Well, my update rate is pretty much garbage at this point. School is going to take up a lot of my time and so is my job when the summer starts. Also the VN I'm working on, which is admittedly a little more important to me than my fanfics. I'll try to be somewhat consistent with my updates still, but they'll definitely be more spaced out than what I was doing before (which was already only one chapter every three weeks (which, to be fair, is because I'm writing three at a time, so technically it was one chapter every week)).
Disclaimer: Refer to chapter one
Sleepless, Dreamless
Link tensed as the words of the Hero's Shade sank in. He tightened his grip on the hilt of the Master Sword, though he had no intention of fighting unless attacked, which did not seem to be the skeletal warrior's intent. The intimidating warrior did not repeat itself, forcing Link to make the next move.
"Time?" the blond called back. "What are you talking about? What time am I running out of?"
The Hero's Shade did not flinch or show any sign of weakness. After a short pause, the undead warrior slowly lowered its sword. Its ghostly voice echoed around the area once again.
"You bear the marks, do you not?" Link sheathed his sword after the skeletal warrior did the same. "The disappearing language of Aetas has manifested on your flesh."
Link momentarily glanced to his left arm, making the assumption that the Hero's Shade was referring to the markings on his arms. As of now, the right side of his body was rid of them, and the only ones that remained stretched from his left shoulder blade to his elbow.
"Who are you?" he demanded. "What are you?"
Again, the skeletal warrior showed no sign of amusement or impatience with Link. "I am but a messenger. I exist only in this space between worlds, drifting eternally as payment for the weakness of my own will."
That answer was far too vague for Link to understand. He had experienced many phenomena in his lifetime, but he was utterly confused by this whole situation. Though he wanted to ask more questions, he only got the feeling that the Hero's Shade would give him more vague answers. However, standing around like this wasn't going to get him anywhere.
"Have you grown aware," it spoke before Link could think of something to say, "of what it is that the markings on your body signify?"
Link once again glanced at his arm before turning back to the warrior and shaking his head.
"It is known as the secret language of Aetas. It appears on those who have been given a choice to take control of their own destiny."
Had he not always been in control of his own destiny? For as long as he could remember, Link had been travelling around and going on adventures out of his own free will. Though the experiences on Koholint had been forced upon him by the Wind Fish, he did not feel as though he had been manipulated.
"Over time," the Hero's Shade continued, "the markings shall disappear from your body, leaving no trace that they had ever existed. When the first half have disappeared, I am sent to give a warning; when they have all disappeared, I will come to claim you."
Link wasted no time in calling that statement out. "Claim me? You mean you'll kill me when these disappear?! How does that have to do anything with taking control of my own destiny?!"
The Hero's Shade hardly reacted to Link's sudden outburst. "I cannot kill those that exist, for I am no longer within the realm of existence. To claim a soul means to claim one's existence. When the markings cease to remain upon your flesh, you will take my place as the messenger of this eternal space between worlds."
"That doesn't answer my question! Why is this happening? How can I control my destiny if I know I'll be forced to disappear?! Must I defeat you when the time comes?!"
The Hero's Shade did not respond immediately, and the silence that filled the stagnant air sent more chills down Link's spine than the ghostly voice it spoke with. The blond watched as the skeleton's red eye flashed brightly a few times in its socket. It blinked out for a few moments as if the warrior was closing its lidless eyes, but reappeared in the empty socket shortly thereafter.
"I now understand your situation," it spoke in that same, emotionless voice. "How pitiful that you were cast into this position without some form of explanation. Very well, I shall do what I can to inform you."
The skeletal warrior slowly waved its bony arm horizontally in front of its torso. With an unexpected gust of wind, Link covered his face until it stopped. Looking up from behind his arm, the strange, misty place they had been in had suddenly been replaced by the familiar scenery of Koholint. Gulls screeched above them, and the ocean waves crashed gently along the sand.
"This is the world you once inhabited," the ghostly voice still managed to echo from all around him. With another wave of its arm, Link watched as the scenery morphed into the rolling green hills of Hyrule Field. "And this is the world you find yourself in at present. Two separate worlds that you have inexplicably been able to traverse between simultaneously."
Though he was surprised to discover that the Hero's Shade knew that, Link knew it would only be a waste of time to ask how it had found that out. Instead, he nodded in affirmation.
"That doesn't tell me much," he spoke firmly. "Koholint only appears in my dreams. The real world is in Hyrule, and the real people are Talon and Malon."
