Chapter 5
Slowly but surely, Blue began to warm up to the group. Legend had the honor of meeting him, on Blue's own terms, first—a fact the pants-less hero lorded over everyone else's heads. Blue didn't mind. In fact, he liked that Legend bragged about being able to talk with him when no one else could. Maybe that was why he took his time revealing himself to the rest of the group.
In any case, within a month Blue had become comfortable enough to joke and spar openly with both Legend and Warrior. He wouldn't wear the headband Red had sewed for him just yet, but he would occasionally loop it loosely around his wrist when he was feeling particularly confident.
Life was going pretty well, all things considered, which is why it shouldn't have come as a surprise to anyone when things took a turn for the worse.
The switch came like so many did: suddenly. Except this was different. Red wasn't nudged or pushed or even shoved into control. He was slammed, like a door shut by a furious hand.
The roughness of the switch wasn't what tipped Red off that something was wrong. It was the burning. It crept all over his body like so many spiders sinking their mandibles into his flesh and poisoning him. Only this poison was different. Instead of paralyzing him outright, it turned his blood to lava. He could feel it bubbling beneath his skin, threatening to melt the flesh from his bones.
An involuntary scream tore from his throat, halting the heroes in front of him, but Red couldn't focus on their questioning shouts or half-drawn swords. He was too occupied attempting to douse the fire scorching his every pore. Only there were no flames to douse. Not even a spark.
The Hero of Winds reached him first, dropping his half-drawn sword in favor of grabbing Red's arms, eyes frantically searching his face for an explanation he didn't have. "What's wrong? Are you hurt? Are the others fighting?"
I don't know and yes and no jumbled in his brain, and it was all Red could do to shake his head vehemently before the pain forced him to his knees. Wind went down with him, gripping his upper arms uncertainly. Each touch was a fresh wave of fire.
"Itburnsitburnsitburnsitburns!" Red sobbed, his voice hitching and cracking in hysterics.
Wind answered his cry for help with a hopelessly puzzled expression. "What?"
"He said 'it burns'," Twi translated, sheathing his sword and pushing past the others to kneel beside him. "What burns?"
"Eh-eh-every-ev-" It was just one word, but Red couldn't get it out. His chest was too heavy, his throat too tight.
"Wind, you were closest. What happened?" Time demanded.
"I don't know! He was fine a second ago."
A second ago wasn't now. Now he was burning from the inside out. He'd been tossed into a volcano or maybe he was the volcano.
He raised his hands to rub the tears out of his eyes. Maybe if he got rid of those the pain would lessen. Blue always said crying never solved anything. But the Hero of Twilight foiled his plans, catching his hands and pulling them away from his face. Red attempted to retract them, but Twi held firm.
"Twiiii!" Red cried, tears flooding down his face faster. "L-Let go! It hu-hurts."
"Wait, there's something on your hands." The older hero's words drew Red's attention to the backs of his hands and even though his vision was nothing but blots of color he could plainly see that they were red. They weren't supposed to be red.
"What's that?" 'Rule asked, leaning in closer to get a better look.
"Kinda looks like sunburn," Wind observed as Twi and 'Rule did their best to carefully inspect his skin.
"No, it doesn't," Legend refuted. "It looks like some kind of rash."
"Poison ivy?" Wild guessed.
"Poison ivy itches," Twi said. "It doesn't burn."
"It can if you scratch it enough."
"He wasn't scratching."
"How do you know? He's been towards the back of the group all day and you've been at the front."
'Rule removed Red's right bracer and sucked in a breath. "Eesh. It goes all the way up his arm."
"Maybe instead of gawking at it, heal it, 'Rule," Legend snapped, raising his voice to be heard over Red's crying.
"Uh, yeah. Right." The golden glow of 'Rule's magic filled his vision but his pains weren't soothed. If anything, they intensified.
"StopstopstopSTOP!" Red wailed, jerking his arm to his chest and cradling it. He wanted to switch. To step back and let one of the others take control. Not that he wanted them to be in pain. No. Never. But they could handle it much better than he could.
As if sensing his wishes, Blue's voice filled his head. "What's going on?"
"I don't know!" Red tried to shout but choked on tears.
"Red?" Green's concern made his heart ache.
"Did you touch something?" Twi asked.
Red shook his head. He didn't care what it was. He just wanted it to stop.
"What happened?" Vio wondered.
"No idea, but Red's freaking out," Blue answered for him.
"Did one of the others touch something?" Why all the questions? Why didn't they help him already? Surely his skin was melting off by now!
"No," Green replied.
"I didn't touch anything," Blue reported.
"Neither did I," Vio said.
Heaving for breath, Red answered with another shake of his head.
"Are you allergic to anything?" This question came from 'Rule.
"Bell peppers. Green ones in particular," Green supplied.
It took some time for him to choke out the words but he eventually did and Twi translated for him. "Green peppers. Have you had any?"
"Nuh-no!" he cried. All of them knew better than to ingest green peppers. The body was allergic. Red knew it couldn't be that anyway. The allergen had never produced a reaction like this.
"Stop crying. I can't see." Blue said irritably, though Red heard the concern laced in his words.
"He's in pain, Blue. He can't help it," Green admonished.
"Yeah, well if I can see what's going on then maybe we can figure out what it is and help."
Red went to rub his eyes, hoping to clear them for a few seconds, but once again, Twi stopped him. "No, no, don't touch your eyes."
"It's already on his face," Legend said.
"Yes, but I don't want him to spread it to his eyes if it's contagious," Twi replied as several of the others asked "Where?" and Legend pointed it out. The redness on his face must have been less severe if not all of them had noticed it. That was good, right?
"If it's contagious all of three of you are in trouble," Warrior noted.
"None of us are screaming yet." Gingerly, Twi dabbed at Red's eyes with a handkerchief. "Better?"
It was but he could already feel the dam filling up again so he didn't waste time replying. Instead, he looked down at his arm and immediately wished he hadn't. His skin was an angry red, blotchy, and speckled with raised welts.
Blue swore. "What is that?!"
"Hives," Vio said. "Hyrule might not have been far off with the allergy theory."
"But we didn't eat any green peppers!" Green argued.
"Maybe we're allergic to something else?"
"Like what?"
Vio didn't have an answer to that.
Red was glad when his eyes filled with tears again. He didn't want to see the horror his skin had become.
"Will a potion help?" Sky ventured after a moment.
Normally, Red made faces at potions but not this time. He just wanted to stop hurting. The bitter-tasting liquid stung his throat as it went down but it was welcome if it stopped the pain.
A minute passed and while the potion didn't take away the burning sensation coursing through his body, it didn't make it any worse either.
"Magic doesn't work. Potions don't work…any other ideas?" 'Rule asked, glancing around the group.
"Ice?" Legend proposed.
"You don't put ice on burns!" Warrior objected, aghast.
"It's not a burn," Legend retorted. "He keeps saying 'it burns' so maybe it'd be beneficial to have something cold on it."
