It wasn't long after the ship departed from Traverse Town that Sora decided to fulfill his promise to Woomy. He wasn't sure how, but he sensed that he was able to Summon her again as the Gummi Ship flew through space. Donald and Goofy were at work trying to figure out the new warp feature, with GLaDOS cheekily suggesting she was as stumped as they were.
When Summoned, the Inkling seemed in awe at her surroundings, looking out the window at the sea of stars and gurgling something under her breath. Sora couldn't help but be reminded of himself when he first boarded the vessel. He just followed Woomy around as she gawked at the ship's various rooms, and she kept staring out the window. It wasn't like the two could talk much given the language barrier. When the two reached the kitchen, Sora explained how she could eat whatever she wanted. To his surprise, she picked out a lot of seafood. She seemed to be part squid, so he wasn't sure how to feel about the situation as she downed a lot of fried fish and even some sushi.
He chose not to ask any questions.
Eventually, despite there being no battling, Woomy's energy ran out. Apparently lounging around and eating was still enough to drain her power. The two had just finished eating as she sighed and slumped a bit.
Sora gave Woomy an assuring grin. "Hey, don't worry. You'll be out of that gem again in no time." He assured, though he did wish Dr. Orpheus was able to permanently free her. When the Inkling gave a small smile back, the two gave each other a thumbs up as she vanished once more.
As if on cue, Donald's voice came over the loudspeaker at that moment. "Sora! Come up to the cockpit! We have the warp drive figured out!"
Wasting no time, Sora rushed up the ladder and to the cockpit where Donald, Goofy, and GLaDOS were waiting. "You worked it out? I was with Woomy for a while…" Thinking of it, Cid never did actually tell them how to work the warp drive.
"We would've gotten it done sooner if GLaDOS helped out!" Donald complained, holding the A.I. in his hand.
"It was good for you to work something out on your own." She replied, dropping the act that she had no idea how to help. "I'm only here to chronicle all of this, after all."
As always, Goofy was far less annoyed than Donald from GLaDOS' shenanigans. "At least it's done, right? Come on, let's hop on over to Kenshiro's world and continue on!"
Donald mumbled something under his breath as he put GLaDOS in his pocket, pushing some buttons on the ship's console. Sora didn't understand at all what Donald was doing, but the magician clearly did as he grinned and pressed one final button.
There was a roar of the engine as the ship flew forward faster than the three anticipated. And yet, somehow, they weren't thrown back from the sheer velocity of their vessel. Space around them distorted as a blinding light surrounded them, the Gummi Ship shaking as the group hurtled past worlds too fast to see them even if the light was gone.
Then, as quickly as it started, it came to an end. The ship rapidly slowed down, the crew once more surprisingly was not jostled about at the sudden shift in speed. As the blinding white light faded, the three saw a familiar world, one that was dried and dead. It was Kenshiro's world without a doubt!
"It really worked! That took no time at all" Sora exclaimed, placing his hands on the window and taking a closer look. "I wish we could just go to every world like this!" It'd really cut their time searching down for sure!
"Gawrsh, I never thought the Highwind could go that fast!" Goofy exclaimed with a wide grin. "That Cid sure did help us out!"
Donald let out a sigh of relief as he took the controls, the ship now flying away at its normal speed. "We've still got to travel to the next world at our usual pace. And who knows how long that'll take?" He reminded the others.
Oh, yeah. That was true. Sora was ready to visit a new world, but it could be another few hours! He quickly left the cockpit and returned to his room, figuring he could get some more training in. As nice as it was to see Riku again, Sora noticed that his friend seemed to outpace him without much effort. If the older teen had gone against Reverse Armor by himself, Sora figured he would've won without breaking a sweat!
Sora knew he had gotten a lot stronger too, but he never expected Riku to do the same so fast. But he guessed it wasn't that much of a shocker. Riku had always trained hard, and now more than ever he'd need to be strong! Sora just hoped that maybe if he kept training hard, he could outpace his old rival…
The hours ticked by as Sora kept his training up, taking breaks as needed. He wished he could practice his magic, but it was too destructive to perform inside the ship! One wrong move and a hole could be torn through the hull or a window could be smashed. Maybe if they had some downtime in the next world, he could practice some spells. Heck, maybe Donald could actively try to teach him...
After about four or five hours of flying, Sora was once again called to the cockpit by Donald. Rushing up, he saw Goofy was already there as a new world was in front of them! This one was far lusher and livelier than Kenshiro's to be sure. The part of the world directly in front of them was diverse as well. Vast green fields, a mountain range, a desert, a forest that seemed to go on forever, and then villages and a town as well. Certainly a step up!
"This place sure seems nice! You can sense a Keyhole, right GLaDOS?" Goofy asked as Donald plugged her into the console.
