Why, hello! Here is another chapter right out from the delicious Word's oven! i enjoyed writing this, and you'll see why. The audio option in this chapter is strongly recommended. Remember how it works? just copy&paste the name of the music on youtube and all is set!

A black sea of nothingness extended as far as my eyes could perceive. I was quite familiarized with this background and it took me less than two seconds to know where I was.

Once again I was dreaming and knew what to expect. I glanced at both sides just to meet the exact same sight, nothing.

But there was something more to it, my body felt all light and soon realized that I wasn't stepping on anything; I was levitating. To my misfortune, when I glanced down to see my feet floating, I sighted at the same monster that has been haunting me on every nightmare I've had before coming below me, with its mouth wide open, revealing its wide and spiky fangs and its throat.

I had no way out of this, so all I could do was put my arms around my face in a pathetic way to defend myself against the enormous creature.

But just then, a source of light came from the back of my left hand. Once again my triangle-shaped birthmark was shinning. Its light started to consume all the darkness around and even repelled the creature below me. I stared at it until the light itself consumed me.

The light blinded me and felt great warmth all around my body, and my conscience was totally absorbed by it.

"Don't be afraid of your own anger…" I fading voice said in between the blinding light.

(I… I know that voice…)

"Just let it go…"

"…What? What do you mean!" I shouted.

But the voice continued its speech. "Or else you shall shortly perish…"

Those words struck deep inside of my mind not like a menace but more like a warning. Then, out of all contexts, I felt that something was grabbing my arm. No… it was rather pulling it…

"Hey! Wake up!"

"…Huh?" I slowly opened my eyes and saw Cremia's little sister Romani, insisting on waking me up.

She gripped my left arm with her both hands. "Come on! It's time for breakfast Alex!" Romani said with a childish smile.

"…Breakfa-aaah!" She inadvertently pulled my arm, making me stand up and, much obliged, follow her steps. "Come on! My sister made pancakes!" She rushed all the way out of the room and so I had too. We passed through the already opened door and Cremia, who was just serving the plates on the dining table, greeted me.

"Hey Alex. Good morning!"

I lazily grunted while sobbing my eyes. "…Good morning…" My brain hasn't turned on for good yet.

Romani let her grip from my arm and sat in her chair, and I did the same on another chair. I yawned and started dozing even with the food right in front of me at the table. When Cremia sat, she noted that I was having a hard time trying to awake. She whispered to her sister. "Aww… poor thing… he's still tired…"

Romani swallowed the piece of pancake that was munching before respond. "Romani bets that he's not used to get up this early!" She said it clearly more than whispering.

Meanwhile, I was recalling what the voice on my dream said. (Let out what? Perish?) I was getting asleep again, but as my head lowered, I smelt the scent of homemade-delicious-sweet bread. I managed to open an eye and hungrily stared the pile of pancakes covered in honey with it. With my strong will, I grabbed the fork and cut a little part of the pile of pancakes and without hesitation got it in my mouth.

A spark ran through my stomach and asked more of it. I swiftly opened my eyes, and all of the sudden I was fully awakened. With the fork, I cut the pile of pancakes in four- what the hell, in two parts slicing it by the middle. I trusted the fork into one pile, opened my mouth and swallowed it after two munches. The sisters watched and, like yesterday got amazed. They exchanged looks of surprise.

"Umm…Alex…" Cremia said.

I left the glass of milk with the middle of its content. "-Yeah?" I said after drinking the milk.

"You… always eat like that?"

I scratched my head and chuckled. "Yeah! Hehe…" I continued to eat my meal which, got it all into my mouth and swallowed it with certain ease. My hungry have been satisfied. "Delicious!"

The redheaded sisters stared at me surprised. "You've already finished?" both of them asked me at the same time.

I drank the remaining milk on my glass and stood up. "Yep!" I grabbed my belly and smiled. "Thanks for the breakfast! I'll better get ready and get going…"

"Uh, come on Alex, there's no need to hurry" Cremia said.

"No, really! I don't want to end up in a graveyard at night!" I joked.

I knew that the trip could take long even with Epona, and I don't know how much time I'll be around those parts so the earlier I can get to there the better.

