Chapter 22: The Deep One
Link turned his head in every direction, but saw nothing in each. The disorientation was intense. He wasn't even sure how is body was aligned. The waters surface could be above, below or to one of his sides. He had no idea.
He knew the Zora were quick underwater. Perhaps had had seconds to live, he wondered.
His heart ached as it pounded rapidly, he breath through the tight mask came in rapid bursts.
Wherever he had been there had always been even a small amount. Maybe starlight, a torch or reflections from a lit area. Light. Here, he had no light.
In his panic stricken state, he recalled a vision of his flash bomb and scrambled to open his pouch.
The Zora would be on him, any second now.
He unclipped his bomb pouch, empty from earlier. But he had more than one type of explosive.
Pulling out a leather coated bomb, its fuse covered with a dense wax and was self igniting. A waterproof bomb. It may be the only thing that could help him, he realised.
Rushing, he opened a sealed cap built in to the fuse as bubbles started forming quickly, racing to the surface.
His arms were slowed, but he had to throw the bomb away. With floods of adrenaline rushing through him, he heaved the bomb forwards and brought up his shield to handle the underwater blast.
A bright flash illuminated the area for a split second, to his everlasting regret.
Thousands of milky eye snarling Zora appeared a few feet in a wall in front of him, their teeth bared in hatred. The dim environment dulling their blue colour to an inky dark blue.
An instant later, the bright flash was snuffed by the abyss. Terror gripped Link to his core as he screamed without shame as loud as he could through his mask. The vision burned in to his mind as, somehow, he panicked even more. Thrashing almost, he threw more and more waterproof bombs in an arc in front of him as the explosions illuminated the area briefly once more. Some Zora had been killed in the blast, their blood and flesh floating aimlessly in the cold dark water.
The wall of faces revealed themselves again in the blasts, their position different each time but no less close.
Link thrashed against nothing desperately, trying to flee. But his movements were wild and uncoordinated, leaving him where he was.
As he threw his last bomb, he felt sickness inside him. He had nothing left that could help him.
The last blast killed more Zora, ripping their sickly flesh apart as blood and viscera flooded around him.
In a moment, the final flash faded. With his heart beating in his throat, his eyes wide and his palms sweating inside the suit, he realised he would die alone down here. Lost forever.
A bright golden arrow tore through the water, straight towards him and through some of the Zora. It pierced them as if they were made of air. The shimmering golden light shined brightly, revealing the full mass of afflicted Zora. They had surrounded him entirely, their alien faces now inches away from his.
Bathed in golden light, he saw them all screaming and heard their piercing wail through the water. It cut through his ears and very being as countless numbers of them wailed in pain and in unison.
Writhing and thrashing in place, some became still and started floating aimlessly. Those who were further away swam desperately away from the intense golden light.
Bodies floated around Link, torn flesh and gallons of Zora blood stained the water around him.
His heart was close to bursting from the horror, he swam straight down. Anything to get away from there.
Kicking his feet against the intense pressure hurt, but he didn't care. He wanted to be far away from the rear wall of the cavern.
As he kicked harder, he went even further down in to the depths. To his surprise, the golden arrow was still moving, only it was orbiting around him, following his movement.
Whatever magic Zelda had cast on this made it far more potent than the original lights she had shot down here.
He kept kicking his legs, descending further as the pressure on him slowly increased from all sides. It hurt, but he could still move.
His heart pumping fast made him push on. The cog system in the temple above needed to start turning again. If it could start purifying the lake, there was a chance all of the afflicted Zora could return to life as normal.
He arrived at the great mouth of the underwater cave he had seen from far above. With the golden arrow of light orbiting him, he could see much further in to the cave than he had before. Ahead, barely illuminated, he saw the large rectangle device. It was made of blue stone but precisely cut in to wide paddles. The currents he had seen seemed to align perfectly with the large paddles on either side.
"Why...d...don't...they...m...move?" he said in to his mask, bubbles appearing on the other side.
The cold was in his bones now. At least it was harder to think at this depth. For now, he could focus on the strange looking device.
Daring to look over his shoulder, he saw the swarms of Zora keeping a much greater distance now.
