Chapter 23: Awakening

...Where was he?

Slowly, Asriel began trying to move some part of his body. He succeeded, albeit, a bit stiff while moving. While his eyes were wide open, he found that he could not see anything but darkness. His head whipped around in different directions, trying to find anything. The place was so… empty.

Suddenly, light pierced the corner of his eye. His attention turned to the source. Baffled by what he saw, he tilted his head in curiosity.

He wished he hadn't.

An abomination stood looming over him, its blank eyes staring into his soul. The mask that Asriel had seen another time from the Skull Kid seemed to make up the beast's chest now. Asriel found he could no longer move. Whether he was paralyzed in fear, or it was dark magic, he did not know. The intimidation of that thing made him want to scream as it towered over him.

No sound came out of his snout.

One gnarled hand raised in the air, a rainbow whip extending from its hand. Asriel shielded his head as the whip crashed down upon him.

A flash of green passed across his eyes as the sound of souls shattering filled his ears.

Why hadn't Asriel woken up yet? It had been hours with no sign of life from him. Of course, he was still alive due to the fact that he wasn't a pile of dust yet…

Other than Link and Tatl, everyone else had gone back through the cave where the barrier once was. The cold was no place for an unconscious monster to be staying, so they thought it was best to take Asriel inside while Alphys tried to figure out just what was going on. After all, she was the only doctor here.

Link, however, decided to remain outside. This would be one of the only times he could just breathe before the figurative storm hit. It took so much out of him to know that he had to do nearly everything all over again. As if the situation wasn't bad enough, there was now another added element to the fray…

Majora had grown more powerful to the point where it was nearly more than just a god…

The mask itself was able to reach that power in its final form the last time he fought it. What would happen now that it had six extra souls to manipulate? It would be terrifying… The hero himself did not even understand how he would be able to win this fight.

He questioned why he should even be trusting Frisk and Chara in the first place.

At this point, it seemed like there was no choice. Fighting yet another force could spell his death, and the end of Termina. If he wanted to beat Majora, he needed their help. The giant had told him that there were three others he needed…

Compassion… Determination… Corruption…

Link repeated the three to himself. The boy wasn't stupid. It was blatantly pointing to people he knew. No matter how tough it was for him to stomach it, he had to take it all silently. That's all there was for him when being faced with these things. He had to step up and be the hero… only because he had to.

He didn't mind doing all of this. After all, he felt a sincere will to help people. However, after everything that had happened, and all of the lives that had been taken away, it just seemed hardly fair to anyone in this. Someone had already been lost to these events that had survived before… Tael. Tatl wasn't taking it easy, either.

The fairy in question hovered right next to his head, eerily silent. She had become unresponsive, most likely pondering on the same things he was. Skull Kid must have finally put a dent in her. After all, they used to be good friends. Even with the mask out of the question, Skull Kid had been the one to start this in the first place…

Tatl was always a reminder of why he was here. Link had forgotten about some of his journey here, but the reason he had come in the first place was to find the one who had accompanied him on his original adventure. While he could say that Navi was annoying and just a downright nuisance sometimes, they had grown to be friends on the journey. Then… she had just abandoned him… as if he was nothing.

Maybe Navi had her reasons…

After this adventure was over, he'd find Navi once and for all. There had to still be hope for that.

"What do you think of all of this?" Tatl asked from out of nowhere, slightly startling him, not because of the sudden interjection, but because of how much Tatl's voice was similar to Navi's. "Everything has changed so much… and it seems like we just can't catch a break. Even after we stopped the moon, it just wasn't enough, was it?"

Link gave no response, as usual. He simply stared up to the moon, watching has it inched closer. Only a few hours before the third day… He told himself.

"Of course you don't talk." Tatl scoffed, looking away from him. "What's with you, always being silent like this? I've heard you talk before."

She still received no response.

"Fine, just stay silent." She let out a huff, gazing at the moon along with him.

It wasn't like Link had trouble talking. He just never did it, for reasons he never enjoyed conveying to anyone. Whenever he did talk, there would be moments when his voice was hoarse due to him never actually speaking in the first place. But… that wasn't it. That was never the reason. No one else he had met seemed to ever get it…

"S-Sometimes… sometimes you… have to take everything s...silently…" His voice was barely a whisper in the wind. Yet, it seemed Tatl had heard him, as she had completely frozen. Link did not wait for a response, and continued on. "We can't… change this. It's what we have t...to do. I just stay silent… and… hold back my emotions until the job is done…"

The fairy fell to complete silence. The only sounds made were drowned out by the howling wind washing across the peak.