She giggled "Uh, that's right! Tee-hee!" Her sister giggled as well.

"Can I take a bath?" I asked curiously.

"Of course! You don't have to ask"

I nodded."Thanks!"

When I started walking towards the bathroom at the very end of the wall of the staircase, I suppressed a big pain that ran through my legs. At the very first step I took, I frowned in pain, but didn't expressed anything else thing that made my pain go unnoticed by the sisters still eating. When I closed the door behind me, I rested my hands on my knees.

(Daaammn!)

My both legs felt like two pairs of rocks making every movement painfully. That long walk I did yesterday is claiming its toll on me now. I have to get over it, there's no other choice.

(I said that I wanted to stretch my legs but I think that exaggerated. Just slightly…)

I silently groaned in pain as I got undressed and walked to the inside of the shower.

After a short shower, I covered my lower body with a towel that was hanging in a tube against the wall that surely was put there for me exclusively. Before open the door totally, I glanced to the main room and noticed that no one was around there anymore. I didn't want to walk around the place shirtless. And even more so, because there was two girls around, that just wouldn't be correct.

When I closed the bathroom's door behind me, I immediately rushed towards the guest room with my little pile of used clothes on my hands, and once again suppressed the pain in my legs. I quickly put on the sleeved with undershirt, the chain mail, the pair of fingerless gauntlets, my brown pants and finally, my boots. I scratched my head thoughtfully. Where do I left them now?

I exited the guest room and saw both my sword and shield lying at the side of the stairs. I made a worried frown.

(Hope I didn't intimidated them or nothing with these…Oh well, surely didn't…)

As I eased my look, I put the sword and shield on my back, bringing more uncomfortable weight along with it. I arched my back while sighing deeply. I really didn't like the weight that a shield brings; That´s why I prefer having only my sword along with me. But as Cremia said yesterday, the field can be dangerous and I better be protected as well as I can.

Now, I had my endless pouch and my rupee bag too, so was ready to go. I left the main house of the ranch and glanced to Epona, who was still caged. I approached to her and gently patted her head with my arm trough the bars. Finding Epona lightened my mood a lot. If I found her, then I can find that sword and get back home as easily? I wondered what happened to the bandits though…

"You kicked their asses, right Epona!" I chuckled.

"Neigh" (Meh, you have no idea…)

Epona's Flashback

Somewhere, at the southeast of Termina Field…

"You are going to listen to us, stupid horse!" a man short of stature clad in green clothes screamed in front of the altered horse.

"Neigh!" The mare somewhat responded. (Face off someone your size, beanie!)

After painful hours of trying to tame the horse, the bandits were trying another technique to submit the mare. The other bandit that was too, struggling, was just at the rear side of the mare, waiting for the exact moment to jump on her take on the reins of the situation. The mare was smart tough, she knew that someone was behind her; and kicked the bandit hard with her hooves, making him fell backwards. As the bandit lay in the floor in pain, the shorter bandit got rammed by the mare that was making her escape to the unknown.

End of flashback.

I looked around the place and saw no one. I bring my hand to my chin.

(Now where are Cremia and Romani? Maybe inside that building right next to the house…)

I went inside of said building, and my thoughts were right, there were the redheaded sisters, both of them petting a cow. This was the stable I could tell, because of presence of many cows and one single, horse with brown mane.

When I got inside of the stable, the sisters noticed me, and turned to me.

"You are leaving already Alex?" Romani started, letting aside cow she was petting.

"Oh" Cremia stood up. "Epona's still caged?" I nodded. She took a set of keys from a nearby table and nodded towards me. "Let's go free her" I gave her a warm smile and she sent it back to me.

We left the stable with Romani closely following us. She was somewhat anxious to see Epona free too. When Cremia freed Epona from her enclosure, she immediately ran towards me cheerfully. And I, cheerfully too, patted her neck the usual way I always did. In that moment I felt relieved. Epona was the only thing I had since I got lost in Termina. My determination to finding her was the only thing that prevented me from going insane, and now that I'm with her again, a big weight wore off from my back.

While I was petting my mare, both Cremia and Romani couldn't hold back a smile. "Awww how cute" The younger sister said.

