NOTICE TO READERS: This is a revised version of a fanfiction I finished years ago that I thought would be fun to change some things around. The original can be found on my profile, but I created this cause I thought it would be fun to improve and change some parts of the story I was unhappy with by the end of the first version. I hope and encourage readers to stick around for (hopefully) weekly updates as I go through each chapter and separate this monster of a story into three "books" because holy shit it was a lot of words. Thank you for being here and welcome to Book One!

They'd fought again. Then he'd left the house off to God knows where and the disruptive movement of the bed as he settled into it had been the thing that woke her. Her green eyes squinted in the dark, feeling swollen from her tears shed hours earlier.

She'd found texts and photos to and from another girl on his phone a week ago, but she'd never said anything. And overwhelming numbness came over her since then except for these…episodes when she was alone. She'd moved out at 18 for him to live in his mother's house. He failed to get a job which left her as the financial provider for them both as well as domestic caretaker, when she actually had time between work and college. Then again, failure would imply trying, when he spent his days playing video games and getting high with his friends. And now, evidently, messing around with other girls.

Why did she stay? She wondered this countless times for a week, waiting for some huge…something to happen within her that moved her. But it hadn't come, until now. As he began to lay next to her she shot up in bed, her blood warming and she was suddenly too aware of her own heartbeat. She had to do something. She needed to move around, go for a walk - anything to stave off this creeping sensation of panic. More than that, she couldn't stand to be in the same room as the boy watching her remove herself from the mattress on the floor.

She pushed her fingers roughly through her honey blonde bedhead before she hurriedly began to dress herself with discarded clothes on the floor.

"Kali?" She heard his voice as she tugged on a pair of plaid pajama pants.

"What?" Her voice was numb, as it had been since she discovered the truth despite the increasing heat pumping through her veins.

"Where are you going?" She pulled on a dark t-shirt.

"Away from here." she answered again after a pause, "Away from you." And once the words were out, she just couldn't seem to stop, her voice began to waver. "I know."

There was a long, painful silence and she could feel his stare on her. His voice sounded a little too innocent as he said, "What are you talking about?"

Kali turned and leveled a stare at him and something in her expression must have surprised him, because his eyes widened and she watched his face pale in the dark. He started, "Whatever you think you know, it's not–"

"Save it." she snapped. She could feel her pulse in her fingertips. "I'll be back later."

She took three long strides for the bedroom door and paused in the door frame, unsure exactly of where to go. Estranged from her family and her old friends. She had nowhere. A lump rose in her throat at the realization. She blinked a couple of times to fight the burning in her eyes before she continued out the door. She'd figure it out later.

Streams of fog billowed from Kali's mouth as she walked in the dark, early winter morning. A violent shiver rippled up her as she made her way through the backyard, across a shallow creek – never stopping to care if her shoes got wet. A tear edged its way out, and she'd learned that once they started it was an impossible thing to make them stop.

She didn't want to think about him or her or this but couldn't stop. The past week, when she'd been alone, there had been constant visions of them together while she worked her ass off to make all of this work. Then more crept in, how dismissive he was when she was upset or concerned or stressed. She did so much for this boy, with so little in return. So why was she still here?

It was the same old song and dance of her life so far. She wasn't enough for even one person, and she wasn't ever put first in someone's life. The bastard had probably just gone back to sleep. She wasn't even worth going after. And after she'd fought with family and friends defending him, effectively removing them from her life – she was well and truly on her own. A sob clawed its way up her throat and her neck ached from the strain of swallowing it down as these thoughts began to consume her. The only thing that kept her even a little grounded was the freezing cold that stung her cheeks, burned her lungs and made the joints in her fingers ache. At least that was a pain she could manage.

Kali didn't know how much time had passed, or how far she'd walked into the heavily wooded mountainside. But the ground had leveled out to where she assumed she found a peak. But she'd walked so long and so hard, that she needed to stop to catch her breath. The salt from her tears had dried and felt stiff on her cheeks. Something felt wrong, like the flat land didn't have an edge where she'd descend again. She sucked in deep breaths and took in the absolute silence that only came with a winter night.