Yet, just as suddenly as Link had surprised Tatl with his small speech, he had gone back into silence. Tatl wanted to say something, anything to break the silence. She hadn't actually expected him to respond to that, and now… now she felt as if she had committed a terrible crime to judge this boy so quickly.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to start that…" She muttered, watching as Link seemingly ignored her.

There was always more to Link that Tatl never understood. Due to his silence, she never actually got to know what he was really like. The only information she got was from his acts in the previous time periods…

...but there was always more.

There would always be more she'd never know about him. Maybe it was fate that brought them back together for yet another adventure. While she couldn't say she was happy about being back here, this had to bring something good out of it. "Listen… Link… I'm sorry I lashed out at you. I just… I don't know why we are back here. I don't get how you can just trust these random people who ruined everyone's lives… I don't understand how you are kind to these people, even when you have never questioned fighting before…"

This hadn't been the first time the question was asked. Sans had wondered the same thing before as well. While Link had the skill of a warrior, and would fight for what was right, he knew when people were lost. Whenever someone was confused, and fought out of fear… he wouldn't do them harm. That wasn't what he was. He'd never become anything like Ganon or Majora.

"Because… they're lost… They need our help…" Link let out a small series of muffled coughs after he spoke. Great, it looked like his lack of speech was catching up with him. "We have to help them…"

"Then…" Tatl started, trailing off for a moment in thought. Eventually, she regained her train of thought, a brighter glow shining from her. "Then I'll help you the whole way! We can do this again!"

Just as fast as she started gaining confidence, it was shattered with surprise as the sound of crunching snow met their ears. Link leapt to his feet, his head snapping to the source of the sound. It was Undyne.

Link breathed a sigh of relief, removing his hand from the hilt of his sword. Surprisingly, Undyne seemed to be less tense than normal when he saw him do so. Maybe it was because of his high LOVE… No matter, he had shown to Sans that he meant no harm. Hopefully, he'd be able to show the rest of the monsters that as well.

"Heh, you sure are a hasty one, aren't ya, punk?" She asked, her voice quieter than it would normally be. Link nodded in response as she walked towards the edge of the peak, gazing towards the direction of ClockTown. "So… this is what the surface looks like?"

"Well…" Tatl began, wondering why she seemed slightly confused. "Yeah, I guess it's the "surface" to you guys. The same name was given to anywhere on solid land before the first hylians came from the sky…"

"Hm…" The monster crossed her arms. Her red ponytail seemed to float mournfully in the air. "Alphys always said it would be more… advanced? She's been trying to figure this out, but this place looks a lot different than we imagined…" The moon caught her one eye, sending a shudder down her spine. "Especially that moon…"

Link cast a suspicious glance at Tatl, who seemed to bounce in anticipation. "We aren't that advanced in any technology yet, but there used to be these things created by a legendary tribe known as the sheikah. I think they were referred to as guardians…" Oh god, Tatl was nerding out. "But, no one really knows if they existed. That was so long ago…"

Undyne did not initially respond, shutting her eyes instead. "It's just… I don't get how any of this is possible…" She finally stated, resting her chin on her fist. "None of this should be possible, and no matter how many times Sans tries to explain it, I just don't get how this time stuff works out."

"I thought the same thing when it first happened. I just learned to go with it after awhile…" Tatl admitted, a little more of her light returning. "I mean, after being friends with a kid who stole a demonic mask and brought a moon down upon us… I would think I wouldn't be surprised anymore…"

Once more, the monster fell to silence, deep in thought again. She had never done much deep thinking in her time in the underground, but now seemed like a time when she finally could. Now, she felt as if she could finally try to reflect on all of this, and just comprehend all of it.

However, no matter how much she tried, it just never clicked with her.

With a tired sigh, she turned to Link. "So, after you reset time, where are we all heading to? You're the boss here, so I assume you'll know where we need to go to stop this thing." Go, she hated calling someone other than Asgore "Boss." Even then, she never called him that.

Link merely motioned towards Tatl, the fairy understanding what he wanted. Tatl answered the question for him. "Well, we still need to go to Great Bay, and Ikana Canyon. I think it'd be best if we all tried to split into groups though… right Link?"

The boy pondered on the idea for a moment, before nodding his head.

"Great!" Undyne pumped a fist in the air in excitement. "I'm ready to kick this stupid thing's a-" She corrected herself, realising there was a child in her midst. "Uh… Kick this thing's butt!"

"Yeah…" Tatl would have been sweating in slight intimidation from the fish warrior. "I guess… we'll split up into groups when Asriel wakes up?"

Undyne's eye seemed to light up at the statement. "Oh! Right! I was actually supposed to tell you this a while ago, but I… got lost in thought when I heard you two chatting." Joy, she was eavesdropping. "Alphys has done all she can for Asriel, and he's finally starting to wake up last time I was in there!"