"An expected and rational assumption. However, I must ask, why is it that you have come to believe that the land of Koholint is not the real world?"
Link took a step back in surprise. What kind of question was that? Koholint disappeared when the Wind Fish woke up; of course it wasn't the real world! He awoke to the debris of his destroyed ship in the middle of the ocean. That had happened in the real world before Koholint, so how could it be real?
Rather than questioning it so blatantly, Link stayed wary of the logic of the skeletal warrior. It did not seem to have any reason to lie to him, which meant that the blond could approach this more calmly.
"Well, it only appears when I fall asleep. That should be reason enough to think of it as a dream."
"Yet you also fall asleep in that world, only to wake up in what you believe to be the real world. Did it not occur to you that perhaps your thought process was reversed?"
Link was taken aback again, but the Hero's Shade only waited for a moment before continuing this time.
"Do not dwell on such a matter, for this situation is but a falsity. The idea of a true world does not exist; all worlds are real. Just as there is the parallel Dark World and the hidden Realm of Twilight, so too exist the Realm of Dreams and the Light World. As I have come to understand, you, Link, have the ability to traverse between the latter two."
His shock from before still had not fully worn off, so to be struck with another statement that was equally as surprising forced Link to take a few moments to find his composure. Standing straight, he did what he could to keep his voice steady.
"Assuming you're telling me the truth, how could something like this even happen? That Dream World or whatever wasn't even a real thing; it was just something that the Wind Fish created on its own."
For the first time, the skeletal warrior seemed to show some form of amusement, though only through its spoken words as opposed to any change in its manner of speech. "You seem to forget that gods exist only to create and govern over that which they have created; the Realm of Dreams is no exception. However, for a mortal to have free passage between worlds is an extremely rare occurrence, one that happens mostly by mistake and without the knowledge of the instigator, which, in your case, is the Wind Fish.
"Though many religions suggest otherwise, gods are not perfect beings. The mere idea behind a god only applies when compared against the powerlessness of mortal creatures. When a human or other sentient being comes into contact with a god, there are almost inevitably consequences, though the nature of these consequences will vary between gods. You were most fortunate to have encountered a peaceful god, Link.
"The result of your encounter with the Wind Fish gave you the ability to traverse between the Light World and the place that your heart most desired to be. Because that place was in the Realm of Dreams, you are only able to go there while asleep in the Light World. This of course, also explains why your consciousness switches between bodies in both worlds."
The scenery of Hyrule Field blew away, and they had returned back to the strange, misty place they had been in at the beginning. Link reached up to the scar on his cheek as he thought about what the Hero's Shade had just said about the worlds. Was it really possible that both existed? Not only that; could he really travel freely between the worlds? Despite the fact that he had been doing it for half a year now, to be told that that was what was happening felt almost surreal.
"You appear to comprehend this information. Now that you understand, I shall inform you of the reason I have appeared before you."
In an instant, the Hero's Shade drew its sword and stabbed it straight into the ground. Resting its hands on the pommel at the end of the hilt, the warrior almost seemed to grow in size as it took on a wider, more intimidating stance.
"The distinction between the worlds you are able to travel between has begun to weaken. This is apparent from the scar on your face and what you have convinced yourself are visual fallacies and tricks. Your body in one world now equally affects your body in the other world, which was not the case when you first awoke in the World of Light. When the barrier between worlds has grown too weak to sustain you any longer, that is when I shall come to claim you."
"H-Hold on a second!" Link shouted, feeling as though things had just taken on a much more dire pace. "How will I know when my time is up?! Is there no way to prevent any of this?! For such a benevolent god, the Wind Fish really screwed me over here, didn't it? Sure, I was upset when I found out Koholint was nothing more than its dream, but if it means spending the rest of eternity in this empty place, then I would've been fine not being able to go back and forth in my sleep!"
The skeletal warrior did not physically react to Link's words, though its glowing eye seemed to scan him again.
"There is but one way to prevent yourself from replacing me in this realm. To do so, you would have to give up your life in one of the two worlds you now inhabit. If you choose one world and forsake the other, I shall send you to that world and close off the passage that keeps you connected."
Link was stunned by how easily it seemed to give up the answer. He would expect that something that had existed in this realm for so long would do whatever it took to find a replacement so that it could be at peace. At the same time, the Hero's Shade did not seem to have any sort of emotion or motive, so perhaps it was simply following whatever rules governed this place. All that mattered at this point was that Link not become the next resident of this eternal realm.