She could have heard the drop of a feather with the stillness of the woods, its creatures either in their seasonal sleep or flown to warmer places. But the silence was so absolute, she could only begin to process what she felt inside. Her heart felt as if it were swelling, more and more as each second ticked by. She choked out a curse as tears began to spill over again.

Something in her had snapped, without cause or word. A pressure that was constantly on her, finally settled into crushing her entirely. A jagged sob unwillingly tore from her and her knees collapsed from underneath her. She wrapped her arms around herself and pressed her forehead to the dead leaves as the sobs grew into wails. The pain of this betrayal and how truly messed up her life had become and especially how alone she was ripped though her heart like claws.

Kali's wails became screams. And it felt good to scream. It felt like a release. It felt, mercifully, like it was somehow making room for her to handle this. Until she started to become dizzy, a vertigo like she'd never known, draping her like a heavy, disorienting blanket. Her head and heart pounded with a sharpness that increased the ferocity of her screams. Things began to grow dim as she spiraled and the screams began to ebb in the midst of it all. Kali welcomed the dark, and all the numbness that came with it. She let it numb her heart, mind, and body. Let it take her from this place. At least for a little while.

There was a blurry, slight light that began to beam through the gaps of dead tree branches. The sun was going to rise soon. Kali must have passed out. Thoughts of how she'd gotten in the woods struggled through the fog of her brain. They became derailed by the muffled sound of shuffling amidst the rotting underbrush, and the still fuzzy shape of a figure standing over her. She blinked hard and squinted, trying to make out who it was. The warmth of a hand touched her forehead, as if checking her temperature. Who else could it have been? It must have been her lover.

She tried to speak to him, but her lips were numb and the words came out clumsy and slurred. "Mmg-get….awaay…f-fromm..me."

Perhaps her delirious brain would have her die right there rather than be touched by him again.

There were voices, but somehow she wasn't processing them and it was just a muffled sound. But one voice was distinctly female. She blinked as she fought back the creeping dark that began at the edges of her vision. A female stood next to him. That same rage from the day she found those texts flooded her veins in a rush and she stirred with uncooperative limbs that seemed to flop around like lead in a paper bag that resulted in her flopping back on the ground.

"You..." she bit out, willing at least her lips to obey, "Cheating...son of a bitch..."

There was no stopping him as he lifted her cursed uncooperative body into his arms. She registered distantly how odd it was that he could lift her at all. He was never that strong – or perhaps she was never that small. She couldn't question it or fight back as the numbing darkness pulled her back into its arms while he carried her away.

Kali's body shot straight up, as if picking up exactly where she'd left off, the stored rage bringing her back to life. She whipped her head around to tell him exactly what she'd been waiting to feel about him and about this mess, except….this wasn't home. She was in an unfamiliar bed, under unfamiliar blankets. Her green eyes widened and shot around the room as she began to scramble from the bed. A strong arm stopped her. When Kali followed the tanned skin to identify the owner, the shock of silver hair met her eyes. A woman with a sharp, regal face, and full lips met her eyes. Her eyes were crimson. And somehow, it wasn't the strangest thing about her as Kali's eyes landed on the long point of her ears. She kept her grip firm on Kali's shoulder.

"Slow down. You must rest." The woman's voice was gentle, but somehow commanding in a way that made Kali freeze for a second.

At least, until dread began to creep its way up from deep in her stomach. She didn't know this woman and the reality of her situation began to slowly dawn on her.

"Get your hands off of me." Kali demanded, her voice mercifully unwavering as she roughly shoved the woman's hand off of her while she hurried to stand again, her eyes on the door hopefully out of this place.

I've been kidnapped. The thought clanged through her like an alarm bell, summoning the adrenaline that rushed through her.

She didn't make it very far. Kali's attempt at freedom had earned her a good, hard shove back on the bed from the woman. She'd made the movement seem so easy too as one of her arms pinned her to the bed.

"You will lay here, and you will rest." the woman snapped more firmly, her eyes more tense now. "You should open up those round ears and listen."

