I do not own The Legend of Zelda or any of the games in the franchise. Those rights belong solely to Nintendo.
—-
Link studied the newly awakened construct warily.
"You've been waiting for me?" he asked the mechanical creature.
"Yes, I have. Princess Zelda left something for you in my care." It replied as matter-of-factly as it could.
"She left something for me? Where is she? Is she alright?" Link spouted out, his mind moving a mile a minute at the reference to his missing girlfriend.
"The current location of Princess Zelda is unknown." The construct's white chest popped open and began to slide outward like a drawer as it responded. Link peered inside and dropped the stick he was still holding on to. Inside the construct's open chest sat a small wooden box that was lined with a thin black cloth that was patterned with beige triangles. The hero gingerly reaches inside and lifts the Purah Pad from the box. Link studied the Pad for a moment, looking for any damage that would indicate that Zelda had been attacked or captured. Seeing no signs of distress on the Pad, he turned it over and pressed the small button on the top of the pad, activating it. The screen began to glow and came to life, the familiar blue symbol of the Sheikah appearing in the middle of the Pad before a series of menus appeared.
"This is the Purah Pad. I am told it is an invaluable tool that will provide you with direction." The construct's mechanical voice drew Link's eyes up back towards the two holes where the creature's eyes would be.
"I know what it is..." Link spoke softly before speaking a little louder. "Why did she leave this with you?"
"To assist you, Link. Princess Zelda believes that you will need it in order to complete your quest," The construct answered. "I received it from Princess Zelda. I have now passed it to you."
"My quest? What quest?"
The construct was about to reply when Link's right arm lit up once more.
"Link. Please make your way to the Temple of Time," came Rauru's voice. " I will tell you everything I know when you arrive. It will be easier to communicate that way."
Link took a deep breath, calming himself. He clearly did not enjoy being strung along like this, much less with Zelda missing.
"Fine." He turned his attention back to the Steward. "Which way is the Temple of Time?"
The construct raised its head towards the sky and spun in a circle, appearing to survey the area. It came to a stop and looked at Link.
"We stand in the Garden of Time." It said before turning its whole body to look to its right. "The Temple of Time is visible from here."
Link followed the Steward's gaze and settled his eyes on a massive, white stone structure in the distance. From this distance, Link could not make out any of the details carved into the stone of the temple, but he could see that it was separated into four distinct floors, each ornately decorated as it rose into the sky. The Steward turned once more and put its back to Link.
"I will escort you to the Temple of Time," it said. "Please, follow me."
The construct pivoted and turned towards a white stone semi-circle that Link realized was the bottom half of one of the ouroboros rings he had encountered in the cave earlier. As the construct approached it, the half-ring lit up with green energy. Another floating circle of energy, with the same symbols and glyphs as in the cave, appeared before them. The construct turned its head towards Link, almost expectantly. Link glanced between the ring and the construct before nodding and stepping in front of the half-ring. He lifted his right arm up and lined it up with the hand glyph in the ring. The symbols carved into the half ouroboros lit up green and faded back to nothing as Link heard a faint rumbling nearby. He glanced at the construct before stepping through the ouroboros and followed the sound. He came to the stone ledge that was just behind the ring and appeared to be the source of the noise. Link watched in awe as stone beams began extending out from just below his feet. He brought his gaze forward to where the beams were extending and saw that another set of beams were pushing toward the side he was standing on. As the stones began to reach their full length, the ground beneath Link's feet shook some more as massive white stones that appeared to house the beams began protruding outwards. Foot by foot the stones reached for each other, each having had slots carved out of their faces for the beams to fit into. The rumbling came to a halt when the large stones made contact, firmly locked together to form a bridge. For his limited knowledge on architecture or engineering, Link was impressed. The Zonai were clearly skilled in the art of building and creation.
Link broke from his brief musings when the construct had floated past him out onto the bridge and towards the now connected island where the stone path continued. As the pair moved forward, they passed by another stone gazebo with another steward construct inside that appeared to be fixated on something that rested on a stone slab that jut from the wall. Though Link did not stop to see what it was so focused on, he did hear the distinct sound of wood sanding.
The original steward construct led Link further down the path, through a stone arch. It floated out onto the end of a ledge that stuck out over the edge of a cliff, stopped at the end, and turned to Link once more, putting the Temple of Time to its back.