"Well… I better get going…" I mounted on top of Epona took her reins. I turned back at the sisters. "I don't know how to thank you both for your hospitality and for taking care of Epona" I said with a thankfully smile.

"Oh, don't worry, it was a pleasure" Cremia said. "Come back and tell us more about your adventures!" Romani said. Cremia put her hand on Romani's shoulder with a smile, and turned back at me.

"Be sure to visit us again sometime" At that time, our eyes met again, and I could tell that she was totally sincere. But as every time that our eyes met, I blushed and looked away. She noted that, and casually tucked a strand of hair behind her ear looking away too.

"I'll sure stop by sometime. See ya later! EA!" I quickly waved them goodbye and gestured Epona to leave.

They waved too in return. "Bye!" "Bye Alex!" I heard as their voices faded in the distance.

I couldn't help but notice the similarities with this ranch with my home ranch. It somehow got that feeling of welcoming and peace that I enjoyed so much back at home. And even, I felt somewhat in home in this ranch like atmosphere, thing that noticed when I first stepped in the ranch. Those thoughts of having my home back just fueled further my desire to get back to my home. Now with Epona at my side nothing can get on my way. Let's get that Four Sword!

(Background: Termina Field Theme)

"Faster Epona! To the east!" I yelled excitedly, my eyes emanated strong determination.

"Neigh!" (Hang on! I'm a little rusty! sheeesh)

We quickly passed through Milk Road and now we were at the massive extent of land known as Termina Field.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Termina Field ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Every monster in our way met the terrible fate to encounter us as Epona rambled them with such ease that, none of them could slow our fast pace towards the canyon at the east. Chu-chus just melted away like jellies; Deku Babas were cut in two as we made our way. But the bombchus were another thing. When I first glanced one at the outsides of the eastern gate of Clock Town, I turned Epona trying to not collide with it, but Epona continued her own way and the bombchu simply exploded like nothing at the contact with Epona's feet.

I glanced back at the explosion. "Wow Epona! You kick ass!"

Epona snorted vainly. (Don't state the obvious…)

Every bombchu that got in our way exploded and Epona didn't even flinch at the explosions. She was too, excited to go outside for quite a long time.

Then, not too far I glanced at my worst enemy yet: the metallic fence.

"Okay Epona, you know what to do!"

Epona ran faster, and the air collided with us at the opposite direction we were running, unleashing my hair wildly. The moment of truth came, and Epona jumped up the fence with ease and continued running. I stared back at the fence and showed it my tongue mockingly. I glanced back forward, and saw another fence exactly the same as before. Not a problem. I got a better grip on the reins and prepared for the jump.

"Wooohoo!" I yelled excitedly while jumping the fence.

With no more annoying obstacles around, the way split in two. I stopped Epona and got out my general map of Termina and searched the place where I was.

"Mmm… here…"

The way forward up the hill lead deeper into the canyon and to some place called Stone Tower. But the way at my left leaded towards my destination: Ikana Graveyard. I directed Epona towards the left way, until a small cliff prevent me from going with Epona any further.

"Sorry, just wait here and don't leave, okay?"

"Neigh" (are you waiting for an answer? What can I say to you I'm a horse!)

"Glad that you understand! Just stay here just a second"

"Neigh" (Whatever, I'll kill some bombchus if ya' don't mind…)

I left Epona in the part where the canyon split, climbed the small hill I was surrounded by various tombstones.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ikana Graveyard ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Background: Conker's Bad Fur Day: Windy Graveyard)

I never liked the graveyards. There's always this ominous mood and disturbing silence on any graveyard you go with no exceptions.

I got out my map again and noticed that I was very close to the appointed place on the map marked with a circle. "Ok… just a little forward…"

I walked through the dirt way around the tombstones. The place was getting on my nerves; and more so, when I heard a fading children's laugher somewhere around. The place was disturbing enough and now I'm hearing things? I fastened my walking pace until there was no more tombstones around the dirt way and glanced at a bridge-like structure. I walked forward and got in front of a door and politely knocked the door. Above the door was two big scythes decoration, but to me it seemed more like a death trap if those things fall down.