Kali struggled against the grip, attempting to shove her arm away to little avail. What was this lady made of? Steel? The hold was solid muscle and probably skill.

Kali scoffed and then spat, "Listen? To who? My kidnapper?"

Her blood boiled with rage, and with terror. Though her attempts to shove the woman off had failed, she still had other options. Kali's teeth dug into the woman's arm, and the shock of it was enough to make the woman gasp and ease up just enough. She scrambled to her feet to run for the door.

"Help!" Kali prayed someone could hear her and was willing to fend off her attacker. The woman's iron grip locked onto Kali's waist as she attempted to drag her back to the bed.

"Stop running, girl!" the woman seethed through her teeth, obviously frustrated now, "You weren't kidnapped!"

The words barely registered to her, and of course the woman was lying. Kali gave a yell of effort and grabbed onto a wooden beam framing the wall of the room, clinging to it like a lifeline. The woman growled as she tugged hard at her waist.

"Let go and quit shouting like that!"

"Hell no!" She shot back and tried harder to pull herself from the grip.

The door she longed to escape through suddenly burst open followed by the sound of a male voice.

"Impa, what is going on?!" The voice started, "I heard shouting and–"

Kali looked up, and there stood a tall blonde boy in the doorframe looking both alarmed and perhaps astounded.

The woman, Impa, gave another tug as she started to answer, "Link this girl–"

Kali recognized the moment of distraction and flung a sloppy kick backwards at Impa. She gave a sound of exasperation as she dodged, forced to relinquish her hold on Kali, who stumbled forward. Except, the door was blocked now by this guy. She whirled towards a shelf, looking for something, anything, to defend herself with. She yanked down a nice-looking clay pot and turned toward them with the pot pulled back as if she'd swing at them with it.

"Stay back! I will hit you!" she threatened, the trembling in her voice giving away her fear, "Now tell me where I am, right now!"

Several beats of tense silence passed as Kali kept the pot ready if either were to lunge at her, her eyes glancing between them. Finally, the boy raised up his hands as if in surrender. She read his expression as something like pity. That look made her want to scream again.

"Just calm down, and I will explain everything. You're going to have to trust me." His voice was measured, calm.

Kali considered it. There was something about him that was….sincere. It made her want to trust him. But there were dangers in trusting people too. She slowly lowered the pot held tight in her fingers. All the time, she kept her green eyes on the boy's face, looking for any ounce of deception.

"Fine." She placed the pot back on the shelf, her movements stiff with the tension.

The pair sighed with relief, but Impa was the first to move. "Well I will not tolerate this girl's stubbornness any longer." She grumbled as she made long, purposeful strides towards the door, "I will prepare dinner for us all." She opened the door and paused to glare at the girl, before promptly slamming it behind her.

"Stubbornness?" Kali questioned out loud, crossing her arms. She could think of a few choice words for Impa as well, but only grumbled as she moved past the boy to take a seat on the edge of the bed.

The boy pulled up a chair in front of the bed, and sat to take her in. Kali took this quiet opportunity to observe him as well. It was the first time she really noticed the boy's green clothing. She'd seen clothes like this in books before. The word tunic lit up in her mind. Her dark brows pinched together above her almond shaped eyes. He wore leather boots, and gauntlets as well. He seemed to be marking her clothing as well.

Kali was the first to break the silence, "Weren't you going to explain things to me?" She tried to maintain her hostile tone, but the effort of running from Impa seems to have burned her out a bit.

He blinked, snapping his focus from his thoughts and then nodded, "Yes, well... There isn't much to explain. Impa and I–"

She cut him off, "First, who are you?"

The boy chuckled lightly at her, and her face grew hot.

"What's so funny?" She snapped, straightening where she sat.

He only waved his hands as if to wave away the laughter, "Sorry. You just seemed more concerned about what happened and you want my name first. It surprised me"

He cleared his throat awkwardly as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Anyway, my name is Link. Can I ask your name?" He offered a smile that seemed more amused than before.