He prayed that this orbiting golden light would not go out.
He had no idea what was inside the dark tunnel, so he swam outside of the area of the two opposed currents. He wanted to know how strong they were. Withdrawing an arrow from his pouch, he pushed it towards the current rushing in to the tunnel. After drifting for a moment, the arrows was caught in the torrent of water and pushed in to the cave at a dangerous speed.
Link thought the opposing one might have been as powerful. Though he also wondered how two underwater currents had been lined up perfectly and directed with precision in to the cave.
Looking over his shoulders, he confirmed they were still a long distance away. It didn't relieve him.
As he floated, pressure on every angle of him, he stared in to the cave again. Something different was happening now.
Across the large paddles further in, he swore he could see some kind of movement. Shapes and shadows shifted across them, barely visible. Then, he heard a pained shriek echo around the cavern. The shapes inside the tunnel moved in agitation. The shapes started to glow. A soft blue light emanated from nodes along the shape. It was almost see through. Their shape given away by the contrasting darkness. More burst in to life in sequence. They followed a line that illuminated the paddles, highlighting the smooth stone they had been carved out of.
Link stared in disbelief. He had no idea what he was looking at. Searching his memory, he tried to think of anything that had a shape like that.
More of the soft blue lights came to life. Then, a horrifying thought came to mind. He checked over his shoulders again, watching the Zora. They remained far enough away.
One creature at least looked like this, that he knew of.
More nodules of blue light illuminated, the effect getting brighter.
A creature he had only ever heard of.
Two great yellow eyes illuminated, behind a transparent large bulb head.
The creature regarded him from inside the cave as it shook one of its tentacles back and forth, erratically.
Link realised something. He had thrown an arrow in to the current. It had been carried at speed in to the cave, probably landing in the flesh of the beast. The great yellow eyes betrayed no emotion, just staring at him, unblinking.
Suddenly, he felt very uncomfortable. Surviving the Zora had been a miracle. But now, this see through Kraken obstructed the large paddles. It was single handedly stopping Lake Hylia from being purified.
In the outgoing stream, he saw thin green clouds being pushed along the current. The fluid had a sheen on it, similar to the sheen he had seen in the Zora river when they had first disappeared.
He looked over his shoulders again. Looking back, the great yellow eyes stared blankly at him. It was surreal seeing a transparent body on such a large being. But it had to go. With more illumination in the cave, he could make out that it had wrapped its tentacles around the spindle and braced itself. It was holding the entire cog system in place.
Link remained in place as the golden arrow continued to orbit him underwater, its light casting faint glimmers off the rough stone walls of the cavern. His breaths, shallow and strained, echoed in his ears, each one growing colder, slower. The weight of the pressure around him made it feel like the water itself was squeezing his chest, constricting him as if the lake was trying to swallow him whole.
He dared not stay still too long—his legs were already trembling from the cold and tension.
His eyes were fixed on the dark tunnel ahead, where the great paddles jutted from the walls, trapped and motionless. He dared to glance over his shoulder again—shadows of Zora still circled in the distance, just at the edge of the light's reach. They stayed away, but their presence gnawed at his mind like a constant, lurking threat. They were out there, waiting for the light to fade. Waiting for him to fall.
He had no choice. He had to get through the tunnel and dislodge whatever was jamming the paddles. But what had stopped them?
As he stared into the cave, something flickered in the darkness. For a moment, it looked like nothing more than a shift in the currents. But then, a shadow moved—no, a shape. A large, sprawling shape, barely visible in the dim light.
A low, mournful shriek vibrated through the water, sending a shiver down Link's spine. He froze, his heart pounding harder against his ribs. The sound came again, this time clearer, a sickening, echoing wail. Then, from within the depths, a soft blue light blinked to life. Another. Then another. The light spread, outlining a massive, writhing form coiled around the paddles, squeezing them tight like a vice.
Link's stomach dropped. His mind scrambled to put a name to what he was seeing. That size… those pale, soft lights. His breath caught as the realization struck him.
A Kraken.