"Of course, I can." She haughtily replied. "There is some interference though. The world appears normal, but there's an immense darkness covering the area around the Keyhole, so I can't pinpoint its exact location…"
That much darkness? Really? The world seemed so peaceful, though! This was also the first time that GLaDOS mentioned a large amount of darkness messing with her sensors. Even with Gielinor, it was the magic that interfered with her sensors, not actual darkness.
"I guess it's a lot more dangerous than it looks! But the King might be down there somewhere!" Donald exclaimed, not ready to try and skip over a world again. He was sure it'd really upset Sora if he were to try and pull that a second time, not that he had planned on it.
"Kairi could be there too!" Sora pointed out as Donald started to prepare for teleportation.
Goofy nodded. "And we gotta find the Keyhole too!"
Donald finished preparations. "Alright, let's get going!" He declared, pressing one final button as the group was teleported to the world below.
In an instant, they appeared in the vast, grassy field that they observed from their ship. There was little to observe, just greenery and slightly rolling hills in all directions. To the north they were able to make out a town on the horizon as well as some sort of stone rocky wall closer to the trio. To the east was a volcano rising high in the sky, a cloud ring at its peak.
Right away, the group felt an oppressive atmosphere wash over them. At first it was like a strong humidity, but it came with the smell of something awful, almost like rot. There was also a sort of weighted sensation, like some force was pressing down on them. Was this the darkness that GLaDOS mentioned? None of the other worlds had anything like this! There was clearly something very wrong with this world, but it was impossible to tell what it was.
The atmosphere was especially unusual because of how the area around them looked. It was a bright, sunny day that seemed perfect for a nap or a picnic. Things were so peaceful as well…though on closer observation, things seemed too peaceful. Despite being in the middle of a field, there was no sound of nature around them, or signs of any animals. No birds singing or flying up in the sky, no calls of insects, no rabbits or other creatures milling about…it was like the oppressive atmosphere drove them all away.
"Hey, why are we in this field? Why didn't you teleport us to the town?" Sora asked, pointing out the structure in the distance. "Someone there has to know what's wrong in this world."
"I tried to, but I guess the darkness interfered somehow." Donald suggested with a huff. "Guess we'll have to walk…" Between Gielinor's magic and this world's odd darkness, they were having pretty bad luck with getting close to the Keyhole off the bat!
Goofy sighed a bit, the oppressive atmosphere even making him not so optimistic. "I was afraid of that. It's a pretty day, but I ain't feelin' so good…" He complained, his entire body feeling a bit heavy.
"I don't feel good either. There's just something wrong with this world." Donald added on, feeling like it was pretty bad luck they ended up in a place like this.
"It means it really needs our help more than the others, right? Let's try and focus on that!" Sora exclaimed, sounding more optimistic than he felt. He felt sick and heavy too, and that things could possibly go horribly for them. It was like the darkness in the air was drawing out his inner depression…
Without a word to each other, the trio summoned their weapons and headed towards the town. With all the darkness around them, Heartless were bound to appear. On top of that, though none of them vocalized it, there was the feeling that things other than Heartless could suddenly attack…
Yet, as the trio went on, nothing popped out at them. Despite this, it felt like their every move was being watched by someone, somewhere, but no matter where they looked, they saw nothing.
"Hey, GLaDOS, do ya sense anything nearby us? I keep getting' this feelin' we're not alone out here?" Goofy asked nervously. It was almost a bit surreal how anxious he felt despite the bright and sunny scenery. From a strictly visual sense, there was nothing at all wrong, but the heavy sensation in the air just screamed that something wasn't quite right…
"I don't sense anyone within my range." GLaDOS confirmed. "However, the darkness around us could be giving me false readings. Really, you're all on your own." She confessed, not sounding the least bit sorry.
"Lot of good you are!" Donald complained, trying not to show how nervous that he too felt. He kept looking over his shoulder, expecting someone to be following them, yet each time he took a peek, there was nothing out of the ordinary.
Sora kept looking around as well, sensing an ambush would happen any second, but…nothing. What was going on? Why did it feel like they were being watched? What was wrong with this world? They hadn't seen a single living creature since they arrived, not even a bug! But they saw a town, so there had to be people somewhere, and they had silently decided they'd ask about their friends at said settlement.
The three kept quiet for a good hour or so, neither one of them wanting to break the silence. During this time, they went by the stone wall from before and found it was a big circle of sorts, and when they reached the front, they saw there was an opening carved into it! Apparently, at some point, someone used a natural rock formation to make some sort of home for themselves! There were turns along the path, so from the entrance, the three couldn't see what it was like inside. Before any of them could suggest an investigation, a cry from over a nearby hill grabbed their attention.
"Link, watch out! There's one right behind you!" It was a woman's voice, a grown woman, but it still sounded…small somehow in a way the three couldn't describe. Following this exclamation, there was the sound of a young man yelling out in effort, clearly fighting something off.
"Heartless! It's gotta be! Come on, let's go!" Sora shouted, sprinting off towards the sounds of conflict with his Keyblade at the ready as Donald and Goofy followed his lead.