"I think it's fair to give you my name after you tell me how I got here then." she countered. He laughed again, and she frowned.

"Fine, fine. As I was saying before, there isn't that much to explain. Impa and I heard screaming as we were investigating some ruins. When we went to check on it, we found you. You seemed to be unconscious until…er…well you weren't."

He motioned to Kali, then looked like he was fighting a grin. "You called me something strange." He rubbed his chin for a moment, "A cheating son of a bitch?"

Kali's face burned as she recalled her disjointed thoughts as she lay, freezing on the forest floor. She immediately wanted to be swallowed by the bed. But settled for crossing her arms and looking away from him.

"So?" she asked, with less heat than before.

Link just smiled at her, "Nothing really. I just found it strange. Of course, we couldn't just leave you there. Your clothes were…uh…are strange, but you seemed harmless enough. Just a normal girl." He leaned back in his chair as he finished his story, "So we brought you back here."

Kali waited for her cheeks to cool before she looked at him, "Well…" she paused as she tried to grasp her next words, feeling foolish, "You could have waited till I woke up couldn't you? You can just take unconscious people back to your house? That's crazy."

Link furrowed his brows at her, as if waiting to see if she was joking. His tone shifted to something more serious, "Do you know what goes creeping around those woods? If we stayed there was a chance we could've been ambushed."

"Ambushed? By what? Bears?" She laughed a little with a dismissive shake of her head, "If I thought that there was something out there that could have hurt me, then I wouldn't have left home to begin with."

Link's gaze hardened as he studied her, considering. His stare settled on her eyes, then to her shirt and pants.

"You are not from here are you?" he finally asked, his eyes pulling back up to her face.

Kali furrowed her brows right back at him, "I could ask you the same question. I know I'm not from...wherever you're from" She gestured to his clothes.

"We are located where I'm from right now." He leaned back in his chair again, seeming baffled by her ignorance and she could practically see the thoughts churning through his head as he considered her again. Trying to figure her out.

His tone, the way he analyzed her, ignited her anger again. Something about it made her feel stupid, and the sensation was entirely too familiar to her. She stood with a suddenness that surprised her.

"Don't talk down to me like that!" she snapped.

He stood with her. She realized the motion wasn't in challenge of her anger, but only to stay at eye level with her. Like she was some kind of feral animal… There was a long silence as they stared each other down.

"You are in the kingdom of Hyrule." He said it outright, as if there was no other way around it.

It took several moments for Kali's brain to process it. A kingdom? That couldn't be right. She lived in Appalachia in the US. She walked up the mountain. One mountain. How did this happen? Her heart plummeted as her eyes settled on the points of his ears, the same as Impa's.

This wasn't her world. It was an impossible thought. Yet…here she was. But how? Her heart continued its freefall into the pit of her stomach, her anger sizzling out.

"I'm sorry," he started, reaching a cautious hand towards her shoulder, "I will help you find your way back home. I'm not sure how you got here, but nobody deserves to be left in the forest like that."

Kali stared at Link, trying to determine if he meant it. His expression was so honest, so unlike what she'd grown used to. She wanted to believe him, but the idea of someone pulling through like that for her felt impossible too. Nobody in her life had been that determined, or kind, or brave.

"Thanks." Her voice broke a little, and she internally cursed at revealing even an ounce of the despair she felt pooling in her gut.

She had left, and nobody came to find her. Nobody, besides that unfaithful wretch, knew she was gone. So…nobody would care. She pressed a hand to her mouth to silence a whimper that was creeping up her throat. She swallowed hard.

"Link, I... Can I have a bit to process this?" Another waver in her voice, and she couldn't meet his eyes despite his gaze she felt lingering on her.

"Of course. I'm sure this is a lot." He stood, and began moving slowly towards the door.

Kali swallowed again and made herself watch his figure walking away. The words escaped her before she could think too much about it. "It's Kali."

Link paused and turned his gaze over his shoulder at her, his eyebrows raised a little in question.

"My name." She clarified as she felt the pool of tears in her eyes threatening to spill over.

