing, and directly in front of me.
"The universe if filled with many wonders; untold bounties of knowledge waiting to be reaped by those who know how. In the beginning of our recorded time, your galaxy was naught but rubble and space. An empty slate of galaxy if you will, and it was here that we established a new realm. Bound by peace and governed by justice, it was to be a utopia, a place where life came to seek refuge… and in the beginning, it was." The voice seemed to droop, and an almost tangible sense of sadness filled the air.
"But, alas, the utopia was not to be. Usurpers from within began to riot and stir up contention, filling the new system with their lies and deceits, and before we knew it, there was war." The voice seemed to harden, and for the first time since I had arrived I could feel and hear its anger, "They destroyed much, all under the name of revolution, and before long, this galaxy was nothing but planets void of life, desolation where we had created so much. It was from here that an ancient evil arose, one that would be referred to as… demons, in your tongue."
I was taken aback a second before the words caught up to me, and I nearly scoffed… key word being nearly. It turns out that a giant golden eye can give quite the scary glare.
"I assure you that this is no joke. Evil attracts evil, and the more of it there is, the greater it becomes. As such, by the time the true threat became known, it was far too late. It spread like the plague you mortals so feared, and before long all life in this quadrant of the galaxy had been eliminated." I could feel something catch in my chest at his words, they just sounded so… I couldn't describe it, but somehow I knew what this being spoke was true.
"As a last resort, a plan was made to seal the beast; the greatest minds came together and created a plan, a plan that would stop this evil once and for all. One of the few remaining strong holds was split in twain, rent into two different worlds and bounded on different sides of a dimensional rift, connected by a single nexus of power. It was in this nexus that the beast was sealed…" the voice trailed off slowly, seeming to sink into thought.
I waited for what felt like eons before working up the courage to ask.
"Then what?" I asked timidly. The eye blinked once before refocusing on me.
"It wasn't enough," he said simply, "The nexus was simply too weak to hold a greater demon of that caliber, and for a while it seemed like it would fail, but then came salvation. When all seemed lost, out from the sky came beings of unimaginable power, beings that you refer to as gods and those in Hyrule call the goddesses." I gaped at the revelation; the goddesses of this realm were real as well?
"With their help, the nexus was sealed and the demon stopped. The two worlds used to bind it were connected in such a way that they would continually support each other, as such, what happens on one effects the other. These worlds are Hyrule and your Earth."
For a while I just sat there, staring into space and thinking.
"So… this demon, it's somehow breaking free of the nexus?" I asked, more talking to myself than really asking the question.
"Yes, and it has come perilously close to breaking the barriers. The only hope, the last remaining power of the seal, is branded on your hand." My eyes snapped down to my hand, looking at the black mark with a new sense of awe… and dread.
"It is called the anti-force. As you have felt, it draws in the power of others, sealing it and preparing it for use. Its capabilities are only as limited as the person who wields it; it was this creation, combined with the tri-force of the goddesses, that created the original seal." The voice suddenly stopped, and an ominous rumble that sounded suspiciously like an annoyed hiss filled the room.
"Our time is running out. Suffice it to say, Gannondorf is meddling with powers he does not understand. He found the entrance to the nexus on this world and has been dabbling with the dark magic's it radiates. Soon, the Demon will be released, and the worlds will collapse. Find the tri-force and seal the power before it is too late…" The voice slowly drifted off and the world began to swirl around me. Flashes of color appeared in my vision and I swayed dangerously. I teetered for a second on the brink of consciousness before, with a final burst of light, I faded into unconsciousness.
A/N Hey! So, tell my your thoughts. Review, leave hate mail, whatever strikes you, I love comments on my work. (Especially if they help me improve .) Also, if you have any fun ideas for Omake, please send them in, I'd love to hear them!