When I was inspecting those scythes, someone opened the door and I glanced down. I got a little surprised with the aspect of the person. It was a short middle aged bald man with a seriously spooky face and sunken eyes, a big hump and wearing a dark brown sleeveless tunic.

"What is it? Don't you know? I don't do burials this day of the week" The man with the pallid face said with a rather bored face.

So he must be the grave keeper… "Uh… I didn't come here for a funeral"

"You are not?" He looked me up and down inspecting me. He took a quick glance to my sword, got somewhat excited. "Then… there's a chance that you may be a treasure hunter?"

I put my hand on my chin. "Well, you bet I am!"

"And there's any chance that you've got a bomb in your possession?"

"Well, yeah, think I have one…"

Now he looked genuinely happy. "Perfect! Just what I needed!" We clasped our hands together in a friendly salute. "My name is Dampé the Gravekeeper! My face may be scary, but I'm not a bad guy…"

And, as far I can tell, he was saying the truth; his eyes didn't exude any kind of malice, thing that made me ease my look sharply. "Alex Lon's the name" I replied with a friendly smile.

"Come inside please…" I nodded and followed him inside his house, which was only a room with a bed covering most of the leftmost corner, a half-filled bookcase and even a little sink totally out of context. He directed me to go down a staircase.

"You better have some source of light at hand, down there is really obscure" He got out a lantern filled with oil that illuminated all the room.

"What's down there?" I exclaimed as I lit my own half-filled oil lantern that I brought days before at Clock Town that I used to read books at my room at nights. I buckled it on my belt to not carry it around.

He began to walk downstairs and I had to follow him. "Down there's a cavern that belongs to the family members of the king of Ikana's Castle, a place that lies beyond the mountains. The place is full of treasures! I had found lots of rupees, rare and valuable vessels and even an empty bottle! Isn't that neat?"

Just like that creepy mask salesman said, the sword was hidden away along with other treasures of the royal family of Ikana, so everything matches, I'm actually going the right way for the Sword. But something else peek my curiosity.

"And why do you need bombs?"

"Wait and see it with your own eyes…"

After that non-answer, we got to the end of the downstairs and got in big and open place down the graveyard.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Beneath the Graveyard ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The cavern was frightening and cold to say the least. I couldn't see anything 10 feet further away. And the only source of light was our lanterns. When I turned back at Dampé, he put on a really weird looking cap on his head. This cap had really sharp spikes around it pointing upwards. "Watch out for your shadow, I'm dead serious" he said.

I raised an eyebrow at his statement distrustfully, but nodded and kept following him. We descended another shorter stairs and walked around an even more open place. And all of the sudden I heard the air being cut somewhere. I looked at both sides and saw nothing out of the ordinary that my limited vision could perceive; just darkness. But I still heard that something was coming towards me at blazing speeds. Then, the words of Dampé came to my mind: Watch out for you shadow…

I looked at my feet and glanced a big shadow below me. It was not an ordinary shadow and it wasn't mine either; it kept growing bigger and bigger at each second that passed… Then the realization came to my mind: something or someone was falling towards me.

"MOVE!" Dampé shouted.

I quickly jumped sideways and a strange monster fell on the place where I was standing just a second ago. The creature was nothing more than a disembodied zombiefied hand of big proportions.

"It's a Wallmaster! Quick! Slash it before it goes back to the ceiling!"

I didn't needed him to say it. I unsheathed my sword and slashed the creature. But it just made it a little cut and as prompted itself up the ceiling as fast as it fell. I looked up, waiting for it to fall again.

"It won't show up if you keep staring up!" Dampé said. Now I get why he has that cap on.

Instead of looking up, I glanced to my feet again and carefully watched my shadow again. It was growing bigger again. I got a better grip on my sword and waited for the exact moment of action.

(There… there… I got it!)

I grabbed the sword with both hands and made an upwards thrust. The creature got impaled in the sword and died fast, disappearing in blue smoke. When the blue smoke faded, it tossed away three red rupees.

"Nice work! The bastard stole those rupees from me ages ago! You can keep them if ye like for your good deed"

I nodded and picked the rupees to put them inside of my rupee bag.

"Now, keep follow me"

I listened to him and followed his steps until we got in front of a strange wall.