"That's just going to make it worse."
"How do you know?"
"Because that's not how you treat burns!"
"It's not a burn!"
"You don't know that!"
"You don't know that it isn't!"
"How about water?" Time interjected, pulling out his waterskin and ignoring the squabbling of Legend and Warrior. "Perhaps that will help."
It did not. His body remained on fire, and now Red was convinced there were fire ants marching underneath his skin too. It itched.
He began to scratch and the action didn't go unnoticed by 'Rule or Twi.
"Does it itch?" 'Rule asked as Twi caught his hand.
"Yes," he whined. It itched. It burned. It was torture, and he couldn't take much more. He squirmed uncomfortably, wishing to claw his arm off. It would hurt less then, surely.
Unfortunately, Twi ensured he never got a chance, knocking his hand away every time he tried.
"What about aloe vera?" Wind suggested after another minute or so filled with Legend's and Warrior's yelling and his and Twi's pathetic battle.
"What's that?" Sky wondered.
"It's a plant." Wind and Wild answered at the same time. Wild allowed Wind to explain. "You can use the leaves to soothe burns or wounds that just hurt really bad."
That sounded like exactly what he needed.
'Rule perked up, likely thinking the same. "Do you have some?"
"…No," Wind admitted dejectedly.
"I can find some!" Wild piped up, tapping at his slate with determination.
"Good. Go," Time ordered. "Don't get lost. Warrior, go with him."
The two soldiers ran into the woods before Red could so much as blink. He believed that they would find the plant Wind had mentioned but he didn't believe he could hold out long enough. His body seemed to burn more with every second that passed.
Green spoke up, attempting to reassure him. "It's okay, Red. We're here. Wild and Warrior will be back soon with something to help." The 'I hope' went unsaid, but Red still felt it. He couldn't wait that long.
"I-I wanna switch." He grabbed 'Rule's hand. At least, he thought it was 'Rule's. It was hard to tell who he was grasping for with his vision so blurry. "Help us switch."
"I'll take your place," Vio offered.
"Is it okay with everyone else?" Twi asked.
"You?!" Blue exclaimed. "No way!"
"Who cares?" Legend said. "He…"
"Let me take over."
"—ndle it. Letting one of the others…"
"I can handle it way better than any of you."
"I just want to make sure."
"That may be true but if anything was going to make you gain control, it has already happened," Vio said.
"—on't want to make anyone mad."
"Red's in distress and the body is hurt, possibly in danger, yet you're still here."
"Noble of you…"
"Forcing you out will be difficult."
"…ly the time."
"No one has to force me; I'm willing!" Blue retorted.
"-o are we triggering out?"
"I don't doubt it. Unfortunately, 'willing' has nothing to do with it," Vio said, calm and collected as always. "The fact of the matter is, your biggest trigger hasn't triggered you into control. A smaller one will have no effect."
"Blue, let Vio do it," Green spoke up. "For Red's sake, we need to switch as fast as possible."
"Red!" His name snapped his head up to meet Legend's questioning gaze. "Who are we triggering?"
"Is it okay with the others?" Twi asked.
He looked hopelessly between the two of them, head swimming with pain and words. So many words. Everyone had been talking over each other. Usually he could follow it, but not when he was on fire.
Thankfully, Green caught on to his disorientation. "It's okay with everyone. We're going to get Vio to switch with you."
"V-Vio." Red nodded sloppily, fumbling for his bag, but Wind already had it covered, pulling out one of the thick tomes Vio had purchased at Castle Town weeks ago. He handed it to Red, who took it and flipped to a random page. Blurry blobs of ink swam in his vision.
He wiped his eyes with the cloth Twi had given him, and a line of nonsensical symbols appeared. Red did his best to focus on them, to lose himself in them like he imagined Vio often lost himself in them, but the fire raging through him was too much. The tears returned to his eyes and a fresh sob ripped from his throat.
The book wasn't working. He could feel Vio there. Could hear him as he told him to keep looking at the book I almost have it. But that was a lie. There was a pulsing pressure in his temples. Forward and back. Ebb and flow like the tide coming in and out of shore. And like the tide, it could only come so close. Only touch the shore so much.
It wasn't enough.
"It-It's no-n-not working!" Red wailed, his voice cracking and breaking.
"Here, let me try something else," Legend said, scooping up the book from Red's lap. "Watch me."
Wiping at his eyes, Red raised his head. Upon meeting his eyes, Legend gave a curt nod and wound his arm back. "Head's up, Sky!"
"DON'T-!" Vio shouted, but it was too late. Legend had already chucked the book at the Chosen Hero who was just as unprepared for it as everyone else and barely managed to stop the tome from smashing into this face. The book fell to the dirt with a thud.
"Well? Did it work?" Legend asked, whirling around to face Red and completely indifferent to the fact that he'd nearly broken Sky's nose with his stunt.
"No!" Red cried, choking on a sob and coughing. Wind idly petted his hair in an attempt to comfort him while 'Rule scooted closer to gently rub his back. Red barely felt any of it. The itchy burning all over his body took precedence over any other sensation.
"Well, I'm out of ideas," the Hero of Legend declared. "Anyone else want to have a go?"
"Don't throw books, especially mine!"
"You have to admit it was a good idea," Blue mentioned.
"No it wasn't!" Vio disagreed. "And more importantly, why can't we switch? That should have triggered me into the front."
"Maybe it's similar to what happened when we were recovering from our concussion?" Green suggested.
"I don't see how that's possible. That was a head injury. This isn't."
The voices in his head continued to go back and forth on the matter, but Red didn't have to pay attention to them to come to the same conclusion. He was stuck.
If he could have, he would have sobbed harder. As it was, he could only plead and even that was limited due to his crying. "mAkE IT StOp! MaKE it StoP! Please MAKe I-it sTop!" He clung to Wind, shaking.
"We're trying, we're trying," Wind soothed, sounding frazzled himself.
"We can't wait for Wild and Warrior to get back," Time said. "There has to be something else we can try."
"The spirit springs in my Hyrule have healing properties." He heard Twi say.
"Well, why didn't you mention that earlier?!" Legend demanded.
"Because it's magic water, and 'Rule's magic seemed to hurt him more," Twi snapped.
"I say it's worth a shot," Time declared. "Are there any nearby?"
"Two," Twi said, rising. "I'll take him ahead on Epona. It'll take half an hour otherwise. I'll leave you guys with a map, but it's pretty straight forward. Just follow the path."
"What if it doesn't work?" 'Rule worried. He had stopped rubbing Red's back once he realized the action wasn't helping. Red was only mildly grateful. His friend's touch had burned, but it had also relieved a tiny bit of the itching.
"Then we hope Wild and Warrior can find that plant." Legend answered.
"If they can't then we need another plan," Sky said. "Twi is there a doctor around here?"
Twi tugged Red to his feet, and he swayed. His legs burned. Everything burned but standing was suddenly worse. Fortunately, he didn't have to stand for long. Twi swept him up and placed him atop Epona's back.