When they went over the hill, they saw that a lone swordsman was facing off against a group of Heartless! It was only Shadows and Soldier, but there were at least a dozen of each! The swordsman was young, seeming only a few years older than Sora was, and he was sporting a green tunic and a hat that sat upon yellow hair. On his right arm was a metal shield and in his left hand he was wielding a very impressive looking blade.
"Come on, Link, you can do this!" The female voice called once more. It seemed like it came from nowhere, but after a moment the trio saw there was a blue orb of light hovering around near the young man named Link. Looking closer, they saw the orb had wings, and the trio's immediate thought was that of a fairy. But there was no time to linger on this!
"Let's help him!" Sora exclaimed, rushing at Heartless as he then shouted at the swordsman. "Hey! We'll give you a hand!"
Link was startled at first, turning to see Sora as his gaze fixated on the Keyblade. He then saw Donald and Goofy rushing in and gave a grateful nod. "Thanks!" Was all the swordsman said, concentrating more on the Soldier that lunged at him. He effortlessly sliced it in half at the waist, and it seemed as if the sword he was carrying harmed the Heartless before it even made contact, like the blade itself was toxic to its existence.
Thankfully, with four fighters, the group made quick work of the Heartless. Link's blade cut through the Heartless without issue while Sora backed him up with the Keyblade. Donald fought from afar with Fire and Blizzard spells as Goofy charged into a group of Shadows and bowled them over. Surprisingly, at one point, Link spun quickly and from his blade came a very small cyclone that knocked some of the Heartless away. Donald saw it and recognized it as being similar to an Aero spell!
Within just a few minutes, all the Heartless were gone, leaving an empty field that still felt disturbing just to be in.
The ball of light hovered around Sora, Donald, and Goofy, the trio getting the sensation she was studying them. "I didn't think there'd be anyone else wandering around Hyrule Field like this, but we appreciate the help." She said before going back over to Link.
"Thanks again. Those creatures keep popping in and out of nowhere," the blonde teen said, appearing to be a man of few words. He kept his sword unsheathed and his shield on his arm. The blue orb by his side cleared her throat in a rather expectant manner, causing the stoic man to suddenly appear embarrassed, like a chastised child. "Oh, uh, right. I'm Link, and this is Navi. What are your names?"
"I'm Sora, and this is Donald and Goofy. Hey, you're a fairy, is that right?" Sora just couldn't help but ask. He had seen fairies in books or cartoons, but never thought he'd encounter one. Though he supposed he already met a ghost and Dwarves, so it seemed any sort of fictional creature in his world was just commonplace in another.
"You don't have fairies where you're from, huh? But yeah, I am." Navi replied. "Your ears gave it away, your clothes too." She went on, reacting to Sora's surprise.
His…ears? Sora looked at Link again and noticed he had long, pointed ears! He noticed a few other things like the bag the young man was wearing along with a bow and a quiver of arrows on his back. He also had a blue instrument strapped to his belt that Sora didn't recognize. Speaking of blue, the older teen's eyes were a pretty dim shade of blue, almost looking a bit lifeless and was actually somewhat unnerving. There was another thing that Sora noticed, and it was hard to put into words. It seemed like Link carried himself oddly…like he wasn't used to the body he was in. Describing it was difficult, but it almost seemed that Link stood like someone younger than he really was. Maybe it was just the brunette's imagination…
But there was something else, too. Somehow, Link seemed…familiar to Sora. He couldn't shake the sensation the two had met, but he knew that wasn't possible. It was the same feeling he got when he was at Falador Castle, this sense of déjà vu that didn't make any sense to him. In his heart, he felt the tiniest of pulls, like something in him was stirring…but he just didn't know what. Sora did his best to just ignore it, thinking maybe the darkness in the air was somehow affecting him.
"We're from somewhere far away, yeah. So, we don't know what's going on around here. What's this ugly feeling in the air?" Sora asked, sort of glad he was outed as a foreigner so he could be openly confused about the world around him.
"It feels like we're bein' watched, and the air is all heavy…" Goofy added on, looking around a bit and almost expecting to see some far-off figure watching them…but like before, he saw nothing of the sort.
Link actually seemed relieved at the question. "Are things okay where you're from? Is it only Hyrule that's like this?"
The question sort of threw Sora off, especially since he couldn't answer honestly. "Uh, well, yeah." He didn't do a good job of lying, but Link at least didn't seem to notice. Navi's face, anything aside from a vague outline of her entire body, was hidden by her glow so he couldn't tell with her. At the very least, it seemed as if she were a normal human in terms of shape, just very small and sporting some wings. "But what's going on here?"