"H-How long do I have to decide?" he stammered. "I'm not sure I can just pick a world all of a sudden."
"The markings of Aetas work as a time limit. It is unclear exactly why these markings manifest on those who have encountered gods, but they appear on nearly all who have. When the last marking on your body disappears, that is when the barrier has become too weak to sustain you and the worlds for any longer. If you have not come to me with your decision before that time, you shall become the next messenger, tasked with this duty of warning and informing those with fates similar to your own."
The Hero's Shade pulled its blade from the ground and pointed it at Link in the manner it had when they first encountered one another. A gust of wind started to blow from behind it, billowing its cape in the blond's direction. As the wind began to pick up, glowing markings of Aetas appeared all around the armour of the Hero's Shade in a way that made them resemble chains. These chains seemed to keep the warrior grounded as the wind picked up immensely, forcing Link to fight against it to stay in place.
"How will I find you?!" the blond shouted over the wind howling in his ears.
"Should you ever have need of me, simply summon me with the power of your will. Whether it is the Realm of Dreams or the Light World, I shall be there. Think hard on what you wish to do. Until we meet again, farewell, Link."
The wind picked up incredibly when the last words echoed in Link's head. Unable to keep his eyes open against it as he tried to fight back, the blond could keep his feet planted no longer. With an unheard cry, he was blown back through the air, flipping continuously until he felt a solid surface beneath his back.
∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆
Link awoke to the feeling of something damp prodding at his face. As he slowly opened his eyes, he was met with the sight of Epona's muzzle and a bright blue sky. The horse's breaths tickled his face as she continued to prod at him. She backed off when he slowly reached up to stroke her face, letting her know that he was okay. With a grunt, the warrior sat up and gazed around.
Though it only felt as though he had spoken with the Hero's Shade for an hour or so, there was no denying the fact that it was now morning. The late autumn sun slightly peeked over the cliffs surrounding Lake Hylia, casting its cool warmth only on the opposite edge of the area.
"Mal's gonna be pissed," Link sighed as he stood up and stretched his cold, stiff limbs. "I wonder if I can just tell her what happened."
Epona whinnied as if to laugh at the very idea of telling Malon about how he'd impulsively chased after a talking golden wolf before getting sent into a nonexistent space with a skeleton warrior that would claim his soul. Even if he somehow built up the nerve to tell her that, she would probably still get mad that he dragged Epona off to go wolf hunting.
Brushing off any frost and dew from his body, Link hopped around a bit to warm up before climbing onto Epona's back. With one glance back at the rippling lake, Link spurred the horse on and made his way back towards Lon Lon Ranch.
Racing across the open fields, Link could not even attempt to direct his thoughts away from what had happened last night. All this time, he had treated Koholint as nothing more than a dream, acting on his emotions and doing whatever he felt like there because he did not expect there to be consequences – at least none that would actually affect him. Now that he'd been informed of its authenticity, there were countless things he regretted about that world.
And yet, despite his regrets, the newfound knowledge that Koholint was real excited him to no end. The place he had originally planned to settle down in was real, and so was the woman he had fallen so madly in love with. Marin wasn't just some subconscious thought conjured up by his dreaming mind; she was actually there in another world. Every time he spoke to her, laughed with her, touched her, held her, did anything with her, she was truly there with him. He could see her again and again, and all he would have to do was wait until he fell asleep in this world. If he wanted to, he could even give up this world and stay there with Marin.
The giddy feeling within him suddenly dropped as that thought crossed Link's mind. Perhaps he had gotten too far ahead of himself in his excitement. To permanently reside in one world, he would have to forsake the other. What would that mean for this world if he decided to make the Realm of Dreams his real world? Would this place still exist if he were to leave Koholint and cross the sea? What about the people: Malon and Talon? Would they simply cease to exist in his life?
He slowed Epona's pace as the ranch came into view behind a hill. Was it really right for him to leave this place now that he knew he could return? Though he had been purposely vague, he had certainly told Malon quite a bit about his experiences in the past, including parts from Koholint. Not only that, but he and Malon had just begun to take their relationship beyond the sibling-like bond they had shared before. He couldn't tell her out of the blue that he was leaving with no intention of coming back now; it would be unfair to her, and he couldn't exactly say that he did want to choose the Realm of Dreams over the Light World. Even if he had decided, he wasn't sure he had the heart to tell her so…
When it came down to it, Link realized that he had spent an equal, if not longer, amount of time on the ranch as he had on Koholint (though this only made sense if he excluded the time he was unaware that his dreams were actually a passage to another world). He knew that he had strong feelings for Marin, but perhaps the two of them had been hasty and overly excited about their first prospects of romance. Compared to that relationship, Link could not deny that the pace he had been moving with Malon was much more realistic under the circumstances. He could easily argue that the woman he truly cared for more was Malon.