"Twi?" Sky repeated.
The Ordonian sighed as he swung up into the saddle behind Red. "The closest is a full day's ride away, and I don't exactly trust him."
"Trust him or not—"
"I know," Twi cut Time off. "Let's just…cross that bridge when we come to it." Twi said something else, instructions by the sound of his tone, before snapping the reigns and sending Epona rushing forward through the sun-dappled forest.
Cool wind whipped at his face but it provided no relief. He whimpered, turning his face aside into Twi's chest. A strong arm wrapped around him and words of comfort floated into his ears, both from the hero holding him and from the heroes sharing his body, but they had little effect.
Words held no power to take pain away. In that moment, as his head swam and body burned, Red became certain he was dying. He didn't want to. Not yet. Not ever!
Terror tied knots in his stomach and made his limbs shake or maybe that was just the motion of the horse beneath him. Either way, he pressed closer to the Hero of Twilight, silently begging for him to save him. To save them because if one of them died, they all did.
It took an eternity and a day before he noticed anything else besides the flames crawling over and under his skin. He thought he'd appreciate a change. But when the sturdy warmth of Twi deserted him, he immediately flailed, rubbing his blurry eyes and sitting up straighter on Epona so as not to fall off.
"Twi?" he croaked, panic mounting and sticking in his throat as he swiveled this way and that, searching for his missing companion.
"I'm right here," Twi reassured him, appearing at his left. Twi held out his arms, and Red all but leapt off the horse before Twi could lift him off, clamping his arms tight around the elder hero's neck.
His companion hugged him close. "It's okay. The water will make you feel better."
Twi didn't know that for sure. Red knew that. Twi knew that he knew that. But as he buried his face in the pelt wrapped around the young man's shoulders, Red chose to believe that Twi's words were true. That the magic water would work. It had to.
It had to.
He felt it as Twi carried him into the spring. Heard it, too, as he splashed into the water.
Twi knelt down so that Red could sit semi-comfortably in his lap. The toes of his boots dipped into the shallow water. "Give me your arm."
Trying to convince himself that complying would stop the agony he was in, Red loosened his grip and held out his arm.
Through wavering vision, Red watched as Twi cupped water in his free hand and let it trickle over the body's inflamed appendage. It didn't burn. Or rather, it didn't burn any more than it was already burning.
But it didn't provide relief either.
Five more handfuls and still no change. Red pulled his arm away as Twi went to dump another round on his arm.
"Does it hurt more?"
He shook his head. It just hurt. It hurt and it shouldn't because the water was supposed to make it better! Why wasn't it making it better?!
"Does it hurt any less?" Twi asked next, though his tone implied he already knew the answer before Red shook his head.
Twi stood, then, adjusting Red so he didn't fall. "We're going to my house, okay?"
Red just tightened his grip on Twi in response. He didn't care where they went. So long as he wasn't alone. He couldn't take being alone. Not like this. Not when he was dying.
Because he had to be dying, right? Only dying could hurt this bad. Only dying itched and burned all at once. Only dying couldn't be cured by sacred healing springs.
These thoughts took precedence over all others as they raced through the woods atop Epona. Distantly, he was aware of Twi talking to him. Blue, Vio, and Green too. They were all trying to distract him, to encourage him that he was doing great! And you'll feel better soon and everything's okay—which was probably the biggest lie of them all.
Ironically enough, that was the lie they repeated the most. It's okay. You're okay. We're fine. Nothing's wrong. Except everything, of course. But forget about that last part because everything's okay.
"Tell that to the body!"Red wanted to scream and would have if the waterworks weren't clogging his throat. Tell that to the many-legged creatures marching beneath his skin, to the lava that pumped through his veins in place of blood. To the tears that refused to stop falling.
If he was okay and nothing was wrong then why was he in agony?
The question went unspoken, but even if it hadn't Red knew no one would have been able to answer it. No one knew what was wrong so it was best to pretend that nothing was wrong.
He was willing to try anything at this point and as they came to a stop and Twi carried him inside his treehouse, Red decided to do exactly that.
Play pretend.
To his astonishment, it worked. Not right away, of course, but by the time Twi had lit the fireplace and situated himself on the floor with Red in his lap—because Red pleaded with him not to leave him, not even to grab blankets and pillows—the fire raging through his veins had eased.
It was still blazing, sure, but not as brightly as before. Or maybe that was just his imagination?
In any case, the slight reprieve allowed him to breathe a little easier.
Twi noticed. "Are you feeling any better?"
Not wanting to jinx it, Red gave a miniscule nod in reply. It seemed to have worked. As minute by excruciating minute ticked by, the burning sensation gradually leached from his limbs, leaving behind a buzz that was more itch than anything.
He fidgeted, attempting to scratch at the irritated skin, but Twi stopped him. "Don't. You'll hurt yourself more."
"But it itches," he whined. It seemed like a small thing to be whining about compared to the burning sensation from before but he couldn't help it. Discomfort was discomfort.
"I know," Twi said, but Red didn't think he did despite the sympathy in his voice. The Ordonian hummed in thought for a second before perking up. "I have an idea. Can I have your bag for a second?"
Red gave his consent, and in less than a minute Twi had pulled out his plushie from his bag.
"Kea…" He sniffed, grabbing for the toy. Time had identified it as a mysterious creature called a Keaton, hence its name.
Twi handed the yellow Keaton plush to him with a small smile. "When you want to scratch, scratch at Kea. Or rub him. Your choice."
"That's not going to make me itch any less." Red hiccupped, wiping at his eyes. The tears took a little longer to flood back this time.
"No," Twi agreed. "But it's better than scratching yourself raw."
Red couldn't deny that and did as the elder boy suggested, alternating between scratching and rubbing and squeezing Kea depending on how intense the itch became.
He didn't know when the others arrived, only that when they did he was on the cusp of sleep so he was only able to grasp the gist of their conversation. No plant. Something about water. Better? He didn't really know. He didn't care. He was tired.
Feeling warm and cozy and only slightly itchy, Red drifted off to sleep.
Indistinct chatter met his ears and he rolled over, burying his face into the pillow beneath him with a small groan. He wasn't ready to wake up yet. Unfortunately for Green, moving had solidified his wakefulness.
Even if it hadn't, the hand that came to rest on his shoulder would have finished the job.
Slowly, Green cracked open his eyes. Flickering firelight illuminating an unfamiliar abode greeted him, and when he tilted his head back, he found himself locking eyes with Sky.
Sky seemed just as surprised about this as Green. However, he recovered quickly. "How are you feeling?"
"Fine," Green answered automatically. Only after he said it did he realize it was true. Yes, his face felt sticky and gross and his throat was a little sore, but he didn't feel like death. Which made zero sense. After all the screaming and crying Red had done, Green was positive that the body was in horrible shape. They had to be seriously injured or sick or a combination of the two. Red wouldn't cry like that for no reason and—okay—maybe Red did have a tendency to cry a lot but there was always a reason for it.