"It can't just be the Heartless, right? Those are those dark creatures we fought!" Donald explained. None of the other worlds were like this, so he figured it had to take more than Heartless running around to make the air feel so unsettling and unsafe…
Link glanced over to Navi, and she seemed to take this as a bit of a silent hint. Apparently she was the one that did more of the talking between the two. "It's because of someone named Ganondorf." She explained, pointing to the town to the south, a gesture barely visible from her light. "He's a wicked man that took over the entirety of Hyrule. That darkness you feel is his energy, it's all over the land…at least the parts we haven't cleaned up." Before anyone could ask what that meant, she went on. "Now tell us about these Heartless…we've had to fight a lot of them, but no one knows where they come from."
One man was doing all this? It wasn't clear how much of the world Hyrule covered, but even if it was just this field and the town, that was a huge area! This made the trio wonder if the sensation of being watched wasn't Ganondorf peering at them from somewhere far away.
"That's so awful…" Sora bemoaned, knowing they had to take Ganondorf down. No way was he going to leave this world until that happened! "As for the Heartless, they're creatures born from the darkness in people's hearts. I guess with everything going on, they'd be everywhere, huh?"
"I was thinking they were Ganondorf's handiwork, but they must be in other places if you know about them…" Navi observed, once more doing more of the talking between her and Link. "But yes, it really is terrible. Ganondorf has ruled over this kingdom as a usurper for seven years, and he's torn it apart in all sorts of horrid ways. If I were you, I'd go back to where you came from, you won't find anything pleasant here…"
Goofy shook his head at that. "We couldn't do that! If there's trouble here, we gotta help! Especially if there are Heartless. It's sorta our job!"
For whatever reason, that seemed to especially upset Link. "You can't!" He half-yelled before catching himself. The older teen quickly calmed down and became more composed. "It's too dangerous here. You should leave and let someone else handle it."
The outburst was a bit startling, but it seemed like Link just had their safety in mind, so the outsiders mostly shrugged it off. He was so quiet before, so it was still an odd contrast…
"Like who? You?" Donald asked rhetorically, tapping his foot in annoyance. "If we wanna stay here, we're going to! We're not going to just walk away, you know!" Before, the mage would've bemoaned staying to help from all the time it took, but he had grown more used to helping people and was starting to enjoy it more.
Link's face paled, like he had said something he shouldn't have. Once more, he looked over at Navi, silently asking for her help.
"Link just doesn't want you getting hurt, that's all. But…" Navi started, but trailed off and let out a small sigh. "Link, maybe we should just tell them. They look like they can handle themselves, and there's nothing wrong with getting some help. This wouldn't be the first time we had some outside aid, remember?"
"What if something bad happens to them? You really think we should tell them?" Link asked, frowning a bit. It was an odd sight seeing him follow the lead of someone so much smaller than him. From the way he spoke to Navi, it was like the teenager was talking to his mom or something.
"Hey, we just want to help. Even if you tell us to leave, we're going to try and find Ganondorf anyway." Sora insisted. "If you don't want us traveling with you, that's fine, but we're staying here until our business is settled no matter what you say." He was pretty curious what it was the two were talking about so secretively, though…
Link and Navi paused, sharing a glance with each other. Once more, it was the fairy that took charge. "This isn't something we normally share, but we know how to stop Ganondorf. It's not as easy as just storming his castle, though. There are Temples that must be cleansed in order to stop his influence. We're on our way to the third one now."
That was definitely not what any of the trio expected. Cleansing Temples? They supposed if it was like clearing out a lot of Heartless, it made sense. It was just a wonder why something like that would be a secret…but Goofy seemed to quickly come up with an explanation. "Oh, I think I see! Ya just don't wanna tell nobody so people don't go to these places and get hurt, right?"
"That's it exactly!" Navi chirped. "If you three are refusing to leave, I thought it best to know how to take Ganondorf down more effectively. Just charging him right now wouldn't work out…"
"It's nice you were trying to protect us, but we can handle a lot. But we'll help you out cleaning up these Temples! We'd be glad to!" Sora announced. "I mean we're already friends, right? Why wouldn't we help out?"
"You really declare people are your friends fast, you know." Donald cynically pointed out. He swore Sora would make friends with a bug that landed on his food or something.
The swordsman seemed perplexed at Sora's words, as if the idea that the two could even be friends was something unusual. "We're friends? Really?" The older teen asked, almost cautious as he asked, as if expecting Sora to take it back.
"Well, yeah. I don't see why not. You're both trying to save a kingdom, so you're clearly good people." Sora explained, always wanting to make more friends. It always surprised him when people actually agreed, he didn't feel like he deserved any of the friends he managed to make…
"I guess that's settled, then. We appreciate the help! And come on, Link, they're pretty sincere about the friendship thing." Navi said to her companion.
"One more thing…" Sora chimed in. "We're looking for some friends of ours. Have you seen a girl my age with red hair? Her name's Kairi. And these two are looking for a King Mickey." He added the last bit on since Donald always did anyway. "We were going to go there to look." The teen pointed out the town off on the horizon.