Of course, this argument would all be internal, as this was not really something he could discuss with either of the redheads; at least, not until he had become fairly certain of his decision. Could he take this up with Talon or one of the residents of Mabe Village? Even if he did, he suspected that they would give him unhelpful advice or tell him that it wasn't their decision to make.
Link sighed in exasperation as Epona trotted up the entrance leading into the ranch. A loud sneeze came from the upstairs window as they passed by the house, reminding Link that Talon was unable to work for the next short while. The horses hadn't come out of the stables and it looked as though none of the usual morning duties had been completed. The blond began to feel guilty that Malon may have been too busy taking care of her father to manage the usual morning routine on time. With that thought in mind, he quickly led Epona into the corral and let the horses out of the stables before heading towards the house.
Stealthily creeping through the doorway, Link glanced around to see if Malon was planning to ambush him for running off with Epona all night without a word; however, the reason she had not gotten to her morning duties as usual became apparent when he spotted her in the kitchen.
With her arms crossed on the table and her head resting on top of them, the rancher's red hair cascaded down the edge of the table. Her sleeping face seemed troubled and her body shivered occasionally between the movements of her breathing. Having already been out in the cold in naught but his casual clothes, Link could understand why she would be shivering right now.
Stepping gingerly over to where she was, the blond silently gazed at her as he tried to determine whether he should carry her to her room or not. He didn't exactly feel good that she had probably fallen asleep down here while waiting for him to come home, so the least he could do was let her sleep somewhere more comfortable. Maybe it would make his apology to her go over a bit better, though he severely doubted that.
The redhead shifted slightly, allowing one of her hands to come out from under her elbow. Link began to reach for it, but stopped partway as a pang of guilt struck his chest. How could he make such a move when earlier he had been so quick to think of letting this world disappear? Sure, he had been excited to discover Koholint's reality, but that did not make this world any less real, and his feelings for Malon did not suddenly disappear either.
He shook his head and continued to reach for her hand. It didn't matter what he had thought earlier in his sudden gaiety, for he had since cleared his head so that he could be level about the whole situation. Gently interlocking his fingers with Malon's, the softness of her hand helped him feel relaxed. Smiling, he brushed some of the hair from her face so that he could get a proper look at her. Then, without warning, Malon's eyes shot open and her soft hand aggressively gripped onto him in an instant.
Caught by surprise, Link was easily brought to the ground and pinned in one clean motion. Dazed for a moment, he found that the girl who had been sleeping just moments ago was now pinning his arms back while one of her knees rested firmly on his torso.
"U-Uh, 'morning, Mal," he sputtered dumbly, grunting in pain as she dug her knee into his chest.
"You. Explain. Now." She growled angrily, and rightfully so. He had expected her to get angry, but the energy she had to pin him down like this after just waking up was nothing short of shocking.
"Ehehe…where to begin?"
"How about the fact that you left without a word after stealing not only Epona but my best knife too?!"
"Out of all the things I did wrong, you're singling out the knife? OWOWOWOWOW, okay, that knife is important, I get it!"
Link felt his lungs expand significantly as Malon sighed and got off of him. Rubbing the sore spot on his chest, he stood up and followed her over to the couch where she sat down and promptly waited for him to explain himself.
For the next while, Link did what he could to tell her what happened while trying to downplay anything she might view as absurd. The golden wolf became a pack of regular wolves, the experience at the lake turned into fighting them off, and the strange dream was left out altogether, instead getting replaced with a simple passing out from exhaustion. In all honesty, he wasn't surprised by the skeptical look Malon was giving him when he finished up his story.
"I don't get why you had to chase them that far," she grumbled.
"I-I just had to make sure they wouldn't come back."
"So you ended up fighting a pack of wolves by yourself with my cooking knife just to make sure they didn't come back?"
"A knife is basically like a little sword…"
"And you didn't worry about Epona's safety at all?"
"She…didn't get hurt, so it's fine, isn't it?"