As Green shifted to sit up, blinking the blurriness out of his eyes and becoming mildly puzzled at the plush that fell into his lap, he noted that nothing ached. Except his head, of course, but he'd resigned himself to that fate long ago. He checked his hands and even rolled up his sleeves but there was no blemish on his skin. In fact, there wasn't any indication that there had ever been one. Maybe the flashes of memory in his head had just been a horrible dream that was now posing as a false memory?
"Four!" Wind exclaimed, shooting over and dropping onto his knees to hug him. Definitely not a dream, then. "You're awake!" Wind quickly pulled back and rounded on Sky. "Why didn't you say anything?"
"I didn't want to overwhelm him. He just woke up," Sky replied as everyone else abandoned whatever they'd been doing before and drifted closer, differing levels of concern etched on their faces.
Green greeted them with a small wave.
Legend was less than impressed. "Mind explaining what that was?"
Ah. That was going to be a problem, seeing as Green had no idea.
"Maybe we should ask if he's okay first, don't you think?" Warrior said, elbowing Legend in the side. Legend elbowed him back.
"Are you okay?" Hyrule asked, taking Warrior's advice since the captain himself was currently in the middle of a mini elbowing war with Legend.
"Yes," Green answered, moving aside Red's Keaton plush. He'd have to put it away so it didn't get damaged. "I'm perfectly fine."
"Is Red?" Wind worried.
Taking a moment to assess, Green noticed the excitement fluttering in his chest. "I think so." He'd expected relief to be among the chief emotions running through his head mates at the moment, but excitement wasn't unwarranted either, he supposed.
"You're Green?" Sky double checked.
He smiled, pleased that Sky could tell. "Yes."
"Now do you mind explaining what that was?" Legend said, shoving Warrior so hard the man stumbled. The Hero of Legend was only spared from the captain's rebuttal by the withering glare Time shot them both. It was incredible how well a man with one-eye could glare.
"I don't know," Green admitted.
"You don't get to say 'I don't know' after all that screaming."
"Legend, enough," Time interjected. "Green, do you remember what happened?"
"I think so." He began slowly, staring at the ground in thought. "There was a rash on our skin. It was painful which is why Red was screaming and crying. We tried to force a switch, but it didn't work. You guys were trying a bunch of different things to help us, but none of them were doing anything. …What ended up working?" He didn't remember that part.
"The spring water," Twilight informed him, drawing Green's gaze. The ranch hand offered him an apologetic smile. "It was belated, but it did work."
That was good to know for the future, presuming it happened again, which Green desperately hoped it wouldn't.
"That doesn't explain what it was," Legend said, arms crossed tightly over his chest.
"He just said he doesn't know," Twilight shot back, sending a glare of his own at Legend who appeared as if he could care less.
"I heard him just fine, country boy," Legend returned. "But we better figure it out because I doubt any of us wants a repeat of that."
"You had to have touched something," 'Rule spoke up, his eyes on Green. "A plant or-"
"It wasn't anything contagious," Twilight interrupted with a shake of his head. "It didn't spread to us."
"Vio said it looked like hives," Green recalled, "so it was an allergic reaction to something."
"So you touched something you were allergic to," 'Rule surmised.
"But that's the thing! I'm not allergic to anything besides bell peppers and only the green ones will make me break out in hives like that. Even then, the allergic reaction isn't that bad. It doesn't burn."
"You must be allergic to something else," Wind said.
"To what, though?"
"Who was out before Red?" Time asked.
Green opened his mouth to reply, "I was" but quickly snapped it shut. That wasn't true. His memory was hazy, due only in part to the tears that had constantly obscured Red's vision, but Green was certain that they had been surrounded by trees. The trees of Faron Woods. Their destination. Or at least a step on their journey to Twi's home which is where he presumed they were now.
In any case, when he had been in control last they were in Hyrule Field, a good mile away from the entrance to the woods.
"Were we already in the woods when it happened or did you move us there?" Green asked, giving his fellow heroes pause as they grappled to catch up with his thought process.
Twilight managed it first. "We were already in Faron Woods."
Right. That confirmed it, then. Green hadn't been out before Red came to screaming. So that begged the question: who was?
"Green!" Red exclaimed. "You won't believe-!"
"Red, who was out before you?" Green asked, lowering his voice and frowning at the floorboards. He knew the other heroes could hear him anyway. Hylian ears picked up whispers fairly easily, and if the legends were to be believed, they could even hear the voices of the gods. Even so, it seemed wrong to talk with the voices in one's head at a normal decibel. That just spelled crazy.
Red's excitement deflated slightly, like a balloon with a hole in it. "Huh?"
Blue and Vio slipped in, but he ignored them. "Before you came out in pain, who was in control?"
Red was quiet for a moment before replying. "You were."
"No, I wasn't."
"It wasn't me," Blue claimed.
"Nor me," Vio added.
"It had to be one of you," Green argued, his heart thudding in his chest because how did they get in the forest if none of them walked there? "Blue, I swear if you're messing with me-"
"I'm not messing with you!"
"You always do. You constantly pretend to be me." His heart was beating as rapidly as a rabbit's now, desperate to escape his chest and run until the world made sense again.
"I wasn't," Blue swore. "I swear on Father's life. I haven't been out since that monster ambush last night."
"Vio?" Green asked, but it was more of a plea. A plea to tell him what he wanted to hear. That Vio had been out and had walked them the last mile to the woods and nothing was amiss.
"I haven't been out all day."
"It's okay if you don't remember," Sky said gently as he slipped a comforting arm around Green shoulders.
Green quickly shrugged him off. "No! I do remember it's just…I don't know who got us into the woods. We weren't there yet when I was out."
"Then either Blue or Vio took over," Warrior decided.
"Except they didn't," Green countered, sickness settling like a stone in his stomach.
"Maybe you just spaced out?" Sky suggested. "Happens to me sometimes when we've been walking for a long time."
He furrowed his brow. It didn't feel right, but he couldn't write the notion off either. "Maybe…"
"You were kind of quiet as we got closer to the woods," Wind recounted.
"That solves it then," Vio declared with confidence. "You zoned out for a while, Green."
Hyrule came to a similar conclusion. "Sky must be right, then. You spaced out and touched a plant you were allergic to or something."
Green was more inclined to go with 'or something'.
"Don't touch anything in the woods from now on," Time said. "Not even to collect firewood."
Deciding it was a fair enough restriction considering they had no idea what set off the allergic reaction in the first place, Green nodded.
"Aww!" Disappointment swept inside his chest, frigid and hollow. "What about the Forest Minish? Can't we touch them?"
"I'm sure touching the Minish is acceptable," Vio reassured Red.
"No way! I agree with Time. No touching anything in any forested areas."
"Anyway," Wild spoke up, drawing Green's attention. "Are you hungry?"
Legend rolled his eyes dramatically. "You and food."
"What? He missed dinner!" Wild shot back defensively. "I don't want him to starve."