"Never heard of either of them, especially not a foreign king." Navi explained. "And I'm glad you came across us first because the castle town is in ruins. Monsters walk the streets, and it's where Ganondorf's castle is!"
That was disappointing to say the least. At this point Sora was wondering if going anywhere but Traverse Town was helpful in finding anyone. Riku showed up there, which was a lot more than could be said about any other world the trio visited. Either way, he was disturbed to hear about the town. "It's really that bad? One man really did all this?"
"You really shouldn't underestimate Ganondorf. You can feel it in the air, he has almost the entire kingdom corrupted, or at least he used to. Link at least managed to cleanse two parts of it." Navi explained. "And sorry about your friends, but honestly it's best they're far from here."
Honestly, Sora wasn't sure if he preferred Kairi be somewhere safe, or somewhere dangerous yet close by. As long as he managed to get to her while she was still unharmed, of course. "Thanks. But could you tell us more about these Temples? How do you cleanse them?" The brunette asked.
At this point, Navi prodded at Link and he started to walk west, the outsiders walking alongside him. It was still a bit odd to them that the swordsman just allowed his companion to do most of the talking. Was he just shy or what? It didn't really matter, it was just sort of surprising.
"There are five Temples scattered around Hyrule, all places that hold a great power. Ganondorf's influence filled them with darkness, making them corrupt the areas around them. There's a creature in each Temple that acts as the source of its dark curse. We destroy the beast, the curse ends." Navi explained.
"Gawrsh, that's pretty straightforward, even it's dangerous." Goofy said, looking on the brighter side of things again. Even though the air was still filled with an oppressive sensation, knowing what caused it actually made him feel a bit better. "We've beaten up lots of monsters, so we can help ya out!"
"I really want you to know I'm grateful." Link piped up, his face having grown more serious and stoic since his earlier outburst. "If it becomes too much, I won't blame you for deciding to stop helping."
"Cut it out! We're helping, even if you tell us to go home!" Donald exclaimed, wondering why Link was so fixated on them keeping out of this. There was being concerned for others, but the blonde was so insistent on it!
Link flinched a bit at that. "Sorry. I was just saying." His head hung slightly, almost like a child being scolded by one of his parents.
"Don't yell at him like that!" The fairy suddenly snapped, flying right in front of Donald's face and bringing him to a halt. "He's just trying to look out for you, you know!"
The sudden shift in attitude threw the trio off guard, especially Donald who blinked a few times in surprise. "Don't boss me around!" The mage replied, his shock turning into a glare. "What are you, his mother?" Once more, Link flinched a bit, and his walking increased in pace, like he wanted to get away from Donald.
Navi kept hovering around the mage's face. "You're just being so rude! You know he's trying to be nice, right? Don't snap at him again, got it?!"
"Hey, hey, let's just calm down!" Goofy intervened, hoping they could enter one world where Donald didn't get in a fight with someone. "We get Link's just tryin' to look out for us. No need to take it so seriously, right Donald?"
Donald had a short fuse on a good day, but the stress of everything that's been going on recently seemed to just cut that fuse in half! He did realize he shouldn't get so angry so easily, but it was hard for him to stay composed sometimes. Sighing, the duck's glare lessened. "I'm sorry, okay?"
"Don't tell that to me. Tell that to Link." Navi insisted, calming down enough that she simply spoke sternly rather than yelling.
If he could, Donald would be visibly blushing at how embarrassing it was to be bossed around by someone the size of his thumb. Still, he caught up with Link and walked alongside him. "I'm sorry, okay?" He repeated, at least sounding more sincere than the first time. "You're just not going to get rid of us so easily, okay?"
Link looked back at Navi and then down at Donald and gave a small nod. "I understand. I'm sorry. I won't do it again."
"Wow, you got Donald to apologize to someone. That's pretty impressive, Navi." Sora remarked with an amused grin on his face. "Are all fairies that magical?"
"Oh, shut up!" Donald snapped back, feeling he was at least able to squabble with his friends. "Let's just hurry to this Temple, okay?"
Navi tittered, planting herself on Link's shoulder as the group all went on once more. "I'm not actually magic, not really." She explained to Sora. "And it's still a few hours to the Temple. As long as we get there by nightfall, we'll be okay."
The way she said that sent a mild shiver down the trio's spine. Things felt bad enough already, but Navi's talk about nightfall felt…ominous. "What happens when the sun goes down?" Goofy couldn't help but ask.
"That's when things come out when the sun goes down, but only in the field itself. If we reach Lake Hylia, we'll be okay." Navi said, saying 'things' as if she had no other way to describe what she was talking about. It sure didn't seem to be Heartless…
"Uh, right. That sounds good, then." Sora wasn't sure how else to respond. All he knew was he didn't want to see what lurked these fields at night. It was an entirely different world, after all, so it could really be anything!
"Maybe we should walk a bit faster…" Donald suggested, certainly doing so himself, the others soon following suit.