"The Temple of Time was a magnificent place," it spoke in its mechanical voice while Link looked on from underneath the arch. "It was used in the distant past. Many rites and ceremonies of the kingdom were held there. But no more. Now it is a lonely place. No one visits…that is until you were expected."
The construct floated back towards Link and moved just behind him.
"The path ahead is quite difficult for me to traverse and the path I can take to reach the Temple of Time would extend the journey by an extra twelve hours by my estimates," the Steward said, vaguely gesturing to the ledge it had just been standing on. "Please continue forward without me for I would delay you too greatly. I have led you to a point where the Temple is straight ahead, please make haste and journey there at once."
Link regarded the construct for a moment and glanced at the temple. He turned back to his guide.
"Thank you for bringing me this far," the knight said.
"It is my duty," it replied.
Once again Link nodded in response and turned towards the ledge. He stepped up to the edge and looked down below him, finding a lake about one hundred feet below. A grove of the golden leafed trees that inhabited the islands surrounded the lake and extended out onto the rest of the island. With one deep breath, Link leapt from the ledge and dove head first into the water below. He felt the air rush past his pointed ears for a couple seconds before he felt himself break through the cool water. Link swam up to the surface and used a hand to push his hair away from his eyes as he looked around and swam to shore. Shaking the water out of his hair as he clambered onto dry land, Link peered through the grove of trees that surrounded him. He spotted a pair of stone pedestals surrounding another stone path with the acorn-like, Zonai lights sitting at their tops. Without any hesitation, Link made his way to the path and began traversing into the small forest.
—-
After a few hours of walking through the golden forest, Link began to feel fatigue begin to set in once more. He silently cursed his gloom-induced weakness and sat at the base of a nearby tree. He let his head rest against its trunk with a thunk and closed his eyes, taking deep breaths to try and fight the exhaustion that was creeping into his body. He sat there for a time, until he began to feel himself nodding off. He shook his head in an attempt to drive the sleep away before he opened his eyes and rose to his feet. He had no idea how much further he had to walk before he found the temple. It didn't look too far from the cliffside I had jumped from, he silently mused as he surveyed the surrounding groves of trees. Not too far to his left, he spotted a couple spots of red in the golden leaves. Feeling a rumble in his stomach at the sight of the apples, Link started towards them. After reaching the base of the apple tree, he began to reach out to pluck some of the fruit from its branches and spent the next couple of minutes devouring his red snack. He had just reached up and plucked another apple when he heard a sound that gave him pause. With the fruit in his right hand, Link closed his eyes and listened again for the sound. A small whirring noise and faint mechanical garbles came from his right, just over a small hill.
Link crouched down and crept towards the peak of the hill. He poked his head above the crest and furrowed his brow. Just below him sat two soldier constructs with their backs to one another. A cone shaped red light emanated from each of their cycloptic eyes as they swept their gazes back and forth as if they were searching for something. Similarly to the soldier he had encountered earlier, one of these constructs held a large tree branch in its hand, however the other held something that Link deemed much more dangerous. A small gray blade glinted in the other construct's hand, similar to the swords that Link had seen on travelers making their way around Hyrule. The only issue was, besides being held by something that would try to gut him on sight, the sword had spots of rust that wrapped around the blade that would surely pose longer term health issues if he were to be cut. Other than that, the blade seemed usable to Link. The sight reminded him, though to a lesser extent, of the Master Sword which sat decayed on his back. Link glanced between the pair of constructs and made a decision. Given his current physical state, Link thought it wouldn't be smart to take on two soldiers, especially with how tired he felt after fighting one by itself.
Content with his decision, Link slowly crept back down the hill and began to walk back down the path. With a glance over his shoulder, Link kept his eyes on the hill in case one of the constructs decided to come over the crest in their search. In doing so, Link was not aware of what was beneath him as he tried to quietly walk away. One of his sandaled feet found a tree branch that had fallen onto the stone path. As the sound of wood cracking underfoot filled the area, Link paused. He closed his eyes, sighed, and turned his body to face the hill, knowing there was no way the soldiers hadn't heard that. Sure enough, the two constructs swiftly appeared at the top of the hill and spotted him. With surprising speed they rushed at Link, weapons stretched out at their sides ready to strike.