Time clapped a hand on Wild's shoulder, chuckling. "There's no danger of that with you around."
Grinning, Wild turned back to Green. "So?"
He returned the smile, ignoring the squabbling of the voices in his head with practiced ease. "Food sounds wonderful."
"I'll go heat it up for you." With that, their resident cook hurried away to prepare his food.
Green excused himself to go wash his face, and by the time he was done, Wild had finished heating the meat and mushroom skewer that he'd saved for him. The food was delicious as always. Unfortunately, Green couldn't properly enjoy it. Too many distractions wriggled in his mind.
The excitement from earlier had returned with a vengeance, and it was making his stomach do flips.
"Can I tell him now?" Green could practically feel Red bouncing up and down in his head. "Please please please?"
Tell him what?
"Go ahead," Vio consented, a hint of smile in his voice as if he was excited too. Excited about what, Green had no idea. Vio rarely got excited, and when he did it was usually because of books. There weren't any books around, though.
Before Green could puzzle over it too long, Red exclaimed, "There's a whole world in here!"
Green nearly choked on his skewer. Warrior glanced over from where he was polishing his armor. "You good?"
"Went down wrong," he croaked out, thumping his chest and clearing his throat of the shock that was blocking it.
What did Red mean "there's a whole world in here?" There's a whole world in their head? Since when? Last time he checked, it was just a black void of nothing.
"Don't just come out and say it like that," Blue grumbled. "You nearly made Green choke and die."
"Did not," Red retorted, his excitement dimming a little before brightening once more. "Anyway, Green, it's amazing! You have to see it! There's a super big tree in the middle and there's a house and a sanctuary—that's where we are now and—"
"Let's not overwhelm him with all that just yet, Red," Vio interjected, for which Green was grateful. He could barely keep up. A tree? A house? Sanctuary? What sanctuary? "It's difficult for me to wrap my head around while here. It must be even harder for Green who hasn't seen it yet."
Green wasn't even sure he wanted to see it. All of this was happening too fast, and it was strange besides. They have an allergic reaction to…something and then he wakes up and suddenly their head is filled to burst with a world of its own? It didn't make sense.
Holding his half-eaten skewer between his teeth, Green reached over to grab his bag, rifling through it until he located their journal. Finding a blank page was getting harder and harder. Not only was it filled with fragments of conversations and notes, but Red had taken to doodling. It wouldn't be an issue if they had purchased another journal on their last supply run. However, with all the switching, it had slipped his mind.
Thankfully, there were quite a few pages left. That would suffice for now. His brothers patiently waited—for the most part—while he looked for a writing utensil. Once he found one, Green wasted no time in jotting down his thoughts on the matter. "How do we have a world in our head?"
"No clue!" Red chirped happily.
"I'm not sure either," Vio said. "We didn't have it before Red fell asleep earlier. Something had to happen between now and then…"
"Whatever it was, I wouldn't say it's a bad thing," Blue added.
"Definitely not!" Red agreed. "We can see and interact with each other and there's lots of space."
Lots of space meant there was an opportunity for them all to have an area to themselves. Green had to admit it sounded promising but… "It's unsettling."
"How so?"
"It just appeared. How? Why? I won't deny that it sounds useful but if it's really useful then why didn't we have it before?"
"Perhaps we didn't need it then," Vio suggested.
"Yeah, right," Blue scoffed. "I agree with Green. This is suspicious. Do you know how much it would have benefited us to be able to walk away from fights? I don't believe that we didn't need it before."
"I don't see why it matters so much," Red piped up. "It's here now and it's great!
"It matters because what if it's dangerous?" Blue shot back.
"Exactly. And that raises the question: if it appeared, can it disappear?" Green added.
"Seems pretty solid to me," Red claimed.
"Yes, but Green makes a fair point," Vio said, his prior excitement no more than a dull hum. "This could be temporary."
"Nooo!" Red wailed. "I don't want it to disappear! I like it here. I like being able to see and touch you guys again."
"It might not disappear," Blue pointed out in an attempt to make Red feel better.
"I hope it doesn't."
Was Green wrong for hoping it did?
"There's so much to explore still," Red continued eagerly. "Green, I want you to see it too!"
Before Green could reply that he really didn't want any part of it, a pressure pulled at his temples, forcing him to drop his pencil in favor of massaging his aching head. He didn't dare let the dinner Wild had worked so hard on hit the ground.
The world wavered around him, and he slapped his free hand down on the floor so as not to fall over.
"Red! Don't do that!" Blue admonished.
"Sorry," Red apologized, shrinking back. His headache abated a tiny bit. "I thought I could force it."
"Well you can't, so stop it. He'll see it later."
Disappointment was palpable in his chest, but Green knew it wasn't his own.
"—kay?"
"Hmm?" Green hummed in confusion, raising his head to see Wind, a look of concern on his face."
"I asked if you were okay," Wind repeated quietly.
Green tried to smile, but it came out looking more like a grimace. "I'm fine. Headache."
Wind nodded, a look of sympathy crossing his features, before going back to what he was doing. Drawing a picture for his little sister, by the looks of it.
The presence of his brothers faded as he finished his meal. First, it was Red and Blue, then Vio after he explained that the other two had gone off to explore.
Part of Green didn't want them going anywhere. The peace and quiet was nice, but he didn't trust this supposed world in his head. Unfortunately, there was little he could do to stop them.
Red shrieked with joy as he was launched into the air for what must have been the fifth or sixth time.
"If you keep playing on those, you'll never make it to the top," Blue called down to his red-clad brother from his position on a branch high above.
"I can't help it! It's fun!" Red giggled as he landed on the giant, spotted mushroom once more, bouncing upon impact.
"You can use them to bounce up," Vio suggested, wrapping an arm around a sturdy branch so he could use his other hand to point. "They wind around the tree's trunk."
It hadn't taken long to come to the unanimous decision to climb the giant tree that rested in the center of the grassy land. The tree itself was just like the ones they'd climbed with Zelda when they were little and whole. Except this tree was enormous, as if they had all reverted to Minish size. That wasn't the case, as Vio had been quick to point out, since the sanctuary behind them remained regular-sized. It was only around the tree that the world seemed to become more fantastical.
Colorful, spotted mushrooms dotted its base, continuing upward at regular intervals, and as Red had quickly discovered, the fungi were incredibly bouncy. Even the grass seemed to grow taller here, stalks of green waving over their heads like willowy, boneless trees.
Taking Vio's suggestion, Red angled himself towards a mushroom growing out of the tree and used the inherent bounciness of the toadstool beneath him to jump high enough to reach the next.
"It's going to take ages to climb this thing," Vio observed as he heaved himself up another branch. He referred to it as a branch but it was more of a twig from the tree's perspective.
"Less complaining, more climbing," Blue said, taking his own advice and doing just that.
"I'm not complaining. I'm observing," Vio corrected him, continuing his own climb as Red came level with him, courtesy of a bouncy mushroom. Vio was willing to bet they weren't edible. Did they even need to eat in this world? Probably not.