He blinked, seeming stunned for only a second. Then he offered a reassuring smile, "Then Kali, we'll get you home as soon as we can."

When he reached the door, he paused again with his hand on the knob as he continued, "Oh, and Impa left some clothes under the bed. Come out to eat when you're ready, okay?"

Something about his smile touched a part of her she thought had died. A softness in her that she believed had hardened when she cut ties with friends she had once cared deeply for. She managed a weak smile back to him, "Yeah, thanks."

With that, Link left her to have her space. She lowered her face to the bed to release her emotions, muffled by the pillow.

A shudder rippled through the ground, stirring the rot of the forest floor. Something had shifted, something transcendent, something familiar. A mummified finger twitched as sensation began to ebb back into an old, long thought dead body laying in a forgotten, defiled tomb deep beneath ruins that seemed to subtly vibrate with the flood of power. Memories began rushing back.

Many years ago, a tribe of people lived and worshiped a God. They made this God their leader, their shaman, and their healer. It is said that this God possessed a power that could not be seen, heard, smelled, or even really felt unless you were moved by it.

This God was challenged by an outsider. The outsider fooled the God after feigning his death. As the God turned his back, the stranger pulled out a dark dagger that dripped malevolence from the scriptures carved into the blade, and thrust it into the God. The God's body burst into a billion shimmering pieces, then was absorbed into the blade of the dagger. The tribe, shocked, angry, and violent began to swarm the outsider, and in a desperate attempt to possess the God's power, he thrust the dagger into his own heart. His heart burst as the power surged within him, and his mortal body couldn't bear the intensity of it. He collapsed in a seizing heap, and began to wither away.

The tribe must have died out without the guidance of their leader. The sanctuary where their God once lived was now a ruin deep in the heart of the forest. But a ruin it would be no longer. There had been a shift between two dimensions. Only detected by the body of the long dead outsider. His heart – still holding the aged dagger – didn't beat as his veins rushed with the old God's power.

His flesh was rotted with age, and his face ugly with death. He pulled himself from his tomb, bit by bit, the power was already regenerating his old body. "Finally," he rasped.

20 minutes later, Kali stepped hesitantly into a much warmer room. She was engulfed by a beefy, spicy smell and her stomach rumbled. She felt awkward in the clothes that Impa had left for her. They were a white short sleeved button-up shirt with a maroon skirt that came down to her knees with brown designs lining the trim. The skirt was held in place by a dark brown sash at her waist, and she wore boots that were a bit too big. They were strange clothes, but at least they were warm clothes.

Link and Impa looked up at her from the food in front of them, and Kali just stood there with her hands stiffly at her sides. Impa looked like she was expecting something.

"Thank you for the clothes." Kali mumbled, averting her eyes.

Impa had the slightest of triumphant smirks pull at the corner of her lips, "That's a little better," she said, "You're welcome. Now, sit."

Impa stood to go and fetch a bowl for her. Kali moved to sit at the table, opposite of Link, her cheeks pinking by the slight scolding.

She shifted awkwardly as Link's gaze settled on her for a moment. It was just odd being stared at, and she was more used to blending into a crowd or being looked over.

"Did you get the answers you wanted?" Impa asked as she set in front of Kali a bowl full of some sort of stew. Her mouth watered at the fresh, strong smell of the food.

"I... well...Some." Kali managed before digging in.

Kali considered that perhaps this was all a dream, but the wholeness, and steady feeling the food gave her seemed all too real.

In between bites, Kali added, "There are still things that I want to know. Like, where is this place exactly? Where am I on a map? Why are you all dressed so strangely and what's with the pointed ears?"

She became entirely too aware of the roundness of her own ears after pointing it out. "I can't even start to comprehend where I am. If I don't know even that much, how can I hope to find my way back?"

Link looked thoughtful as he took in all the questions, probably considering any way to explain the answers, or if he could at all. Kali looked back down at her soup and continued eating.

"Well girl, it is not us that is strange to you. It is you who are strange to us." Impa settled into her seat with another bowl of stew, her tone steady.