Malon pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head. Whether she was in complete disbelief or simply annoyed beyond reason, Link realized that there wasn't much he could say to make the situation any better. He coughed a few times and sniffled as his nose began to run.
For the umpteenth time since she'd woken up, Malon sighed. Standing up and placing the back of her hand on his forehead her shoulders drooped.
"You and Dad both," she groaned. "What am I going to do with the two of you?"
"Heh, you sound like you're our mom or something."
The look she gave him was one of pure unamusement. "Just go on up to bed, Link. I'll take care of everything today."
"Y-You sure?" he asked as she pushed him towards the stairs. "I did sleep all night, so I'm not out of energy or anything."
"Considering it's almost winter and you slept outside in a light shirt and pants after fighting off a pack of wolves, I'd say that I'm the one in the right here."
Link couldn't argue that point, so instead of countering he simply allowed her to lead him to his room. Kicking off his boots at the foot of the bed, the blond gratefully climbed under the covers and smiled at Malon. She still didn't look all too impressed with him, but there was nothing he could do about that right now.
"Sorry to make you keep worrying about me," he apologized lightly. "I know you're mad, but it makes me happy that you're still willing to look after me."
The redhead sighed once again and took a seat in the chair next to his bed. Gently taking his hand, she gave him a soft smile, though her concerned look still had a hint of irritation hidden behind it.
"Sometimes you're really unbelievable, you know that?" she chuckled dryly, stroking the back of his hand with her thumb. "Typically not in the best of ways either. I don't know how you managed to survive on your own for so long, but it's almost like it's become my job to look out for you."
"You seem to have the babysitting role down pretty well."
"Call it what you want; I told you that I wouldn't let you go so easily, remember? It doesn't matter if we get in a fight or one of us does something stupid – even though that's probably going to be you most of the time – I'm always going to be here for you at the end of the day. I…um…I really care about you, Link… I don't like it when you do stuff like this but just because you do doesn't mean I'm going to stop lo–…I mean, caring about you."
She averted her gaze slightly, but Link could only smile and hold onto her hand a little tighter.
"I think you had one sentence too many in there."
She giggled a bit and blushed cutely as she turned her gaze back to him. If not for this amazing girl sitting here beside him, the choice between the Realm of Dreams and the Light World would not be much of a choice at all. Instead, Malon's very presence made his head and heart question whether Koholint was the right place for him or not. With only a few simple words, she could probably sway him more towards staying here.
"I should probably go see how Dad's doing before I get to work," she said, loosening her grip on his hand. "I've probably got a long day ahead of me if I'm going to be doing all the work." She got up and headed for the doorway but turned over her shoulder to add something else. "I'll, um…check on you later, okay?"
"Okay, see you later," Link said, watching her leave before tucking himself under the blankets. Though he didn't feel particularly tired, the slight fever he was running would probably make it possible for him to fall asleep. The blond shut his eyes and turned on his side as he let his consciousness slip.
"Guess…I'd better go…see Marin too…"
∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆V∆
Insects buzzed loudly outside as Link opened his eyes to the darkened house. As expected, it was nighttime here, always working in opposition to the time in the other world. As Link sat up in his bed, he noticed a sign on the door with Tarin's messy handwriting scribbled onto it. He couldn't read it from here, but it probably said something like he would be out all night picking mushrooms or something silly like that.
The second thing Link noticed was that Marin was not in her bed. Though it wasn't particularly late in this world, it was still quite dark out, and for the past few nights it had gotten rather misty, making travelling around somewhat dangerous. However, looking out the window this night showed that the air was clear.
Kicking off the covers, the hero quickly headed out of the house to search for Marin. As he stepped out into the brisk, night air, he contemplated where she might be. His first thought was the shack, though it would seem odd for her to go there without him. Nevertheless, thinking that to be the most likely place, Link headed down towards the beach, excited to see her for what felt like the first time in ages.
The sound of waves soon began to replace the insects as Link got closer to the ocean. Before he could turn down the hidden path that would lead him to the shack, the sound of Marin's singing coming from another direction caught his attention. Stopping in his tracks, he pinpointed where it was coming from and hurried off to the beach cliff.
She was a beautiful sight to behold, even from this distance. Though she faced towards the water, the way the moon shone down on her frame as the breeze billowed her hair and dress only served to send Link into a state of awe. With each weighted step, she became closer and closer to him, causing his heart to beat faster the closer he got to her.