The climb did not take ages as Vio had predicted. It did, however, take quite a while, and they were all out of breath from climbing and laughing when they finally reached the top. Nestled in the leafy canopy, the three of them had to part the veiny foliage like curtains in order to see past them. They were welcomed by a breathtaking view once they did.
The world stretched below them, large and impossibly green. From up here it was possible to imagine themselves as members of the Picori race.
A crystal clear lake dominated one side, the sunlight winking on its calm surface, making it especially beautiful.
"Look, there's the sanctuary!" Red pointed out. "It looks so tiny from up here."
Blue rolled his eyes. "Everything looks tiny from up here."
"Yeah but…" Red trailed off, his attention swiftly captured by more sights. "Look! There's the house. I wonder what it looks like inside."
"We should check that out next," Vio proposed, and Red nodded eagerly.
"There's another building over there," Blue announced, causing Red and Vio to flock to his side in order to see. Indeed, there was a building. It was a fair distance from the house, closer to the misty mountains. None of them could tell what the building was. Another house, perhaps?
No one figured it out before the mountains stole their attention. Large and imposing, the jagged peaks seemed to puncture the bright blue sky like a warning. "Stay away," they seemed to say, and the rest of the world answered in kind. The vibrant green that covered the land appeared to fade into steely grey as it reached the mountains. It was an illusion, of course. The dense clouds of fog at the foot of the mountains muted all colors, altering the viewer's perception and creating a tense atmosphere instead of an inviting one.
"Spooky," Red commented. Vio and Blue agreed, shivers racing up all their spines as a chilly breeze ruffled the top of the tree.
If Vio didn't know any better, he'd say the mountains were trying to hide. It was a ridiculous thought, frankly. The mountains were too enormous to conceal themselves. Yet, looking at them, Vio could not shake the image of a cat puffing up to scare off predators. "I wonder what's over there."
"Not sure I want to know," Blue said.
"Why not? It's obviously part of the world. We should explore it," Vio insisted. If this world existed in their head, then surely they should be aware of everything it contained.
"It's not part of anything. It's a borderline, just like those trees over there and there and there," Blue objected, pointing out the thick forest surrounding the other three sides of the vast clearing.
"I suppose…" Vio frowned. He couldn't shake the niggling feeling that something was over there, and it was important. "But what if it is something? Something dangerous?" Of course, Vio didn't believe it was dangerous, but if anything was going to convince Blue to explore the area, it was a threat to their safety.
Judging by the way Blue's expression hardened, it worked. "If that the case, it'll have to be dealt with."
"Shall we go now?" Vio suggested.
"No…later. We'll check it out later," Blue decided, glancing at Red who looked thoroughly spooked. Vio didn't push after that.
"Let's go to the house," Red said hastily, turning his back on the mountains and searching for a safe way to descend the tree. "I think I could see a garden in the back of it too."
"A garden? Really?" Blue wondered, a smile coming back to his face.
"Yeah; come on!"
"Right behind you. Let's go, Vi."
With one last glance at the imposing stretch of mountains, Vio turned away and joined his brothers.
Coming down was much easier than going up once they figured out that they could freefall down to the mushrooms and let them cushion their fall. Red, in particular, was delighted by this. Even when they were on the ground, he insisted on skipping the entire way to the house as if the bounciness of the toadstools had been transferred to his body.
Upon arriving, the three of them took a moment to stare at the building in awe. It wasn't a castle by any stretch of the imagination but it was large, complete with an expansive porch and pillars. Yet, describing it as grand wasn't quite right. Grand was a structure of marble and glass. This was made of mostly wood, with the exception of the foundation which was comprised of beautiful, neutral-colored stones.
It was a cottage, Vio decided as he climbed the four steps after his brothers. A two-story cottage.
Red reached for the handle of the front door, but Blue slapped his hand away.
"You can't just waltz in! You don't know who lives here."
Guilt swept across Red's features.
"I think…we live here," Vio said, shouldering past the others and laying his hand on the smooth, wooden handle. With a small push, the door swung open and he was inside.
"How do you know?" Blue demanded, barging in after him with Red on his heels.
"Because this is our head!" Red answered. "Who else would live here, right?"
"Right," Vio agreed. "Besides, it feels like home."
As they stood in the entryway, taking in the fireplace set in the far wall, the couches and coffee table to the left, and the kitchen complete with a bar counter and stools to the right, none of them could deny it.
This was home.
Not their home in the real world, of course. That place was far smaller and looked nothing like this. But it was cozy just like their real home. It belonged to them.
And if there were any doubts as to who owned the abode, the quad-colored rug in front of the fireplace erased them quickly. Each of them had a square. Blue. Green. Vio. Red. Just like their tunic.
Reassured that they weren't trespassing, the trio closed the front door and delved deeper.
Down the short hall to the left was a staircase leading to the second floor, along with a door. They opted for the door, preferring to explore one floor at a time, and upon opening it, were greeted with a library. Vio, to put it lightly, was thrilled.
The library was quite large and housed shelves upon shelves of books. It even had a cushioned window seat with throw pillows on either side, making it a perfect reading nook. Vio immediately set to scouring the bookcases, curious as to what kinds of tomes they contained.
Uninterested in the library, Red and Blue continued through the room until they came across another door. Opening it led them outside into the flourishing garden Red had seen from above earlier. The optimistic hero was quick to exclaim over the pretty flowers and plants there, and while Blue wasn't as excited about the garden as Red, he did admit that it was peaceful.
The peace didn't last long, since Red was too excited for that and quickly dragged Blue and Vio upstairs where they found a washroom and their first locked door.
Red jiggled the handle, but it didn't budge. He pouted. "This one's locked."
"Let me see," Blue said, nudging Red out of the way.
He tried the handle, and it turned. Smirking at Red's inability to open a simple door, Blue entered the room. Red peered past his shoulder, as did Vio.
"Sweet. This is my room," Blue observed. Indeed, the walls were painted blue and all the furniture was a shade of blue. The floor, bedframe, and desk were the only exceptions. Or at least, they were the only exceptions Red and Vio could take note of before Blue shoved them out.
"Hey!" Red protested.
"It's my room," Blue offered by way of explanation.
"You're awfully possessive of a room you didn't even know was yours five seconds ago," Vio noted with a wry smile, arms crossed over his chest.
"Shut up!" Blue slammed the door and the rest of his retort floated, muffled, through the wood. "Go find your own rooms."
Vio and Red complied, darting across the hall to try the door across from Blue's. Opening it revealed green. Lots of green.
"Green's room!" Red chirped before closing the door.
They hurried to the next door. The room inside was bathed in purple and as Vio stepped inside to scope out his personal space, Red ran across the hall to the only door left.
He wasn't disappointed.
Behind this door was a room of red and fluff. Lots of fluff. The room was filled with plushies. They lined the shelves and lounged on the bed amidst a multitude of insanely soft throw pillows. Red instantly hopped on top of the bedspread and gathered as many of the stuffed creatures in his arms as he could. They were so soft!
