Chapter 8
Link
He was dreaming again. Probably.
Link had "woken up" in the bedroom, but it was odd. It felt fragile, shimmery... too quiet. None of the sounds of nature could be heard through the window, like when he had fallen asleep. A small noise sounded outside the door, and he felt an intense urge to follow.
He still wore what he had on before he fell asleep: his father's worn military jacket over his green t-shirt, leathery combat boots with jeans tucked in, green beanie on his untamed hair. He gently fingered the charm Zel had given him last night.
Then he opened the door.
A shining light hovered in the air. As he got closer, it moved out of his reach. It led him out of the odd presence that was the cabin. He fell into an easy step, then a trance, walking and walking through the forest. Some time later, Link awoke from the daze, then looked up and up and saw it: the Lost Woods. He paused. If this was a dream... he would be fine, right? The orb had paused too. "Master Link. Follow." And then he wasn't in control of his dream body anymore, and he wasn't really aware of it either. All he knew was he must follow the spirit through the woods... and the odd familiarity of its voice and words.
Link blinked back into awareness into the presence of a beautiful sword. A lovely shade of dark purple-blue made up the hilt and winged cross guard, with a dark green wrap where he would place his hands. An entrancing gold gem was a barrier between the blade and the hilt. The blade itself looked made from an otherworldly material, glowing with a white, almost iridescent light.
He slowly reached towards the sword; oddly, he was sure that it was what had been calling to him. And then, a split second before he touched it, a piercing scream reverberated through his ears, shattering the dream. He snapped his body around, feeling a dark sense of dread. The world had changed: moonlight reflected off pools of water and the elegant blade that rested there, pink and orange petals twisted gently, shadows darkening the soft grass and trees.
Link quickly found the source of the scream: Zelda. She was backed up against a massive tree root, and in front of her was a wild boar. The animal, though, was clearly not normal. It was nearly twice the size of a Goron, with massive black tusks gleaming wickedly in the moon's rays. Its eyes were blood red and filled with surging hatred, and the odd substance from his nightmares surrounded it in a haze.
It started to move towards Zelda, and he panicked. "HEY!" The boar slowly turned.
"Stay away from her, bacon-breath!" Clearly, the monster did not find the insult amusing, lowering its head and charging towards him. He waited... waited... dodged to the side, easily avoiding the massive pig. He raced over to Zelda and tried to pull her out of sight. "C'MON! Zel, we gotta go!"
She didn't move, Shaking, staring and frozen in fear. Link picked her up, bridal-style, and moved her out of sight, behind a massive tree root. He gave her his jacket; her teeth were chattering (from cold? Or fear?). He went out again, and distracted the beast from Zelda's hiding spot by running around it.
Tendrils of the burning mist radiated out, grabbing at him. He managed to dodge most, but two wrapped around his bare arm and throat, burning his skin black. Link screamed, the pain overwhelming; he felt it in his body and mind - self-loathing, stabbing, electric, depressing - every kind of pain all at once. He unsteadily stumbled back, tried to get away again. The boar slammed him roughly against yet another large root, piercing his side with its razor tusk. Blood rushed out of the wound, and the burning substance from the boar seeped into his body, bringing the sheer pain once more.
Out of the corner of his fading vision, he saw a flash of gold. Z-zel... no... HIDE! With a shout, she threw a sharp rock in its face. It snorted in anger before lumbering around to face her, leaving Link to crumple to the ground. She tried to dodge the same way he had, but the boar had learned its lesson. It swung its snout, causing her to fly backwards, slamming into the base of the incredibly-sized tree.
A feral snarl echoed through the grove, and it took Link a moment to recognize that it belonged to him. The boar didn't look back, instead opting to begin another charge towards Zelda. NO! Link shakily scrambled towards the monster at an unnatural speed and leapt at it, pulling himself onto its back. The awful mist swirled around and seemed to be scorching his innards when he inhaled. His mind and heart racing, he wrapped his hands around the base of a tusk, and with all his might, wrenched the pig's head back.
What he did not expect was for the tusk to snap away. The monster screamed in that bestial way, throwing its head back, trying to buck him off. Before it could, Link used the last of his waning strehngth and plunged the broken bone into its neck. It roared and finally managed to throw him away. He soared back, head cracking against the ground, his sight going completely dark. When he could see a bit better, the boar came into contact with the bright sword that had called to him so desperately. It let out a final cry of pain before limply falling, shaking the ground. It dissipated into that red and black mist, floating to the sky.