Link considered running, but in his state he wasn't sure he'd make it very far before the constructs caught up to him. Instead, he cocked his right arm back and threw the apple in his hand at the construct with the sword. It arced through the air and hit his foe square in its eye. The construct's head rocked back for a second as if it were stunned. Huh, I can work with that. Link thought as the second construct approached him. He swiftly reached down and picked up part of the branch he stepped on and flung it at the approaching construct's eye. His throw was dead on. This construct also let its head rock back, its eye flickering as it was struck. Link dashed forward and tried to wrench the stick out of his attacker's grasp. It had a firm hold on the branch, but Link was able to wrestle it free and swing it at the construct's midsection. He made solid contact, and the ring he targeted shot out from the construct's side disrupting the flow of energy that emanated from its base. The construct began to shudder and deactivate as Link turned his attention to the sword wielding construct. It had since shook off Link's apple attack and advanced on him yet again. It swung its sword out, aiming for Link's side but Link met the attack with his own weapon. The sword stuck into the stick, causing the construct to pull back and attempt to pry Link's weapon away from him. This scrum lasted a few seconds before the construct emerged victorious. Link stumbled back, still fatigued and breathing heavily as he watched his stick hang off the end of the construct's sword. The construct turned the tip of the sword to the left, gripped the branch, and pulled it free.
Link stared at the construct with a mixture of anger and bewilderment. He had never had a weapon stolen right from his hand like that and it was all because he had been weakened by that damn gloom. Link readied himself and prepared to dodge whatever attack the construct threw at him. It raced forward and swung the branch in its left hand down at his head, forcing Link to sidestep. At the same time, the construct swung its sword at Link's side. The knight barely was able to move out of the way of being gutted like a fish, but did receive a slash along his left bicep. Gritting his teeth, Link took a step back and felt his blood run down the length of his arm and onto his hand.
With an indignant huff, Link glared viciously at the soldier. He was better than the effort he was putting forth and he knew it. He was much too skilled to be having this much difficulty in this fight, even with his gloom-borne illness.
Link waited for the soldier to rush forward again and when it did, he ran right at it. As the soldier swung its sword out, Link jumped back before rushing forward and grabbing onto the rings that made up his foe's arm. He held it in place, preventing it from returning to its starting point and pushed it farther. The construct beeped and whirred, its red eye flashing in Link's face as its arm began to shake in his grasp. He watched as the green energy flickered and the construct strained against Link's push, beeping louder and faster, but it could only watch as the energy flowing through its arm flickered quicker and quicker before going out completely. The now useless arm clattered to the ground, the construct's sword falling with it. Link swiftly crouched down, grabbed the sword by the handle and stuck it between the soldier's base and midsection. The edge of the sword intercepted the energy powering the construct and it fell, deactivated.
Link, sweating profusely and panting from exerting so much of his limited energy at once, pulled the sword from the construct's body and collapsed in exhaustion.
—-
An hour passed before Link opened his eyes. He felt his muscles beginning to ache; not just from the battle he had just fought, but also because of the length of the journey. After mentally chastising his own lack of endurance, he gingerly sat up and took a few controlled breaths before rising to his feet. He surveyed the piles of rings that used to be the constructs, picked up the construct's sword, and looked down at his arm to inspect the wound he received during the fight. The cut was not too deep and he luckily did not see any indication of rust particles around the wound, but it was still deep enough to potentially cause issues in the immediate future. Using his new blade, he cut a strip off of the bottom of his green tunic and fashioned it around his cut like a makeshift bandage. Knowing this was all he could do to treat his wound, he shook his head and pressed forward, following the path towards the Temple of Time.
Link walked for less than half an hour when he finally came to a Zonai arch and a break in the trees. Before him stood the massive Temple of Time, its sectioned floors rising high into the air, breaking the clouds. Now that he was closer, Link noticed two main details about his destination. The first was that the white stone that made up the hulking structure was partially covered with a yellow moss that matched the colors of the leaves on the trees and the grass beneath his feet, giving Link the impression that the Temple had not been adequately looked after in a long time. The second, and more important, detail was that the stairs leading up to the entrance of the Temple were in a state of disrepair. Large chunks of the staircase were missing, having collapsed or eroded away over time. On top of that, a small, algae filled pond had formed around the base of the stairs. Taking a steeling breath, Link stepped through the arch and into the water.