Kali raised a brow at her, "What is that supposed to mean?"

Impa folded her hands on the table. She reminded Kali of one of the teachers that makes threats to slap their students, and actually commits. "It means that you are in our world. It is your clothes and ears that are different. You are the strange one."

She didn't deliver it like an insult. But it felt like one. Kali tightened her jaw and for just a split second her eyes shifted to Link, who just stared at Impa with a puzzled expression. She set her spoon down and leveled a look at Impa.

"If I'm so weird, then maybe I shouldn't be here. Clearly I don't belong."

"Then maybe you shouldn't." Impa replied calmly.

Kali bit the inside of her cheek. That terrible loneliness began to weigh heavy on her heart again. Why had they bothered to bring her back here if they just wanted her to leave. Link had clearly lied when he said they'd help her. And she knew when he said it that trusting it was a risk, but without thinking she'd let herself hope.

"Then I guess I'll just go." Her chair scraped the wooden floor as she stood and began to move towards the door.

Link stood and stepped after her, "Kali, wait! She–"

"Link, just…don't." She cut him off. She couldn't let him worm his way back to that soft spot in her soul. The only place that yearned for trust and friendship and care. It was clearly her weakness. She held up her hands as if to ward him off.

"I knew this was a mistake. I'll find my own way home. I don't need anyone's help." She drew in a shaky breath and willed herself to not cry again, "I'm tired. I'm so tired of people telling me things that aren't true. I'm tired of believing people, alright?"

Why am I telling him this? What's the point? But she carried on, "I want to believe. I really do. But I just…After everything. I can't." Her voice broke, and with that she whirled and rushed out the door.

The sky looked like it was calling for rain, or snow. Gooseflesh rose on her arms as she breathed in the frigid air. She wished now that she'd not rushed so quickly from the house without a jacket or something.

"Stupid dress..." she griped, feeling an awkward draft.

She took in her surroundings in a search back to the woods. It looked like a village from a fairy tale, complete with villagers carrying baskets or working to raise their chickens and a giant creaking windmill. She received odd, questioning looks from the people milling about as she passed them. This was worse than the world she knew because she was the strange one. And felt the weight of it with every stare. Kali ran out of the village, the cold burning in her lungs.

She didn't need them. She didn't need anyone. The thoughts drew her back to her lover, to her family and friends. It had been a recurring theme throughout her life where people would lie, or drag their feet and she'd have to pick up the slack knowing she trusted them, and took advantage of it.

As she rushed down a set of stone stairs, and stopped when she beheld what lay before her. There was a never-ending field of green that lined the horizon. In the distance she could see a hint of forest, and past that, she could see the dreary rain that was headed their way. She'd almost certainly be caught in the downpour but…considering her options were to turn back around and beg them to help her, or keep going. She began what was sure to be a long journey back to where they found her.

Perhaps Impa was onto something when she complained of her stubbornness.

Kali wasn't sure how far she had traveled, but eventually her steady pace slowed to a trudge in her too big boots across this endless expanse of land. She constantly kept an eye on her surroundings. Anything that moved startled her, giving her pause before deciding she was entirely too paranoid, and moved on.

The sky began to darken as the sun set. She must have been unconscious for most of the day after they found her. Either way, she was hungry and exhausted from traveling, directionless. And the regret began to seep in the longer she kept going. Regret for not leaving without food or water, like an idiot. Regret from ranting at Link about things he had no control over. A pang of guilt struck her at the realization that leaving so heatedly after he'd been kind to her wasn't fair. And she was a double idiot for that too.

Eventually, she found a spot in between a cluster of trees to rest for the night. She sighed as she lay on the cold, hard ground, and thought of what she said to Link. She thought of what Impa said to her too. She tried to understand why Impa would insult her like that. But…did she? Kali considered that for a long time. Or had she just been stating a fact and Kali was wound up too tight, and feeling too raw to process it for what it really was?

Regret filled her heart as she thought of Link's expression before she stormed out. Full of sympathy, and maybe even hurt; she couldn't tell. She wasn't always like this before. What had happened? She groaned and rolled over, feeling like the biggest jerk alive. But there was nothing she could do about it now. She'd made her bed, and it was time to lay in it.