There wasn't much to see in Hyrule Field as the small group went on and not much conversation was had. It was mostly subtly rolling hills with trees here and there. Every so often they'd come across a house or a very small group of homes that had clearly been abandoned for years. No doubt is inhabitants wanting to get out of the dangerous field.
Heartless attacks happened every so often, and it became clearer that there was something unique about Link's sword. A group of Large Bodies attacked, and the swordsman lunged right at the front of one of them. Thrusting his arm forward, to the shock of the trio, the blade pierced right through the blubbery armor of the large Heartless and destroyed it in an instant!
Once the creatures were all slain, Sora glanced at Link's sword. "Hey, is your sword magic? The Heartless just melt away whenever it touches them!" Even his Keyblade couldn't do some of the things Link's blade could, like how easily it dispatches Large Bodies.
Link glanced down at his sword, its stainless form practically glowing in the sunlight. It really was an excellent piece of craftsmanship, not a single nick or mark on it as if it had never seen combat. "It's made to destroy evil and darkness. I don't know how, but that's how it works." The older teen replied.
"It's sort of special." Navi added on. "I guess being made out of the darkness in someone's heart is as dark as a creature can get. I'm not surprised it reacts so strongly to the Heartless." After a moment, she hovered near Sora. "Hey, I've been meaning to ask, what brought you three to Hyrule anyway? Was it just looking for your friends?"
Since there was nothing implying these two knew of other worlds, Sora decided it was best to keep talk of the Keyhole to himself. "That's right. We've just been going all over looking for them, and this was our next stop." Basically the truth, after all. "Why?"
"I'm just curious. I don't know what it's like outside of Hyrule, but with our old King dead, I know other countries had to have noticed. You must be from pretty far away, huh?" The fairy almost sounded accusatory. Not quite suspicious, but it seemed she really wanted to know the outsiders' story.
"We're from pretty far away. We don't really know anything about Hyrule!" Donald insisted. It was easier to lie when it was still mostly true. "We've been looking all over for our friends, so now we're here next!"
"And since we're here, we oughta help out since things don't look so good." Goofy added on. "We've helped out folks along the way, so we wouldn't be stoppin' now!"
This seemed to settle Navi's curiosity, who gave a small nod. "I see. I guess we're lucky you came across us. Pretty good timing, huh?"
"I guess so." Sora said, not sure how else too respond. "So, tell us more about the Temples and these monsters." He wanted to know what they'd be up against!
"It's hard to say." The fairy responded with a hum. "We've fought a lot of things. Two giant parasites, a massive Dodongo, a phantom, and a dragon. At least we had some help with two of those, though…"
Of course, the outsiders had no idea what a Dodongo was. It was surely something imposing, though. Either way, with varied creatures like that, it was anyone's guess what else they might end up facing. Sora had to wonder if the dragon was anything like the ones they saw at Gielinor.
Without warning, Link spoke up. "Can we talk about something else?" He asked, seeming uncomfortable for some reason. Talking about monsters he had to face apparently made him uneasy.
"Oh, uh, sorry." Sora replied, though he wasn't positive what he was apologizing for. "Okay, how about that rock thing we found you near? What's in there?"
"That's Lon Lon Ranch, one of the only places totally untouched by Ganondorf's influence." Navi replied, yet again acting as her and Link's voice. "The worker there, Ingo, agreed to raise a horse for Ganondorf in exchange for safety. We liberated the ranch the other day. Malon sure was thankful, huh Link?" She asked in a way that her cheeky smile was practically audible. "She even tried to give us her favorite horse, but Link thought it was too dangerous for her."
"What? Oh. Yeah, she was. And she did." It was hard to see because he was walking in front of everyone else, but Link's cheeks were dusted red in a faint blush. As time went on, it was becoming more evident how socially awkward he was. It seemed pretty out of place given how old he was, instead he acted like a kid who let his mom do his talking for him…
But Sora wasn't going to judge, he still liked Link and could tell he was a nice guy. He was clearly going through a lot to save his home, so there was almost no way he wouldn't see the older teen as a friend! "Glad things are better there, now. We almost went in, but then we heard you guys fighting those Heartless. I guess it's lucky for us too, we almost walked right towards where Ganondorf is!" If he was anything like, say, Lucien, they would've been in huge trouble…
Things settled down in terms of conversation once more after that. As the day went by, the sun peaked at noon and slowly made its descent. The lower it got, the more nervous the entire group felt. Yet Navi kept insisting that they could make it to Lake Hylia by nightfall.
"We should be seeing a friend of ours at the lake. It should be coming up soon." Navi piped up, there being only two hours or so of sunlight left. "Another friend of ours told us so, at least."
"So, these friends of yours are helping you too? Why isn't the second one with you?" Sora asked, having had the feeling Link and Navi had been totally on their own.