As he waded deeper into the chilled water, Link felt his sandaled feet scrape over various shaped rocks, which he presumed to be the remains of the base of the stairs, until he was swimming towards the remaining sections of stairs. After he had traversed the short gap between the shore and the staircase, Link grabbed hold of the moss on the stones and hoisted himself up. As he stood at the base of the remaining stairs, Link shook the water out of his long hair and let the Sun dry him off for a few moments before beginning his climb to the doors of the Temple of Time. Here I come, Zel, Link thought as he took the first steps up. He started off at a relatively calm pace, but soon began taking the stairs two at a time, then almost running up the steps at the thought of seeing his princess again. He fought off the ache in his muscles from the gloom-induced fatigue that had been plaguing him since he awoke. He almost stumbled a few times, but caught himself as quickly as he had misstepped. He wove between the missing chunks of the staircase and practically leapt up the chunks of the staircase that had collapsed and formed a barrier to the landing that lay between him and Zelda.
When Link finally reached the peak of the steps, he paused a moment to catch his breath. Just in front of him sat the doors to the Temple where Zelda presumably waited for him. With a final intake of breath, Link quickly strode over the landing, crossing over the Zonai carvings that had cracked and golden colored foliage grew. He rose up the short flight of steps and came up to the towering, stone door to the temple, paid no attention to the carvings that marked the door, and only held his right arm up the green, glowing ring of energy that had marked every other Zonai contraption he had come across thus far.
When Link felt a jolt of electricity course through his arm, he was shocked to say the least. The floating green symbols he was beginning to grow accustomed to had been replaced by an angry red circle of energy with two chains that crossed over the middle, forming an "X". Link looked down at his right arm and back at the door that denied him entry.
"What the hell?" he questioned aloud.
At that moment, his arm began to glow once more.
"That door will open only to those with sufficient power…" When Link heard Rauru's voice call out, he jumped. He had not heard the voice in his head like he had before. Instead, he heard it coming from behind him. Link spun around and took a defensive stance out of instinct. Before Link sat-or floated-one of the most bizarre creatures he had ever laid eyes on. The being glowed with a spectral, pale, blue light and drew an uncanny resemblance to the statues of the Zonai he and Zelda had found underneath Hyrule Castle. The Zonai had long, billowing white hair that reached just below its floating feet, massive pointed ears that bowed towards the ground under their own size. It also donned a covering that wrapped around its upper body and another one that wrapped around its waist and legs, each decorated with what Link assumed to be traditional Zonai markings.. Brown and green jewelry hung from its neck, shoulders, down the front of its long legs, and down the length of its ears. Upon studying the figure's face, Link thought it looked oddly goat-like, which was only emphasized by the small horns that adorned its head.
"I'm sorry—I did not intend to startle you," he said as he raised his right arm. Link noticed that it looked exactly like his own current right arm, but was glowing paler and more translucent than the rest of the figure. "It was I that spoke to you earlier. That arm originally belonged to me."
"Rauru?" Link stood up straight and raised his eyebrows. He glanced towards his arm, whose glow began to dim, before he looked back to Rauru who nodded slowly.
"Forgive me for appearing to you in this manner. Unfortunately, I no longer have a physical form." Rauru said. "In any case, that arm should allow you to open this door. It seems to have lost the power to do so."
Link glanced down at the arm in question before looking back to Rauru. Before he could ask the specter what would be wrong with the foreign appendage, the Zonai spoke.
"We might be able to restore it, but you would need to enter a place filled with sacred light…" the ghostly Zonai stroked the hairs on his chin and pondered.
"Rauru, I don't have time to hunt down the place you're thinking of. Zelda's right behind these doors, waiting for me," Link stepped towards the ghost, annoyance creeping into his voice. "It took me hours to even get here in the first place and I don't want to keep her waiting longer than I must."
Upon hearing Link's frustration, Rauru glanced up at the knight with a gaze that caught Link by surprise. Rauru wasn't annoyed with Link's impatience, rather he wore an expression similar to what Link would describe as heartache. The Hero's impatience faltered and gave way to crushing waves of worry.
"Rauru…what's happened to Zelda?" he asked, voice shaking.
"Link, much has happened since your battle under Hyrule Castle," Rauru began. "You must be patient. It is not so easy to explain–"
"Patient?! How can I be patient when Zelda's gone missing?!" Link's voice began to rise in volume. "I have no idea what's going on! I'm on a floating chunk of land that's high enough above the ground that I can't see the surface, fighting mechanical soldiers, and talking to a spirit that gave me its arm! The creature that attacked us under the castle could be out in Hyrule, doing Hylia knows what, and I don't even have Zelda to help me work through this!"