Link struggled to crawl towards Zelda, his vision hazy and body sore and screaming. "Z-zel?" His voice sounded raspy, and his throat burned with coppery-tasting blood. When he reached her, he held a hand over her face, looking for breath. After a few terrifying seconds, a small puff of air expanded from her mouth. He nearly broke down with relief, but held himself together. We... need t' find shelter... might get cold, somethin' else might come...
He searched the area, and quickly found a gaping hole in the base of the big tree. Struggling, gasping for air and bleeding profusely, he managed to get the two of them inside. What he saw there confused him immensely. In different offshoots of a main area, an old cooking pot sat, dozens of mushrooms grew... and there was even a leafy bed?
With the last of his strength, he gently placed Zelda on the bed, promptly collapsing after. It was so hard to breathe...
A slight tugging on his hand drew his attention. Link glanced over, and could only release a whimper to convey his shock. A vine was crawling up his arm, twisting around and holding him in place, not that he could move anyway. Other vines and roots were wrapping around the rest of his body at an astonishing rate. He tugged, but the fight had weakened him tremendously.
Afraid, Link looked to Zelda. She was resting, her breathing even , and none of the vines or roots were heading her way. He breathed a scratchy sigh of relief, only to find the plants curled around his throat and creeping up his jaw. At... at least Zel's okay. She'll be okay.
The plants lifted him into a standing position, and he winced, feeling the fatal wound shoot pain into his abdomen. Between cracks in the armor of the moving roots and vines, an amber light began to glow. It was... peaceful. Calming. As the roots climbed to the top of his head, he let his eyes close, and he fell into unconsciousness.
_/|||\_
Seriously? Another dream?! The surrounding area was dark, with dust and sand shifting around. Link glanced around. What's... going on here? A few figures in black and red outfits gathered in a circle, chatting quietly. All of a sudden, a blast of scorching wind blazed into the stone cave. The substance surrounding the boar he had fought now coalesced into a pulsing mess on the ground.
One of the people, a short man with orange hair and, oddly enough, two hats, shrieked, "MASTER! OH MASTER, THE MALICE! IT'S BACK!" From further down the cave, a tall, muscular man appeared. A boar-like mask covered his face, though his dark skin and flaming hair were visible.
"Then it is time. Perhaps it is not much, but another tool to throw in the works of this pathetic world is welcome. Maybe it will succeed where you have failed, Ghirahim."
Link shivered at the sound of the man's voice. It was dark, deep, ominous... and sounded different somehow, like he could hear the layer of another language, one too ancient to be properly known. The words he said were not any better. "Master, it was not my fault that the plan went awry! It was the boy, the Hero..." Ghirahim grew angrier as he spoke, his hands clawing into his hair, voice growing shrill and vibrating.
"Ah, yes. The supposed 'Hero incarnate'," the man drawled. "How is it that you have been bested by the same child yet again?"
Ghirahim's already unusually pale face seemed to acquire even more pallor, and he spluttered for a moment before falling silent. The "Master" nodded, then turned to the writhing heap on the ground. He stretched out a hand to it and began speaking in his deep voice again, in the same ancient language that was an undertone in his previous words, which Link somehow understood:
"Rise, servant of darkness, bound to my will. Take the enemy's form, for his blood has been provided! Spread chaos, destroy your reflection, this so-called 'HERO', and bring the Goddess's incarnation to me!"
With a final gesture, red, black, and purple light shot from the leader's hand into the pile and rushed around and through the bubbling mass on the ground. It swirled up, creating shapes and connecting them, bit by bit. When the mist faded, Link stepped back choking on nothing but the fear of what he saw. It was... him. But not. Everything was wrong. The hair was a cold white. Dead, charcoal skin, teeth reminiscent of a wild animal's. The worst part was the eyes. A stark red, they glowed like coals, an imitation of life. Yet the only thing reflected in them was pure evil and hatred.
The man smiled. "A masterpiece. Though, I will have that boy Reiko teach it mannerisms and the art of disguise so we can actually imitate this 'Hero'. For now, creature, carry out the tasks before you."
Like in a horror movie, the man's puppet swiveled its head with a cracking noise, its evil, hate-filled eyes staring directly where he was. With no warning, it lunged-
And everything went dark once more.