Her eyes became heavy, and as the miserable thoughts ran on and on like a bad film in her mind, darkness claimed her once again.

An old power had come to exist once more. An area of the forest has gone unrecognized, guarded, and undiscovered in the midst of the rip between dimensions. Where exactly that rip was located, had yet to be known.

Deep underground, in a ruin that wasn't much of a ruin anymore, the old being was hard at work. He stepped slowly around a circle that glowed from shades of neon blue to the deepest darkness and then back again in various hues. What seemed like hundreds of books surrounded the circle, containing the secrets to the ancient dark magics that existed long before this new kingdom. The old being, who's name was never mentioned in the legends and tales of his ultimate, tragic victory against an old, forgotten God, skirted the perimeter of the circle in a lazy saunter.

He held the largest of the books in one hand, the flesh of which was still regenerating from centuries of rot. His striking green eyes studied the text as he came to a halt.

"Such power, here for centuries for anyone to claim. Yet nobody has come to take it." he chuckled darkly as he reached into one of the few chests that lay scattered about the room.

He retrieved gems engraved with ancient symbols, forgotten by the rats that ruled over the land now. He tossed them perfectly into their spots on the circle and began chanting. The lines that intertwined perfectly within the circle glowed from a bright blue, through the color spectrum, and finally shone with a sickly green light.

The old one continued, and a wind that carried thunder from below tore up through the circle. The winds thrashed the books and chests around the room, but not the sorcerer. The thunder clapped and rumbled loudly. Yet, the sound did nothing to diminish the old one's booming voice as he finished weaving his spell.

For a moment, it seemed as if time had stopped in the room, all except the old being. Then the portal erupted with ear piercing screeches, and the wicked laughter of monsters summoned straight from the darkest realms that existed. They flew, or crawled, around the room gnashing wet mouths at whatever they could find. Very few approached the man that had summoned them,, and if they did, his overpowering aura fended them away. The man closed the book with a thick snap, deciding to leave the gate open for now. They knew not who their master was just yet.

But oh, they will.

A violent chill shook Kali from head to toe, ripping her exhausted mind back to the waking world. Her eyelids peeled back, and she flinched at the fat raindrop that slapped her on the forehead. Her vision cleared as she once again recalled everything that had happened.

Maybe it was all just a dream. She thought, but when she pulled herself to a sitting position, she knew that she was wrong. Again. Her clothes clung wetly to her cold body. She must have truly been exhausted if she'd slept through the rain.

The overwhelming feeling of loneliness spread through her. And it was her own fault this time. Kali shivered hard and swept back her long hair, slapping down her back as she pushed it over her shoulder, a frustrated sigh escaping her. She was hopelessly, miserably alone with no clue of how to get home. And it was her own damn fault.

It wasn't until several moments later, that she registered someone lingering in her peripheral vision. Her body jolted alive from the cold and she was standing, braced for a run. The figure chuckled. It was a man.

"No point in running." he crooned.

Nothing in her life made her want to run more. His cool purr sent alarm bells ringing in her head. Before she could even take her first step, something else shoved her in the opposite direction. Someone had been standing on the other side, knowing she'd flee.

"Where do you think you're going girly?" the other male snapped. Their voices were exactly the same.

Kali stumbled but managed to not slip in the mud.

"Look..." she started, patting down her shirt and skirt, then holding up her hands in surrender, "I don't have any money or anything of value. Just leave me alone." This wasn't a fight she could hope to win.

They laughed simultaneously, a sick echo of each other, and moved in on her. She backed up as they moved forward.

"We don't want possessions, fool." said the cloaked figure on her left.

"What we do want is information." said the other.

"I hate to break this to you, but I'm definitely the last person who knows anything about anything right now." she argued tremulously, taking another step back.

Her back met the rough bark of a tree, and they kept closing in. One of them brandished a long, vicious looking chain attached to a blade that sent her heart galloping.