"He's not exactly a fighter." Navi explained. "We actually don't know much about him, but he's been guiding us for a while. His name is Sheik, and he only ever appears to tell us what to do next. The friend waiting for us…well, we haven't seen her for a long while. We don't know how she could help. Sheik just told us she went on ahead."
At these mentions, Link walked even faster, clearly anxious to get to Lake Hylia and meet up with his lady friend and the others followed his lead.
It was about an hour until nightfall when the group came across stone columns and an open iron fence leading out of the field and into another area. "Just made it!" Navi exclaimed, though she sounded tired as well as excited.
This was understandable, as the darkness in the air had grown thicker as the journey went on. It was subtle at first, but as they arrived at their destination, the group truly felt the pressure of darkness on them. It was as if a heavy tarp had been draped over all of them, their moves growing slower and each step taking just a bit more energy than it had any right to.
Up above, the sky grew grey, as if to match the mood. Rain fell sparsely from these clouds, seeming entirely confined to this new area. Although Navi called it Lake Hylia, it seemed to be a pretty generous name. The land went slowly downhill until it reached a large hole in the ground, one that wasn't even a quarter filled with water. It was clear that, at one point, the area had more water as dead underwater plants, and the skeletons of fish littered the hole.
The only other things to see were a lone building that seemed abandoned as well as a very small island near the center of the lake. On it stood a lone, barren tree and nothing else. A rickety looking bridge connected the mainland to this small island. It didn't look like there was any sort of Temple, or anything of importance, anywhere.
"This is awful…I bet this place was awful pretty once…" Goofy observed, imagining the hole in the ground full of sparkling, clear water. "But wasn't there some sorta Temple around here? It's not that, is it?" He asked, pointing to the lone building.
"Of course that isn't it! That's clearly someone's house! Or it used to be…" Donald corrected, looking around as well but seeing no sign of any sort of Temple.
"Navi? You said you had an idea where it was, right?" Link asked, his grip on his blade, which he had never sheathed, tightening. "Where's the Water Temple?"
The fairy seemed a bit out of it, the darkness in the air seeming to bring her down more than anyone else. Sora noticed this, and he wasn't sure if this was because of her size or something else. In the stories he heard from home, fairies were tied with nature, so if something dark and evil was effecting nature, it'd make sense for a fairy to be worse off than anyone else. But he had no idea if that was the case for fairies of this world…
"Mmm…I had a hunch, and I'm not sure if it's true…" The fairy replied, standing on Link's shoulder rather than hovering. "I think it might be in that island in the center. There's nowhere else it could really be. The Water Temple was always hidden off from prying eyes, or so I've heard in the past…"
"Gawrsh, ya really know yer stuff, Navi!" Goofy praised, not really knowing is this was obscure knowledge or not. "So, we just swim down there…?" There was still enough water that the bottom of the miniature island was obscured, after all.
"What about that friend of yours? I don't see her anywhere!" Donald exclaimed, looking around. It was dark and rainy, but he still felt someone there all alone would stick out like a sore thumb.
Link took a few steps forward, looking around as well as a frown slowly formed on his face. "Navi, do you think Ruto went in on her own? Sheik told us she said she'd wait for us! We shouldn't have spent that night at the ranch…"
"You can't beat yourself over it. I'm sure Ruto's fine, and you needed that rest." Navi insisted. "She could be right in the entrance for all we know."
"Yeah, don't worry, Link! We'll help you find your friend! She'll be okay!" Sora insisted, noticing how much the swordsman worried about others. He worried about him, Donald, and Goofy, he worried about all of Hyrule, he worried about the horse he was offered from the ranch, now he was worrying about this Ruto friend of his. It made him wonder what's been going on to warrant so much worry…
Navi slowly took off to the air, pointing at the island, not that anyone could tell. "Come on! The quicker we get in there, the better!" She insisted, diving under Link's hat. It turned out she had to do this, as when the group made their way down to the bottom of the island, they saw there was an entrance built into it underwater! Apparently she couldn't swim, so ducked into Link's hat as a transportation method.
They stood there, staring at the perfectly carved square opening in the rock for a second. It seemed like a dark energy was seeping out of there, and it made everyone feel sick to their stomachs. No doubt about it, this was the entrance to the Water Temple alright!
Taking a deep breath, each member of the group dove into the warm, almost slimy feeling water and swam into the Temple's entrance, not sure what to expect up ahead…
At the heart of the world's darkness stood an intimidating black tower. It rested upon a slab of earth hovering over a crater filled with lava. With no bridge connecting it, the structure was cut off from the rest of the world, a nasty bruise left upon the Kingdom of Hyrule. The castle stretched far into the heavens, nearly scraping the dark grey clouds that blotted out the sky. Even if it was the middle of the day, no sunlight could penetrate the layer of gloom.