"Link…I know you're frustrated and confused. I myself don't have time to fully explain what happened to Zelda, nor what happened to you under the Hyrule Castle." Rauru said carefully, almost tiredly. "I've used much of my remaining energy in healing you enough to be able to rise once more…"
The ghostly Zonai paused and glanced out to the ocean of blue sky that surrounded them. After a moment of consideration, Rauru nodded gently and turned back to face Link.
"Zelda once shared your shared story with me…about how you were separated for a century and fought your way back to her, sealing the Calamity Ganon together. From what I've heard about you, and what I know about Zelda, the time you spent apart must have seemed like Hell on Earth." Rauru set his jaw and bored into Link with an intensity he had only ever seen in hardened warriors. "I do not wish you to be separated from each other for a moment longer…but Link, you must know that the world as you remember it has changed drastically. You will come to find some things you'll wish you never knew, you will be tested far beyond what you thought your limits were, and the threat that looms in Hyrule now, is far greater than anything you've faced before."
Link set his own jaw and matched Rauru's gaze.
"Rauru, I could barely beat two of those constructs I fought before. How am I supposed to beat something greater than anything I've ever faced in the state I'm in? I can't exactly sit and wait for it to pass."
"I know, Link. This is why I am going to help you." Rauru said, determination exuding from his ghostly features. "I myself will infuse your arm with the sacred light you will need to get into the Temple of Time. However, I will no longer be able to speak with you, nor will I be able to appear to you in any fashion."
"What will happen to you if you do this?" Link asked.
"My ability to appear as a spectral apparition will be diminished and I will cease to exist outside of the spirit realm. My essence will infuse your arm with enough sacred light to enter the temple," Rauru said.
"Rauru, as much as I want to find Zelda and stop the threat in Hyrule, I can't ask you to do that," Link replied.
"Link, you said it yourself, there is no time to go hunting for something that may have decayed over all this time. This is something I must do."
The knight nodded and glanced at the ground. He took a breath and looked back to Rauru.
"What can I expect when we do this?" he asked.
"In all honesty, you'll feel fine, a little better than before even. The sacred light will help to cleanse some of the gloom that still ails you." Rauru paused. "You may even notice something different about your arm. I don't have time to explain what exactly may be different, but try to learn about the changes you discover. They may prove to be an invaluable asset in your journey."
Link nodded, ready to do whatever it took to return to his princess.
"Rauru…thank you for saving me. I promise I won't waste it. Whatever's happening, I promise I'll end it. "
At Link's vow, Rauru nodded and smiled.
"Though our time together has been brief, I am so happy that we finally met…" the specter began before briefly showing a flash of a wistful look. "You are exactly as Zelda said."
Rauru allowed this show of emotion to pass briefly before his determined exterior returned.
"I've done everything I could for her…" he said as his ethereal form began to break apart into softly glowing particles of light. "Now it is up to you…"
Rauru's voice faded away as the particles began to fall off the wind and collect just behind where Rauru previously stood. Without warning they began to collect and condense into what appeared to be a ball, changing from the previously soft and ethereal glow of a spirit, now glowing with a brilliant golden light. When the orb appeared to fully condense, it shot forward towards Link's chest. Where he once felt a slight chill from the winds that were constantly whipping on this island in the sky, Link was filled with a great heat. He looked down at his arms, watching as gloom seemed to evaporate off his skin and blow away in the wind. Taking a deep breath, Link allowed the heat to spread through his body, feeling more of the gloom seep away.
When he opened his eyes, Link did feel a deal better than he had just moments ago. He looked down at his arm, then to the massive door that still lay before him. With an edge in his eyes, Link strode up to the door and shoved his hand into the green lock that had previously denied him from seeing his princess. When he didn't feel the same shock he had felt before, and felt a rumbling coming from the door, he knew he had succeeded. Link turned and watched the door split down the middle and begin to slide open, prepared to race into the halls of the temple and find Zelda as soon as possible.