A small creature climbed down her body from her shoulder and scurried over to him, revealing itself to be the baby octorok they had been keeping in the shack. As it crawled up onto his shoulder, Marin turned about to face Link, bringing her hand up to keep her flowing red locks from covering her face.
"So, you're finally awake," she chortled musically. "I didn't realize you were tired enough to sleep through the entire day."
Link could not even respond as he finally got close enough to stop walking. Regardless of the fact that he had been seeing her every night for the past half year, it truly felt like he was seeing Marin for the first time since the Wind Fish's dream ended. He had never treated her like she was a real person in the past months, so to finally understand that she was actually here, able to speak, laugh, and touch, was almost more than he could handle. With shaking hands, he slowly reached for hers, wanting to touch her and confirm that she really was here.
"What's the matter?" she asked, cocking her head slightly but allowing him to take her hands. "You aren't going to have another panic attack, are you?"
With both her vocal and physical responses so natural, Link could not hold himself back any longer, and quickly wrapped her in a loving embrace. The octorok fell off his shoulder and Marin yelped slightly at the sudden action, too stunned by the suddenness to return the embrace.
"Marin," Link muttered, tears beginning to form in his eyes. "Marin…I…I… You don't know how much I've missed you. How much I've wanted to talk to you and hold you like this again."
Though it took a few moments, the warrior could feel Marin's arms slowly and somewhat confusedly wrap around his back as her surprise wore off.
"Um…well, gosh, that's sweet of you, Link," she said with an unsure chuckle. "You were only asleep for yesterday night and all of today, so it hasn't really been that long since we last saw each other. Not that I'm opposed to this unrestrained show of affection."
He couldn't help but laugh, not only from her words but from his own feelings of euphoria as well. There was no possible way for her to know how he was feeling, and he didn't care that she couldn't. Link only wanted to hold her and be close to her like this. He had to make up for the time he had been screwing around because he was convinced she was nothing more than a dream. Even if he was on a time limit and had to make a decision, the only fair thing to do would be to make up for his 'lost time' with Marin. Would this be considered two-timing? Well, considering that neither Malon nor Marin existed in the other's world, he was more inclined to say that it was not.
"Heehee, what's gotten into you, Link?" Marin giggled as they began swaying back and forth playfully. "You're so…cuddly tonight. I wouldn't say it's unlike you, but there isn't really an occasion."
"Does there need to be one?" he chuckled. "I just realized how happy I am to get to be with you, and I'm going to make sure that everything we do is done right."
In their playfulness, they stumbled until Marin landed on top of Link. Rather than concerning themselves over how close they were to falling off the cliff and into the water, the young couple broke out into a fit of laughter and continued to hold one another as they lay on the ground. So enthralled by their own happiness, neither paid any heed to the octorok that scuttled around them, panicking because it did not understand what was going on.
When their laughter finally settled down to a reasonable rate, Marin placed a strong and loving kiss on the blond's lips, sending his insides into flutters for yet another time this evening. As she pulled away, the redhead fixed the orchid in her hair and smiled down at him.
"If this is any sign of how the rest of our lives will go, then I'll make sure never to forget a single moment of it."
Link pulled her close to him again and spoke softly into her ear.
"And I'll make sure that not a single moment we have together is wasted."
SO. MUCH. FLUFF. YEEEEEEEES!
Well, maybe not as much as I'm thinking, but I really wanted the whole scene with Marin to be enough fluff that you could choke on it. It should make sense, too; he's finally found out she's real, so it really is like he's meeting her all over again. And in case anyone was wondering why the segment with Marin wasn't in italics like it usually is, it's because Link no longer sees the world as some kind of subconscious location; it's an actual place in the Realm of Dreams, which puts it on equal ground to the Light World.
Aetas is a Latin word for time or age (as far as Google translate tells me :P). I doubt anyone was really interested in knowing but I figured I might as well share that for any of the more curious readers.
So, what did you guys think of the big reveal chapter? I know it took a while for me to post it, but I'm hoping it was worth the wait. The only thing I was iffy about was how quickly things got explained in the first part. That could also just be me because I've been thinking about this chapter and the end of chapter twelve since I started this story, so finally getting to write them was like emptying a large portion of my head into this chapter. I'm sure it'll be like that when I reach the end as well, but until that point I'm okay with holding onto those ideas.
Thanks to 9tailsfox2, Temuho, Sylis, Anytime, Nalt, and MadSkillz for reviewing!
Thanks for reading and please review!
–GengaJupite