"I love this place!" Red exclaimed, flopping back onto the mound of pillows.
That's when the sun winked out.
Red screamed, and Blue swore, and Vio reached out for his bed. His fingers brushed a soft quilt.
The world wasn't gone. With each blink, the darkness retreated a little, allowing Vio to see the moonlight seeping in through the windows. Peering outside, he could make out an inky sky, twinkling stars, and a brightly shining crescent moon. "It's okay," Vio called to the others. "It's just nighttime."
The creak of a door opening drew Vio into the hall where he nearly collided into Blue.
"What kind of night comes on that quickly?" Blue grumbled, strolling into Red's room. Red had yet to move from his bed and instantly dropped his stuffed animals, latching onto Blue when he was close enough.
"I don't like the dark," Red whimpered.
"Why don't we make it light?" Vio suggested.
"What are you going to do, Violet? Turn the sun back on?" Blue griped, adjusting himself so he was in a more comfortable position. Not that there really was a comfortable position when encased in one of Red's bone-crushing hugs, but trying never hurt anyone.
Vio rolled his eyes at Blue's scathing sarcasm, though he did briefly wonder if it was possible. "No. It's probably dark because Green is either trying to sleep or is asleep."
"Then wake him up!" Red exclaimed, panic pitching his voice higher than normal.
"I'd rather try something else first."
"And that would be?" Blue demanded.
"Making light," Vio held up a hand when Blue opened his mouth to protest. "This is our world right? It's in our head. What's stopping us from making things we want?"
Blue didn't buy it, but Red ate the notion up. Squeezing his eyes shut—because it was a darkness he could control—Red imagined lights like fairies appearing in his room and illuminating it with their glow. Chasing away the scary shadows and leaving only light.
A gasp and redness behind his closed eyelids encouraged him to open his eyes and see his creation. Strings of soft, orange lights were littered around the room, draped over the footboard and headboard of his bed and hanging from the ceiling like branches of a weeping willow.
He laughed, releasing Blue and standing up to brush one of the strings of lights with his fingers. They didn't look like anything that existed, which meant they could only be magic.
"You actually made lights," Blue said, dumbfounded.
"Yeah!" Red beamed. "Aren't they pretty?"
"Very." Vio smiled back, holding a lantern he had willed into existence.
"So that's it?" Blue wondered. "We can make anything we want?"
Vio shrugged. "Perhaps. I'm sure there are limitations, but this was simple enough. I just had to think about it and want it and-" He gestured to the shining lantern in his hand.
"Ooh! I wonder if I can make a pet. If I make a puppy can we keep it?"
"I doubt we can make living things," Blue commented, resting his cheek on his fist.
"Won't know 'till we try!"
"Why don't we try tomorrow?" Vio said before Red could get too carried away. "If I'm correct and Green is sleeping right now, it's probably best we turn in too."
Red made a disappointed sound but eventually nodded. "Yeah. Okay."
"Beats doing nothing," Blue decided, getting up and heading to his own room. Vio followed suit, bidding his brothers goodnight.
Settling into their beds should have been strange since it was a brand new place, and yet it wasn't. These beds were theirs. It was as if they had been sleeping in those beds their whole lives, and it didn't take long for any of them to fall asleep.
Green hadn't heard from his head mates since the night before so when Vio's voice filled his mind that morning, Green couldn't help but feel relieved. He'd been starting to think something had happened to them all.
The relief gradually waned as Vio reported, in much more detail than before, about what the world inside their head contained. Not that the things he described sounded bad, necessarily. It was just that going from having nothing to having enormous trees and houses and libraries and gardens and sanctuaries inside his head was more than a little overwhelming. The mountains, in particular, concerned him.
"Don't go exploring that area without me," Green mumbled under his breath as he got ready to head into the village proper with the other heroes. Their original intention had been to take a much needed break at Ordon Village for a while since their latest endeavor to figure out what was up with the monster's blood had failed spectacularly. Whatever had incapacitated them yesterday hadn't changed that plan.
"I wasn't planning on it," Vio assured him. "Don't keep me waiting too long, though. I am curious."
His stomach flipped at that. He'd barely had time to process this new information. The last thing he wanted was to be thrust into it. In fact, he hoped to hold it off for as long as possible.
A switch was inevitable, however. Honestly, Green really should have been expecting it when he agreed to help Twi with the goats, but a part of him had foolishly believed Red was too distracted inside to bother with the happenings outside. He was very wrong.
Which was why he currently found himself standing in the middle of the Four Sword Sanctuary, watching through the body's eyes as Red cooed at the baby goats and hopped around the barn with them and Wind, much to Twilight's amusement.
Of course, it wasn't the real Four Sword Sanctuary, though it was an impressive imitation. The trees and the statues and the cobblestones and the moss creeping over all of it was the same. Even the Four Sword in its pedestal was the same. However, the waterfall rushing down the back wall engraving and the small pond wrapping around the sanctuary was new. It wasn't a normal waterfall either. No image could be so crisp and clear through running water. Yet, the happenings in the outside world were as clear to him as if he were in control.
Red was in control now. He would know that even if he didn't pay attention to the images reflected by the impossibly clear waterfall or listen to the words that seemed to ring from the surrounding trees, for Red was in the sanctuary too. The crimson-clad hero knelt by the pedestal, hands wrapped around the hilt of the Four Sword and head bowed, like it was some kind of ceremony or something.
Green suddenly had a nagging feeling that when Red tried to take his place the previous night, he actually had been pulled. Pulled away from the sword. Green didn't want to know what would have happened if Red had succeeded.
Taking a deep breath and feeling weirded out by the way the fake air filled his lungs, Green turned on his heel and exited the sanctuary.
He immediately spotted the tree Red, Blue, and Vio had been exclaiming over. It was impossibly huge, and despite its girth, Green couldn't help but be reminded of the trees he'd climbed with Zelda once upon a time.
The urge to climb the tree and discover what was nestled at the top of its branches was strong, but Green resisted. Blue and Vio probably wouldn't be there. They'd be at the house, and he'd be lying if he said he didn't want to see them. He did. It wasn't them that unsettled him. It was this world.
It felt real and yet fake. Almost like a dream, only more tangible.
The trek to the cottage was uneventful and sure enough, when he entered the house, he found Blue and Vio lounging on the couches in the common room, playing cards in hand. They both looked up when he entered.
"Hey! It's about time you joined us," Blue greeted him with a smile. It was infectious. Green smiled back, closing the distance between them and wrapping both Blue and Vio up in a tight hug.
"What do you think of this place?" Vio asked as they broke the embrace.
"It's…strange," Green decided. "But it's nice to see you guys." And it was. He never thought he would be able to see or touch the others again.
"Are you up for a little exploring?" Blue wondered, tossing his cards on the coffee table.
Green found Blue's good mood rubbing off on him, and despite not being eager before, he was now. "Yes. Let's do it!"