However, Link did not find Zelda. In fact he didn't find anything that even resembled his missing princess. On a small, white stone altar sat a massive, teardrop shaped gemstone. The stone glowed with a brilliant golden light that pulsed, almost like a heartbeat. The light seemed to enchant Link. He kept his eyes locked on the massive stone and slowly made his way towards it. As he drew nearer to the stone, he began to feel quite the odd sensation. He felt warm and comforted, almost as if he was coming home after a long day in the forests of Hyrule, hunting various game or deer, and finding a fire burning in the wood stove he and Zelda used to keep the house warm in the fall and winter months. He felt a pang of longing in his heart, yearning for nothing more than to be sitting beside the stove with Zelda as she read one of the new books she had purchased from a vendor in Hateno.
Link was drawn closer and closer to the glowing stone until he was right in front of it. He gently brought his right hand up, and slowly pressed his fingers against the glassy surface before him. As he pressed his palm against it, the stone began to grow brighter and brighter, forcing Link to try and shield his eyes from its intensity. It was a few moments before he felt it was safe to try and bring his gaze back to the strange stone, but when he did, he was shocked to say the least. Gone was the stone and the temple that housed it. Link was standing in the strangest place he had ever seen. The stone that made up the floor he had been standing on had been replaced by the same sandy-like substance he had encountered when he had woken earlier that day. The area that surrounded him consisted of white fog that rose up and swirled around him, reducing his visibility to little more than a few yards.
When Link turned his gaze back to where the glowing gemstone sat, he found who he had been looking for since he woke: Zelda.
"Zelda!" The knight cried out. "Thank Hylia! I found you!"
He dashed towards her but stalled as he drew near. Something was off with his princess. She did not stand before him, rather she floated a couple feet off the ground. Her hands were clasped in front of her chest, a pose he remembered well from her prayers to awaken her sealing power. She no longer wore her blue traveling outfit she had on when he last saw her, and was dressed in a white and green dress that was adorned with various pieces of Zonai jewelry that were very similar to the kind he had seen on Rauru's spirit.
When Link studied Zelda's face, he noticed her ghost-like pallor. Her eyes were shut, giving the impression of a deep slumber, and what looked like tear-drops that had been painted under them.
"Zelda," her knight called out her name, hoping to shake her out of this trance. "Zelda, I'm here."
Link was met with silence.
"Love, please. I'm here to take you home."
Silence.
"Please, Zel! Please wake up!"
Zelda didn't give any verbal acknowledgement of his presence, but she began to float slightly lower and drew her right hand out of its lock with her left. She reached it down towards Link without opening her eyes and held it there. Link immediately took her hand in his, but did not feel the warmth he typically felt when they linked their hands together. Instead, her skin felt cold to the touch. In fact, it barely felt like it was there at all.
Link squeezed her hand once, hoping to draw any kind of response from his love, but received none. Instead, the fog that billowed around them suddenly stopped and froze in place around them. The knight studied the area, looking for any indication for what was happening and found none. When he drew his gaze back to Zelda, the fog began to race past them to an area behind the princess. Wind whipped past Link's ears, drowning out at sound as he began to feel some warmth radiating through Zelda's hand. It surged through his fingertips, through his palm, and up into his arm, appearing as a golden glow that traveled through his arm.
Link stared at his arm as the light held for a moment before it began to dissipate. As it did, he also felt Zelda's hand slip out of his grasp. He shot his eyes back to her figure as it began to recede back with the fog.
"Zelda!" Link called out, reaching after her. "Come back! Zelda!"
Link tried to run after her, but found he couldn't. It felt like his feet had sunk in the sand he stood on, preventing him from even sliding them forward. Link was forced to watch as the fog consumed Zelda's silhouette. The wind roared past his ears as a light began to shine in his eyes, growing brighter and brighter until it was nearly blinding. He shielded his eyes and listened to the wind growing stronger and stronger, reaching gale force. Link began to let out a primal yell, trying to challenge whatever force was being enacted upon him to prevent him from reaching his princess. As it all seemed to reach its peak, the wind, the light, Link's shout, it all stopped.
—-
Hello again! I won't make this author's note too long but I just wanted to explain where I had gone for these past few months. I'm a junior in college and classes started to ramp up. I was forced to stop writing for a bit to allow myself the necessary time to do my schoolwork. Things have settled down now that we're at the end of the semester so I'm going to incorporate my writing back into my schedule and return to posting chapters at least once a week. It feels good to finish this chapter! Just know that I've already started on the next chapter as well! Thank you and see you in the next chapter!