"This is it" He knocked the wall with his hand and heard a hollow sound from the wall. "I'm sure that something is behind this wall, maybe even treasures! I live far from town so I can't get bombs easily, but now that you are here I want you to use a bomb in this wall if you don't mind"

"I don't mind at all"

I inspected the wall closely, and unbuckled the lantern off from my belt and held it with my right hand in front of the wall. There were some big inscriptions on it wrote in Terminian. It seemed really worn, but managed to read it clearly.

¨Only the bearer of the golden power may be worthy to touch the hilt of the elemental sword¨ it read.

Below of those inscriptions was carved the goddesses of Hyrule, the Triforce. I rose an eyebrow at the display of some connection between this place and my homeland, but I may be wrong and it could not be the same emblem. As Dampé did earlier, I knocked the wall with my left hand and the same hollow sound echoed. But to my surprise, when I touched the wall to knock it, something lit on the back of my left hand under the glove; light was definitively coming from it and the emblem of the wall shined with the same intensity. It somehow reacted to my birthmark.

Without thinking twice, I pressed the palm of my hand against the emblem on the wall and reacted more intensively. My birthmark reacted too in a similar way, but it hurt me like even more than when I had nightmares or whenever I got angry. The light grew and consumed the entire hollow wall. I twitched in pain. The light coming from my birthmark indeed hurt me like a fiery burn.

When the light subsided, the wall disappeared revealing a not so dark way ahead. I stared at my hand in disbelief and saw that the glove was all burned in place where my mark is, marking it with black burnt leather. My hand trembled so I shook it to shake off the pain and the heat.

"Well, hehe, the road is not blocked anymore, so let's go Dampé… uh? Dampé?" I looked at every way with my lantern on hand. "Where did he go?"

(Underneath Dampé's bed)

"I-I haven't s-s-seen a-anything and k-know anything…"

(Back to the underneath of the Graveyard)

I made a confused face. "He… left?... Oh well! More treasures for me!" I contented myself and walked forward to the revealed place.

After a short tunnel I got to a big room fully illuminated with a big and intense ray of light that came from a crack in the high ceiling.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Chamber of the Four Sword ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The room was half illuminated by the ray of light. It was a big place with the design of a palace with weird patterns on the walls and paintings on the floor that pointed exactly at the center of the room, where a big statue lied. The statue was dressed in a dark metallic armor from head to toe, with a knight helmet on its head and finally, a big ass sword that was holding with his hands while cleaved at the ground and a big shield on its left hand.

I walked further to examine the statue, but when I got close enough, the statue raised its helmet in a way I could say that it stared at me. I heard a ghostly voice coming from the statue.

"I'm the protector of the sacred blade, keeper of the light"

Then I understood that it wasn't a statue, but a huge armored knight: a Darknut as we, the swordsmen, call these creatures. I friendly waved my hand to him. "Why, hello there! How ya doin'?"

The Darknut didn't listen and continued its speech. "Young swordsman, show me your might and I will see if you are worthy to brandish the golden blade!" He grabbed his large sword from the floor and got in battle position.

I frowned defiantly. "Fine. If that's what you want…" I unsheathed my sword and my shield and got in battle position too. My heart skipped for the thrill of battle.

We stared at each other waiting for the other to make the first move. Ten seconds passed, so I made the first move by running at him.

(Background: Zelda Twilight Princess Track: Mini Boss Battle)

I got in front of him and slashed him twice, attack which he blocked with its big sturdy shield that covered the half of its frontal body. The movement didn't make him even flinch a little. It then punched me with its shield, and made me take two steps backward, tearing momentarily my defense, opportunity he took to make a horizontal slash which I deflected with my shield in a split of second, but the impact of its long sword against my shield made me fell to the floor. While I was recovering, he threw a vertical slash to the floor towards me. I quickly rolled in the floor away from the impact. The sword hit the floor so hard that it got impaled deep in the floor, making a little quake.

I stood up and realized that this guy is serious. He wants to kill me and won't take second thoughts while doing it. While he was trying to get its sword out of the floor, I attacked him at his right side where he was not covered by its shield. The slashes were effective, they tear apart the armor on its right shoulder and the piece of armor fell to the floor. I tried to continue with another pair of slashes, but he managed to get its sword off from the ground and wasted no time in throwing a horizontal slash towards me. But our movements were performed at the same time, and our swords clashed together sending a noisy metallic echo across the whole room.

