Chapter 10 - The Future
"You know how you told me to carve that thing's heart out and it was made of crystal?" asked Link as they walked back to the dungeon's entrance. "That was weird."
"How did you feel after breaking it and drinking the content, though?"
"Better than ever. Like I'm healthier somehow."
"We can go to the next dungeon, then," said Neri.
They walked wordlessly for a while. Just outside the dungeon, there was a circle of blue light on the floor.
"You can step into the circle to be teleported out of here," said the fairy.
"Yeah." Link sat on the floor, legs crossed. "Did you just say 'next dungeon?'"
"Yep."
"Can't I just go rescue Zelda and be done with it?"
"No..." the fairy paused thoughtfully. " I don't think so. You need seven more pieces of that broken emblem you got after defeating Gohma."
"Seven more dungeons?"
"Give or take. There might be one final dungeon to get to Zelda. But I don't think you'll really get anything from that one, though."
"I don't even know Zelda that well."
"I know. It's too bad you were dragged into all this. We haven't even found that thing that took your bag of rupees yet."
"I got a bigger bag now."
"But you're not really at a point where you can just turn around and forget all this."
Link stared into the blue light of the portal that would take him out of the volcano, he assumed, and allow him to continue his adventure. Stepping into that light would allow him to search out seven more dungeons, fight more monsters, guess at Neri's tips, solve more puzzles. He would go through everything he just went through seven times over.
"Shall we go?" said Neri.
"Sure." Link sniffed. "Let me just..." He leaned to the left. A tear slid down his cheeks as he lied down on his side. "Just let me contemplate my future a little longer."