Before she could say more, Link was already running down the pathway to the Underground. Tatl and Undyne both exchanged glances of amusement, before following the boy down the dark passage.

However, they did not look at their surroundings before they went after him. From the shadows, an audible giggle came from a figure lurking. "Just you see… Asriel will be your demise…" In a cloud of purple mist, the figure faded away into darkness.

"Heh, nice of you to finally show up, kid." Sans said from around a corner Link had just run around. The boy skidded to a halt, giving a small wave, with urgency in his body language. "Hm? You wanna see Asriel?"

Sometimes it was like this skeleton read his mind.

Link gave a hasty nod in response, much to the amusement of Sans. The skeleton let out a chuckle at the hero's antics. "No matter how much you try to act like an adult, you're still a child at heart." A more serious demeanor came over him after messing with Link for that one time. "All right, I'll tell ya. Asriel's at New Home."

Link cocked his head in confusion. Where was home?

"Yeah, I know right? Asgore is great at naming places." Sans rolled his pupils. "Well, just head down this hallway. Don't take the elevator. From there you can follow the path and you'll end up where they are staying. You can't miss it."

With a nod of thanks, Link charged off once more. Sans simply laughed as two others ran after him in tow, screaming for Link to wait up. Granted, Undyne could catch up to the boy, but she was already worn out from the previous day… Either way, pure amusement. Oh well… that was fine. It wasn't like they had just gone full on sprinting through the Judgement Hall or anything…

Three bells chimed, signalling that Sans had passed judgement on the boy. With a flash of blue, Sans left the hallway, allowing Link to find the way on his own. Luckily, he didn't have to give a speech to the boy. Link had already proved himself.

The boy himself continued down the path to Asgore's house. A few stray monsters flew around him as he ran, but none seemed to mind him, other than a few curious glances. There were so many of them… It amazed Link just how many varieties there were.

However, he didn't ponder on the subject for too long, as he had a task at hand. As he ran into a tunnel, Undyne and Tatl caught up to him, the former seemingly unfazed by the run, while the latter was winded. "F-Finally… you really are fast when you aren't taking a leisurely jog around Termina…" Tatl muttered, groaning as he continued going. "I swear, I want to strangle this kid…"

Link didn't care, and instead ran up a flight of stairs that reached down the hallway. Stepping into the welcoming home, he took no time in heading down the hallway with doors. Doors meant rooms, and he had to guess that they were bedrooms.

He stopped at the first door, giving it a solid knock. There was no response.

Tatl and Undyne once more caught up. "Could you s-slow down for just one second?" Tatl asked in agony, her breathing becoming labored from the speed flying.

"Are you kidding me? That was a light jog!" Undyne boasted, much to the fairy's annoyance. "Anyway, they're in the last room. Asriel should be fully awake by now."

Nodding, Link proceeded to the final room, knocking once more. Someone, namely Asgore, said, "Come in."

Without needing any more prompts, Link opened the door. It squeaked open as he walked through, most likely from the wear on it. The place seemed in good condition, but it was ancient... However, he never did much admiring of the scenery before he laid eyes on the family sitting on the bed.

Once more, these monsters were a reminder of why he did this.

Asgore, Toriel, Frisk, and Chara all held onto Asriel, forcing him into a massive family hug. So, this is what being in a family looks like. Not now… Link would have laughed at how awkward Alphys, Sans, and Papyrus looked.

But, he never got the chance to do so.

"Link!" A familiar voice shouted, breaking free from the group hug. Link only had a split second to register who it was before he found himself getting barreled over by a fluffy, and excited monster.

"U-Uh, prince Asriel… I d-don't think you sh-should be trying to tackle p-people before you are f-fully recovered." Alphys stuttered, watching as Asriel quickly detached from Link, helping him up off the ground.

Well, it wasn't the worst of hits he had taken… Link brushed himself off, giving Asriel a thumbs up, telling him he was fine. "S-Sorry!" He quickly apologized. "I… I just didn't know how to say thank you enough for… for saving me from that…"

Well, if knocking him over on accident was enough, then sure. Link shrugged in response, waving to everyone else in the room.

"Greetings, young one. We were wondering when you would return." Toriel stated, standing up from her position on the bed. "Frisk and Chara have been trying to figure out just how all of this is going to work when… when you turn back the clock…"

Chara huffed, their heart locket swinging from the extra motion. "Oh, and before you get any ideas, Asriel is staying with Toriel and Asgore in ClockTown. You aren't endangering his life by throwing him out there anymore."