His fellow Four Sword Heroes gave him a brief but thorough tour of the house and the garden out back before they set out for the mountains on the far side of the clearing.
"There's a forge over there," Blue said, pointing to a building in the distance. "It's stocked with tools and everything."
"Neat." The word was difficult to choke out. Ever since straying from the house, Green's head had been swimming.
Blue and Vio continued to tell him about the lake with fish in it and the great tree that he'd have to climb after this, but Green could barely pay attention to anything except not falling over. With each step, a new weight thumped onto his chest. Breathing grew difficult.
When the world around him dissolved into blurry blobs interspersed with black spots, Green stopped.
"Why'd you stop?" Blue asked, irritation creeping into his voice. "We have a ways to go yet."
"I can't."
"What do you mean you can't?" Blue demanded.
Could the others see clearly? Was it only him that felt faint? Felt his lungs constricting as they refused to take in false air? "I can't," Green gasped.
"What's wrong?" Vio placed a hand on his shoulder.
"I can't see right. Everything's blurry. I feel like I'm going to pass out."
"We're fine," Blue pointed out.
"Well, I'm not!" Green snapped. He didn't like this. He knew something was wrong with this place. It wasn't real, and it was unraveling before his very eyes. He was unraveling.
"Okay," Vio said gently, taking his hand and turning him around. "Let's take a few steps back."
They did so, and with each step the weights lifted a little more and his vision grew a little clearer. Only when they reached the house did Green feel normal again.
"This makes no sense," Blue claimed, leaning back against the side of the house with his arms crossed irritably. "The rest of us can walk around just fine."
"Yes, but not every place is open to all of us. Take your room, for example. The door is locked for everyone but you," Vio countered. "This could be a similar case."
"So what do we do?"
"Let's see where he can go. What do you say, Green?"
He didn't really think he had a choice in the matter, so he nodded. "Sure."
They attempted to walk to the giant tree but the oppressive weight and dizziness struck Green not even halfway there. That meant the lake was out too. They attempted different routes, as if it was a fence with a board knocked loose. Unfortunately, no matter which angle they tried to approach it from, Green couldn't pass. Or rather, he couldn't pass without passing out, and he was adamant about it not getting to that point. No one knew what passing out would entail in this inside world, after all.
Soon, the three of them were back inside the house, curled up together on the couches.
"Does this mean we're calling off the mountain exploration?" Blue wanted to know.
"We could still go. Just without Green," Vio said, shooting Green an apologetic look.
"I'd rather you didn't," Green replied. "You all admitted that the mountains gave you the creeps. To me it seems like something that's best left alone, so just…leave it alone, alright?"
"Alright," Vio agreed.
Blue heaved a sigh. "Fine."
"Thank you." Green stood then. "I'm going back to the sanctuary. I don't like not knowing what's going on outside."
With that, Blue and Vio were left alone once again in the house.
Only when he was sure Green was back at the sanctuary did Blue speak. "We're not leaving it alone, are we?"
"Of course not," Vio returned without missing a beat.
They waited for Red, intent on taking their brother along so he didn't tattle to Green about what they were doing. Also because there was safety in numbers. Plus, if they went while Green was still inside with them, they risked him knowing. This way, they could go, check it out, and come back with Green none the wiser.
"I don't like this," Red whispered for what must have been the tenth time since they'd set out.
Neither Vio nor Blue shushed him this time, for they were starting to share his sentiment. The three heroes had reached the base of the mountain now. Shaded by the Great Tree, as Vio had dubbed it, the natural blockade of rock rose high above them, tall and imposing. A small nudge and the mountains could crumble and crush them.
Doing their best to think pleasant thoughts, they pressed on, lanterns and fire rod—in Red's case—raised to navigate their way through the fog. With each step, the visibility grew worse.
The lights weren't helping at all, so it was hardly a loss when they were extinguished by a strong wind. At least, in Vio's opinion. For Blue it was the last straw. "Nope. Let's stop. I hate this." Red agreed by attaching himself to Blue's arm and refusing to let go.
"Just a little farther," Vio insisted.
"We shouldn't even be here. Green said not to."
"Green said not to?!" Red squeaked, appalled. "Then why are we here?"
"Since when do you listen to Green?" Vio returned, ignoring Red and climbing over a rough rock.
"I don't, but you usually do," Blue grunted, hurrying after him with Red in tow. "So let's turn back now."
"Wait." Vio couldn't explain it. He suspected—no—he knew something was here. He wasn't leaving until he found it.
"No, you wait." Blue snagged Vio's sleeve and pulled him back. "This is dangerous."
"Weren't you the one that said if it's dangerous we needed to deal with it?" Vio fired back easily.
"No, I said if it's dangerous, it needs to be dealt with." Blue narrowed his eyes in a way Vio was sure his brother thought intimidating but really wasn't. "By me."
"You know, you're not the only one here that can fight," Vio said, tugging his arm free of Blue's hold.
"No, I'm the only one here that can fight well."
"Believe whatever you want." Vio turned on his heel, squeezing past two stones to reach a piece of rock that he could use to boost himself higher.
"We're not going any further," Blue said.
"Farther," Vio corrected him out of habit and a tiny bit of spite. "And you guys don't have to." He heaved himself onto the outcropping of rock above him. "I am, though."
"You're an idiot," Blue declared, following Vio against his better judgement. "You're an idiot who's going to get himself killed."
"I doubt death is possible here."
Blue fumbled for a retort but couldn't quite formulate one. After all, as real as this place felt, it wasn't real. They probably couldn't die here. "Still…"
A bit more climbing and hiking across what might have been a path but could also have been convenient coincidence rewarded them with an opening.
"Great. Now we know there's a creepy cave here. Can we leave now?" Blue demanded.
"Please?" Red whimpered.
Instead of replying, Vio entered the mouth of the cave. It was dark. Darker than dark, actually. Blue and Red edged in behind him.
Blue drew in a breath, about to comment on how there was obviously nothing here so they should leave now, but before he could utter a word the cave rumbled. Then came the wind. Fierce and cold and biting, it knocked Red and Blue clear off their feet. Screams and a slew of expletives tumbled out of the cave with them.
Vio gritted his teeth as the wind buffeted his body, whipping his hair and his clothes into disarray. He dug the toes of his boots into the ground and desperately reached for something to stabilize him. A stalagmite. A hunk of rock on the wall. Anything.
But there was nothing.
His left foot slipped and that was all it took. Vio went airborne for one heart-thudding-in-throat second before something solid and freezing cold clamped down on his wrist.
It burned the way only ice could when pressed against warm skin. Frantically, Vio tried to reclaim his limb, clawing at the thing that held him. He was no longer interested in whatever secrets the cave kept. It could keep them. He just wanted to get out. Doing so should have been easy. The wind was monstrously strong. But whatever had seized him was stronger.
All it took was a tug. One tug and Vio was sent hurtling face first into the darkness.
YouTube Resources:
"Our Inner World" –The Entropy System
"Creation in the Inner World" –The Entropy System