The creature's glowing eyes snapped open, twin orbs of cold yellow that bore down on him through the water, unblinking and empty. It didn't move. It didn't need to. Its very presence was overwhelming—alien and indifferent.
His heart slammed in his chest, his muscles seizing with fear as he clutched the Master Sword tighter. A Kraken, a creature of legend. He had never faced anything like this. How had it come to this place? Why was it here?
The creature shifted slightly, one of its massive, translucent tentacles twitching as if irritated by his mere presence. Link's stomach lurched again. It had to be the reason the paddles had stopped. The Kraken had coiled itself around them, locking the entire system in place, its immense strength halting the purification of Lake Hylia. But worse—far worse—it had noticed him.
The great yellow eyes blinked slowly, watching him, unfeeling. Waiting.
Link's mouth went dry. He knew what he had to do, but the idea of moving closer to that thing made his legs feel like lead. His pulse thundered in his ears, his vision narrowing as panic clawed at his mind.
"No, you've made it this far. Move!" He forced the thought into the front of his mind, trying to push past the rising terror.
He checked behind him again. The Zora still lingered far off, as if they too feared the Kraken. But whatever the reason was, it didn't matter. The real threat was right in front of him. The creature's tentacles shifted again, testing the water, almost like it was baiting him to come closer.
The cold gnawed at him, each breath through the mesh mask feeling tighter, more laboured. His body didn't want to listen, but his mind screamed that he had no other choice.
With a shaky hand, he drew the Master Sword, the blade gleaming faintly in the golden light from Zelda's arrow. The sight of it gave him a shred of confidence. He'd fought beasts before—he could fight this one too.
Taking a deep breath, Link surged forward, straight toward the mass of writhing tentacles. His heart thundered in his chest as one of the translucent appendages lashed out, bearing down on him. With a desperate twist, he swung the Master Sword upward, slicing into the tentacle before it could strike. The blade cleaved through it with a sickening, fleshy sound, and the severed limb recoiled, disappearing into the dark water.
A howling screech echoed through the narrow chamber, reverberating off the walls and deep into Link's skull. The sound wasn't just loud—it felt like it pierced straight into his mind, a maddening wail that made his stomach churn. He gagged inside his mask, the nausea rising as the Kraken's agonized cry seemed to throb within his very bones.
Still reeling, he saw the rest of the Kraken's illuminated tentacles thrash wildly from behind the paddles. They crashed into the rocky walls with heavy, dull impacts, sending tremors through the water. Link could feel the force of each blow through the currents. He kicked his legs harder, trying to roll back into the outgoing current, letting it pull him away from the creature for a moment. The golden arrow of light continued to orbit him, a small beacon of hope in the darkness.
But the Kraken wasn't done yet.
Taking deep, laboured breaths through his mask, Link forced his exhausted body to move. He rolled back into the inward current, closer to the paddles, and closer to the creature lurking behind them. The water felt heavier, his limbs slower, but he had no choice. He gripped the Master Sword tightly, bracing himself. He could feel the cold biting into his muscles, his body screaming in protest, but his mind was focused on the task ahead. He needed to stop the Kraken.
Another tentacle slashed out from the darkness, aiming directly for him. Link raised his sword, ready to strike, but this time the Kraken seemed to anticipate his move. The tentacle recoiled, then shot forward again, crashing down on him from above with brutal force. The impact knocked the wind out of him, sending a shock of pain through his chest. Before he could react, another tentacle latched onto his head, its sucker sealing tight with a sickening squelch.
Link screamed, bubbles pouring from his mouth as he felt the enormous pressure pulling him upward. Another tentacle wrapped around his leg, yanking him in the opposite direction. Pain erupted from every joint, every muscle stretched beyond its limit. He thrashed in panic, the world a blur of pain and darkness.
Desperation clawed at him, instinct driving his movements. With the last of his strength, he jabbed the Master Sword upward, the blade slicing his own nose as he drove the tip straight into the tentacle wrapped around his head. The blade pierced through the sucker, and instantly, the pressure eased. The tentacle flinched, loosening its hold. Link slashed to the side, severing it cleanly. The Kraken shrieked again, its pained wail vibrating through the cavern.