"Chara!" Asriel insisted, his ears flopping a tad as he jolted upright. "I can handle it. I was stupid and left them when that happened…"

Frisk seemed to butt in next, playfully waving a stick and pointing it at his nose. "Well, Azzy, according to Sans here, you nearly got yourself into some major trouble, even with them. You aren't going anywhere without mom and dad watching you. You aren't even fully recovered." Before Asriel could interject, the stick booped him on his nose, gaining a small bleat from the goat boy. "So, no 'buts'."

"I'm gonna have to agree with the kids here." Sans stated, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Plus, there are things at ClockTown you guys can do if you really want to be useful."

A distant clock from outside began chiming. It was the third day…

"Welp… I hate to break it to y'all, but we're gonna have to cut this short." Sans explained after the clock was heard. "So, let's decide now, who is heading where?"

While disappointment showed on everyone's faces, they all knew they couldn't delay it any longer. Tatl floated to the middle of the room. "All right, as soon as time resets, Sans will pick you guys up where the barrier used to be. Chara, Sans, and Papyrus will go to Ikana Valley. Link, Undyne, Frisk and I will go to Great Bay. Asgore, Toriel, and Asriel, you all stay in ClockTown."

"W-Wait, what about m-me? What a-am I supposed to do?" Alphys asked, unsure of what role she would play.

"Hm…" Papyrus placed his head on his hands, thinking. "WELL! HOW ABOUT YOU USE YOUR SCIENCY STUFF TO GET US ALL PHONES! I'M SURE THE CONNECTION CAN REACH MT. EBOTT, AND YOU CAN TRY TO PROVIDE SUPPORT FROM HERE!"

Not a bad idea.

Alphys gave an internal 'yes'. "T-That's good! I c-can handle that!"

"So? Are we ready?" Tatl asked everyone, which she received a nod of agreement from everyone other than Frisk.

"Wait!" Frisk exclaimed before Link pulled out the Ocarina. "Link, you may need this." From out of their phone, which was a complete amazement to Link, not knowing anything about dimensional boxes, they pulled out a familiar mask. How did they get the Goron Mask. "Listen, it's a long story, and we can get that over with later."

Link nodded, pressing the Ocarina to his lips. Enough stalling… They had to face their fears once and for all.

Rewind...ing

Fa-alling…

The song echoes…

Through the air…

Yet, time can't care…

Countless clocks surrounded them as time slipped away.

AN: YES, I KNOW.

IT'S BEEN NEARLY TWO MONTHS.

Go ahead and yell at me if you want. I honestly can't do much for you, but say that I just didn't have the inspiration for it, and didn't want to give you crappy work.

I want to talk to you as a real person for just a moment.

I get that you all want more chapters faster. I understand that. I get that you are enjoying the story, and that you don't want it to take forever to update. I get that you mean no harm.

But, can you just not?

I get it at this point. I need to have quality as well as quantity.

The problem is that it's just because I am having trouble getting into writing TerminaTale like I used to. It's more of a "job" you could say, rather than a hobby...

I think it's because with Hoping for Determination, I have more of a connection with those fans. For this one, I just don't... I don''t know what the difference is, either. For some reason, I just lose motivation while writing this.

BUT

DON'T YOU THINK FOR A MOMENT I'M GIVING UP.

HELL NO!

This fic will not take a month to update.

This fic will not be half assed.

I'm tired of making you all wait, but I need you to be understanding for me to do this.

There are times when I just want to enjoy myself, and spend time with my friends. If a chapter takes long, that's why. I'm just trying to enjoy myself, which is crazy, because I'm an author, and people can't do that nowadays.

I honestly never expected TerminaTale to become this popular, so now I know I need to step up my game. Just please, don't be that one guy who pressures me. I WILL extend the wait time if you do that.

And, my friend "GRT" sent me a shitpost on tumblr, as an April fools joke to the people screwing with me. So there ya go. It's gotten out of control, so I want a truce.

We can make this work. I just need everyone to understand that things won't come at lightning speed.

SO PLANS

Spring Break is next week, where I will get out some chapters. My main goal is to revise Hoping for Detemrination a bit and finish it that week, so expect one or two TerminaTale chapters. No more than that though, as my focus is on Hoping for Determination that week.

Then, exams are coming in May. You know how those work.

Anyway, thanks for your amazing reviews and feedback. I love you guys, but please, have some chill :3

BadDRUMMERboy15 comes from the grave!

P.S, Link's explanation for not talking is actually confirmed Canon. If you have played BoTW, you may have figured this out...

EDIT: BREATH OF THE WILD IS A 10/10 GAME

GET IT NOW

STOP READING

AND GET IT NOW