Disclaimer: I don't own anything
Paradise
Throughout the night sky, there were points of light. The world was dead, but he was not alone.
Chapter 2
Kakariko City was no longer large enough to be called a city. The people who lived there simply called it Kakariko, refusing to add "city," for they felt it was an insult to their once great home. Of all the settlements in Hyrule, Kakariko was probably the largest. It still had a fairly large population, and it somehow managed to grow enough food so that hunger was more of a constant annoyance rather than a life-threatening problem.
Kakariko was also the only settlement that actively fought against Ganondorf. The people there refused to give in to his bandits and raiders. More and more survivors came each day, usually in groups of three or four, and they were always welcome. Today, however, there was but a single new comer. He entered largely unnoticed, because most of the settlement was running around in what seemed to be a panic.
They shouted at each other, talked loudly to people as they passed by, and a few were going around gathering things.
"I can't believe it!"
"Well, those two always said they wanted a kid…"
"They have to know the risks of doing that! The timing couldn't be worse, either! We have hardly any medical supplies…"
"Anju and Kafei have never been ones to listen to reason, though."
The stranger listened with interest, and let the flowing crowds take him to his destination.
"Push, Anju, push! Dammit Mikau, where's that water?"
"It's okay, honey, it'll be okay…"
"AGHHHHHHH! DON'T YOU FUCKING SAY THAT! YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW PAINFUL THIS IS!"
"Ah- ehehe… u-um well…"
People rushed around, bringing the doctor the things he needed as the red haired woman who was delivering screamed at her purple haired partner. No one noticed the stranger standing in the doorway. This was something he had never witnessed before; the creation of a new life. No one kept track of how long they were there. The doctor began to make louder and louder demands and exclamations, and Kafei shouted.
"I can see it! Anju, I can see it!"
The doctor managed to exclaim that it was a girl, and then, suddenly, the noise ceased. It had become painfully quiet. It seemed as if the entire settlement had been muted.
Something was wrong.
"…why isn't she crying?" a nervous, exhausted Anju asked.
He didn't answer.
"Doctor, why isn't my baby crying!"
"I'm sorry," he whispered.
"W-what do you mean? What are you talking about?" Kafei could barely keep himself together.
"It wasn't a stillbirth but… I was afraid that this would happen," the doctor sighed, sounding utterly defeated.
"I'm sorry," he said again, "but your daughter won't survive the night."
Tears began to flow from the eyes of the almost-parents. Kafei held his lover's hand as she began to sob. No one said a word.
The stranger stepped forward. The sound of his footsteps caused all eyes to turn to him. Kafei looked up, tears falling from his eyes, to look at the blond haired man standing before them.
The stranger didn't speak. He reached out and touched his fingers to the baby's forehead. He looked so sad, Kafei thought, almost as if the child was his own.
The occupants of the room watched as the stranger removed the slim object from his back. He took the end of the wrapping, which appeared to be bandages. They were pure white, as if not even a single speck of dust had ever touched them. He tore a small piece from the bandage.
The stranger placed the object on his back, and leaned forward over the dying child. He took the bandage, and wrapped it around the baby's wrist, tying it off with a knot. He stood back.
Everyone looked at the child. The stranger closed his eyes.
The child began to cry.
It was a loud, wonderful sound. The doctor, the parents, and the assistants stared in wonder as the dying baby cried as only a healthy newborn could.
"I don't believe it," said the doctor.
He checked and double checked the child's vitals. She was perfectly healthy.
"It's a miracle," Kafei laughed. "It's an honest to god miracle!"
Anju wept with joy as she clutched her child to her chest and rocked her back and forth in her arms. She turned to look at the man who had somehow saved her daughter's life.
"Who are-" she stopped short.
The stranger was gone.
The stranger walked through the settlement as word of what had happened began to spread. He did not stop to listen this time. He had somewhere to be. Kakariko was built next to an ancient volcano. It had been dormant for ages, and most people didn't even think about it.
This was where the stranger was headed. The gate to the mountain path was closed. It was made of wood, and it was very heavy. He began to pull it open. When it was wide enough for him to slip through, he was stopped by the sound of a familiar voice.
"Where are you going?" It was Kafei. "You can't go up the mountain! It's dangerous."
When the stranger did not respond, Kafei shook his head and sighed.
"Listen, it's not just that. Everyone is forbidden from going up there. But.." Kafei looked around.
"I owe you more than I can ever hope to repay. I won't tell anyone, but you have to promise me something."
The stranger looked him in the eyes.
"Promise me that you'll come back alive."
For a moment, the stranger stood still. Finally, he nodded. Kafei smiled, and in the blink of an eye, the stranger had disappeared behind the massive wooden gate.
In the Golden Age of Hyrule, a race of rock-like people had lived on the mountain. It was said that they were as strong as they were friendly, and that they made a home near the top of the mountain crater. They had disappeared when Hyrule had began to modernize, and no one had seen them since.
The stranger clambered up the rocky slopes, and came upon an opening. With no other visible path, he went inside. It appeared to be a giant hollow of sorts, with many layers of tunnels dug into the walls. There were staircases that connected the different floors to each other. It looked as if it had once been a comfortable and warm place to live. Now, however, the stairs were crumbling. Some tunnels had collapsed, and the entire space was completely silent.
It was not a silence that spoke of horror or hidden danger, but a silence that spoke of history. The stranger instinctively knew that he was the first living thing to set foot in here for at least a century. Out of respect for the long since deceased, he walked as silently as possible. Sunlight shone through a large hole in the ceiling, which the stranger was certain had not initially been there.
When he reached the bottom floor, he had to step carefully through the remains of some sort of giant urn. He walked across to the opposite side of the room, where he found a tunnel that lead deeper into the mountain. It looked as if the stone door had been broken down at some point. He ventured in.
At the end of the tunnel he came a cross a passageway that connected to the volcanic crater. Had there been any magma left, the stranger was sure that it would have been too hot to proceed. He walked into the crater.
He took in the sight of the volcanic depths, untouched by man or nature. He carefully crossed a wooden bridge that was now rotting. He stopped on the other side when he came across a stone slab laying on the ground. It was faded, cracked, and looked incredibly old. In front of the slab, there was an archway.
At least, it had been an archway once. The stone had collapsed in on itself, and the tunnel was now inaccessible. The stranger stood before the ancient passage, breathing in ancient musty air. He sat cross-legged on the stone slab, and closed his eyes.
For the first time since he began his journey, the stranger realized that he was completely and utterly alone.