"Now, now. No need to play dumb." the one said, wiggling his index finger at her. "We know that you know where the rip is."

"What are you even talking about? What rip?" she asked, her voice rising in pitch. Their words didn't even make sense. Panic began to swell in her chest, cresting like a wave that threatened to drown her.

The other one tutted at her as he revealed a sword from beneath his cloak. "You're lying to us. We don't like being lied to. Let's try again. Where is the portal?" He looked towards his partner in what she could only describe as silent communication.

"I'm not lying! I don't even know where I am, how can you expect me to kno-" Kali pleaded but then the two suddenly just blinked into existence right in her face.

"Didn't you just hear us say we hate being lied to?" They both said in unison, the shadows beneath their hoods so dark that she still couldn't make out their faces.

The panic within her begged to be released with a scream that was fighting its way up her chest. She ground her teeth together and held it down. There wasn't a point in screaming. She was in the middle of nowhere, with the rain pounding down on them. There was nobody to hear her. If they were going to kill her, and if this was her final moments, she wasn't about to give them the satisfaction that they made her scream until her last breath.

They adjusted their stance, and she could see the white glimmer of smiling teeth within the shadows. They were going to kill her. She closed her eyes tight and waited for the pain to come. Instead, she felt the sharp swish of air fly past her nose. Her eyes snapped open and the two stood back away from her again, stunned and looking off in one direction. She should have made a run for it, but the intense fear left within her prevented any movement at all.

The two glanced at each other, before swirling to vanish into plumes of shadow, as if they were never there in the first place.

"...What?" The word escaped her in a breathless release of air, then the rain swallowed the sound.

Kali looked around and saw a small stick jutting from the ground. Her brows knitted together as she stepped over to grasp it with shaking limbs. When she brought it close to her face, she realized it wasn't a stick at all. It was an arrow.

"But..." she stammered, trying to understand what had just happened. Her head felt suddenly very light, and standing became difficult as the ground began moving in waves beneath her feet. That shouldn't be happening

Just as she straightened, she registered the sound of heavy thumps against the mud. Kali looked towards the source of the sound with wide green eyes and saw a chestnut horse, its rider wearing green. A small spark of hope flickered unwillingly within her.

Why is he here? She thought stupidly, unable to believe he'd come out in this storm just to retrieve her.

The horse skidded to a halt before her and Link slipped off the saddle in one smooth motion, yanking the hood of his cloak back over his head to shield from the rain. It must have fallen off during the ride. He grabbed her shoulders and looked close at her face, his expression hard but concerned.

"What happened? Where did they go?" he urged, glancing around them to make sure there were no more attackers.

His expression was uncharacteristically grim. At least that she knew of. He seemed so calm and kind earlier. Kali just shook her head a little, the most communication she could manage to let him know she didn't know.

Link's expression eased at her answer, and he moved to reach into a pack on the horse. A pack that appeared to be waterproof because he pulled out a large, soothingly dry cloak and wrapped it around her. It smelled like the stew cooking in Impa's house, and something about that made her feel safe.

"Come on, we'll talk when we get back." he said as he placed a hand back on her shoulder.

When she went to move again, the world began to wave beneath her, as well as spin, sending her tilting in what she was sure was the wrong way. His hands braced her body as she blinked hard, trying to focus on Link's face. Her eyelids felt like they weighed a thousand pounds.

He only offered his warm smile again and chuckled, "Just when you get cleaned up," he wiped some of the mud from her forehead, "You seem to get all messed up again."

There was a pause, and then the words hit her. They brought a small laugh from Kali's lips. It must be the hysteria of the whole situation finally settling in that made the sound burble from her. Either way, the laugh felt good.

She let him guide her towards the horse, and didn't fight it as he lifted her onto the saddle. He mounted the horse in front of her and had to reach back to get her to secure her arms around his middle. She held onto him as they began to move, the rocking of the horse soothed her somehow.

And the only thing that fully registered to her before it lulled her into oblivion was the heartbreaking, overwhelming gratitude that someone kind, had cared to show up when she needed help.