Now this was a battle of force. We were pulling our sword against the other one's sword. I frowned to convoke more physical strength from my arms, but the Darknut seemed to have no problem to face my strength; he wasn't even trying. I struggled for a half a minute until he finally released some strength and made me lose the force duel and slashed the right side of my torso with its big sword.

I took some steps back to resist the pain of the hit. I sighed, contained the pain and deefiantly grinned. Now this is what I call a sword fight! Quite a big time passed since I got to a real fight, and now I'm excited to feel the thrill and adrenaline of battling someone.

(Well… I might as well get serious too…)

I walked away from him the enough to complete my plan. As I thought, he was pretty darn slow. I raised my sword in front of me and started gathering magic power from inside of my body. Magic power was an ability granted to a short amount of people from the place of the Great Fairy at the side of Hyrule Castle. When I got to certain age, my parents got me there and the Great Fairy granted me the magic power in permission of the king of Hyrule. The Royal Family of Hyrule always was good with us, the Lon family for reasons unknown to me. I practiced with the magic power just a few times and haven't mastered yet at all extent.

The Darknut was approaching slowly. I released the magic power into the blade of my sword, now shining in dim green flames that flowed from my hands. I threw a quick slash to the air, leaving a trail of green magic in the air. I stared at the blade for some seconds and got to battle position again. "I'll show you what I'm made of!"

I ran towards the Darknut who wasn't far away, and our blades meet again in an tremendous clash of metal.

This time I was the one who wasn't even trying. The magic power gave me extra strength and the sword was now sharper and harder than before. "Aaaarrgghh!" I yelled and won the strength match this time.

I started slashing the armor of the Darknut repetitively until only half of its armor covered its body. When he recovered from the continual slashes, he covered himself with its shield, which was quickly thrown away by a vertical slash from my part. He had no shield, so he started deflecting my slashes with its large sword, which was broken in two thanks to the magic boost in my blade.

The adrenaline ran fiercely through my veins, and clouded a little my way of acting. My battle instincts has taken over my body. I missed this sensation.

With no more to defend himself, he received all the hits, making the rest of its armor fell to the ground. Now he got no armor whatsoever. Time to finish him off!

I performed our family's signature move: the spin attack. I grabbed the hilt of my blade firmly and held it in front of me, and made two spins around myself, slashing it twice on the chest with tremendous force; one to make him flinch, and another one to make him fell to the ground. It go just as planned; the Darknut laid in the floor panting and without armor. I took my chance, and jumped on top him and cleaved my sword into his chest, finish him off with an Ending Blow as my grandpa taught me. I jumped to his side, removing the sword off from its chest. My battle frown faded into a relieved smile. The green flames faded too, away from my blade and I unsheathed my sword and got my shield on my back. I cracked my knuckles. "Good fight!"

When my adrenaline wore off, the pain came to the affected part at the side of my torso. I patted it slightly and knew that there was no major damage thanks to the chain mail. I arched my back.

"And now…where's my prize?"

I glanced to the center of the room and there it was: a sword cleaved into a pedestal. I walked towards it. The pedestal where it was cleaved had the emblem of the royal family of Ikana, present too in the wall that disappeared in the light. The sword was bathed by the light coming from the crack on the ceiling, letting me inspecting it with detail. The hilt was golden orange with a colorless jewel attached at the end of the hilt. The blade was in bad state to say the least; was all rusty and was just slightly larger than my own sword. I got in front of it and put my hands around the hilt, and pulled it out of the pedestal with little amount of effort. I rose it upwards to the light.

(Zelda: The Wind Waker Music – Master Sword)

This is it. This gotta be it. The Four Sword. The ages have taken a serious toll on it though… better not use it... I want to see what that mask salesman says about this. I inspected closely. This thing will get me back to my home?

I seriously enjoyed writing the fight. In personal, this is my favorite chapter i've written. It showed us the badass side of Alex huh?

/Review Question/ Did you like the battle?

Believe me, you have seen nothing yet...

-Matt