On one of the balconies of this castle stood two men. One was Dio Brando, aware that no matter what time it was in Hyrule, he was safe where he was. The harmful rays of the sun had no place at the castle and the vampire felt an odd sense of satisfaction at that. He gave a small smirk as he gazed upon the ruined town before him, reduced to little more than an ugly squalor of decayed buildings and near-empty streets. The things that shambled amongst the walkways weren't even remotely human…
"I won't pretend I'm not impressed." Dio praised as he glanced to the man standing next to him. "You did this all on your own…no one else in our little group could say that, Ganondorf."
The second man gave a smug grin of his own, the redheaded man in the black armor that had watched Sora and his group as they went from world to world. "Just one piece of the Triforce was all I needed." Ganondorf boasted. "Even without it, this land would have been mine sooner or later. The Power I gained just sped up the process."
"And I'm sure you can sense the Keyblade wielder and his cohorts within your domain. Why not take them out now? It should be easy for you, shouldn't it?" Dio's tone wasn't one of accusation, but instead of amusement. It was clear he still didn't view Sora as any sort of threat. And why should he? Because he helped take down Shin? Even then it was someone else that did the most damage to the deceased member of the group.
"Why would I do that? Even with that brat with the sword working with them, they'll never cleanse all the Temples. The last time I sat back and let things unfold, it allowed me to conquer Hyrule with ease." Ganondorf explained, gesturing vaguely across the kingdom of darkness he resided over. "I'll get the rest of the Triforce, and become more powerful than anything related to that door you keep going on about."
Despite the clear indications of a future betrayal, Dio didn't worry in the slightest. "If you think the trinket of the creators of your kingdom are greater than what lies beyond the door, you're very mistaken. If you follow through with my plan, you'll see that for yourself. I take it this means you won't pursue this Zelda you mentioned? You seemed so sure she's a Princess of Heart, after all."
Ganondorf's smirk melted into a light sneer. "I'm not going to lie. She's eluded me these past seven years. The second she shows herself, however…I'll take her in an instant. I know she's a Princess of Heart that you keep mentioning. She's no ordinary girl…"
"I'll leave you to it, then. But if you keep me waiting, I won't have a choice but to step in personally. If she were the last one we were looking for, I'd have already done so." Dio's tone didn't grow any more serious, yet it was clear he meant every word he said. "I've chosen to respect the boundaries of your world, but that won't last forever. Just keep that in mind."
The armored man scowled at Dio, looking ready to throw a punch at the vampiric figure…but he did nothing. "We'll see about that. Saying it is one thing, doing it is another. I recall you mentioning you were bested in your own world, so I have no fear for you like some of the others." And he meant every word, only holding back on his lashing out because working with Dio was mildly more beneficial than going against him.
At those words, the already tense air grew increasingly tense, practically palpable as the two powerful men stared each other down. For a moment it was as if they were silently daring each other to make a strike…but neither of them made any such motion.
"I see." Was all Dio said at first, the tension practically deflating with just those two words. "Either way, I'll leave it to you for now. Just remember my words, and there won't be any problems." With that, the blonde man was enveloped by a cocoon of darkness. When it vanished, the vampire was gone from the world, leaving the dark king to scowl at the empty air.
A/N: A new member of Dio's group revealed, though it was one of the easiest to guess, even if the previous story didn't spell out Link and Sora would one day meet. Just as a note for those who didn't read my Ocarina of Time novelization, this Link is very similar to that one in terms of backstory and personality, just with some Kingdom Hearts interference. This also means, like in that story, I have it so Link's mental age is the same, at ten years old, even though he's physically seventeen. Just to explain his odd behavior. I decided to skip over the first two Temples because going through every single one would make this world way too long and a bit repetitive. Also the revelation of Link's background just seemed too personal for Sora, Donald, and Goofy to witness, not entirely sure why I felt this way...
On a different note, I imagine the Master Sword is second only to the Keyblade with dispatching Heartless when it comes to weapons that will appear in my stories. And that's only because it lacks things like Formchanges and can't properly release the hearts of Emblem Heartless. I very nearly gave it that power, but decided not to overshadow such a unique ability of the Keyblade. The Master Sword I'd say is superior to a basic Keyblade with defeating Heartless at least. While darkness doesn't always equal evil (like with Riku) it's close enough for me to consider the sacred blade as being especially useful against Heartless.
It's funny, Ganondorf has never really worked with someone on equal footing before. Any time he partnered with someone, they're a minion or an unknowing pawn of his like with Zant. I just sort of imagined he'd play nice with Dio, but all the while is totally itching to kill the vampire and take over his plot. It's just mildly more convenient to not do so. I also sort of realized this is an amusingly fitting replacement for Agrabah as Ganondorf and Jafar have oddly similar stories. Both from desert-dwelling kingdoms that tries to cozy up with an overly trusting ruler. The daughter of said ruler teams up with a commoner with a blue, mythical partner to stop said villains and end up sealing them away after they use a magical means of turning into a stronger form.
Just found it amusing. I didn't even do it on purpose, it just happened to fit in very well.