But there was no time to rest. Link's body was flung violently through the water as the remaining tentacle around his leg jerked him sideways, slamming him into the rocky walls of the cavern. He grunted in pain, his vision going black for a moment from the impact. His arms flailed, desperate for anything to hold onto, but there was only jagged stone and the crushing force of the Kraken.
Link's mind raced, the pain in his leg unbearable as the Kraken's sucker tightened, pulling him in different directions. Through the fog of agony, he thrust the Master Sword downward, stabbing into the tentacle wrapped around his calf, slicing his own leg. The blade struck deep, and with a savage twist, he ripped it through the flesh. The tentacle spasmed, and with a sickening shudder, it fell away from his leg, floating limply in the water.
The Kraken's wail was deafening now, a high-pitched scream that rattled the walls and made Link's ears feel like they would burst. His vision swam, the water around him spinning as nausea threatened to overwhelm him. He tore his mask down just in time to vomit into the current, his body convulsing from the sheer force of it. Gasping, he pulled the mask back on, his breath ragged and his mind foggy with pain.
The tentacles retreated, the Kraken's massive body slumping to the cavern floor. One severed limb drifted slowly down, its once-writhing appendage now lifeless. But Link knew better than to celebrate. His entire body hurt, his muscles screamed in protest, and despite the cold water, he was sure he was sweating beneath the suit.
He had to act fast.
Looking back toward the paddles, he realized that the Kraken had used them as a shield, refusing to let go. The only way to stop it was to move the paddles. Drawing in a shaky breath, he reached for the Rod of Dominion.
The golden arrow of light continued to circle him as he withdrew the rod from his pack. His hand trembled, both from the cold and the pain. This was his only chance. He had to make it work. Channelling the Triforce, he willed the power of the goddesses into the rod, feeling a surge of warmth flow through his body as the artefact began to glow with a soft golden light.
With a deep breath, he raised the Rod of Dominion and cast its magic toward the paddles. For a moment, nothing happened, and Link's heart sank. But then, slowly, the massive paddles began to turn.
The Kraken, sensing the movement, tightened its grip. It wasn't going to let go without a fight.
Link gritted his teeth and twisted the rod harder, forcing the paddles to spin faster. The water churned violently as the paddles picked up speed, the Kraken's massive form being thrown back and forth. Its tentacles flailed wildly, slamming into the walls and floor of the cave with dull, bone-rattling thuds. The creature wailed in panic, the sound reverberating through the water as it struggled to hold on. But Link wasn't going to stop.
With a final, desperate twist of the rod, the paddles spun faster than ever, the force of the water ripping the Kraken from its perch. The creature slammed into the walls, its massive head crashing against the stone with a sickening crack. For a moment, everything went still.
And then the Kraken fell. Its body crumpled to the cavern floor, a low, dissonant groan escaping its limp form. The glow from its bioluminescent body flickered, then faded, leaving only darkness behind.
Link's heart pounded in his chest as he watched the creature's massive form settle.
Riding the current, he drifted quickly towards the dazed Kraken. Its transparent body made it a good predator, concealing itself in the darkness. But with its bioluminescent lights, he could clearly see its brain. The unblinking yellow eyes had their optic nerves attached to a small green ball he assumed was its mind. It wasn't deep enough to miss.
Tensing and winding back, he lunged forward at the exact right moment. The tip of the blade plunged straight through its head and pierced its brain.
The wail tore through the entire cave, the walls seeming to vibrate and shake under the intensity. Link felt sickness double him over, he felt his ears rupture and start bleeding. He writhed in agony as the wails continued unrelenting. He curled up in to a ball by instinct, trying to shield himself from the horrific assault of noise.
The Kraken's body slumped to the floor of the cave, its final wail still ringing in Link's ears. The piercing sound had torn through the water, reverberating off the walls with such force that it left him dizzy, nauseated, and barely able to think. His vision blurred as the last of the bioluminescent glow faded, leaving only darkness and the faint orbit of Zelda's golden arrow to light his way.
Before he could catch his breath, the Kraken's massive tentacle slammed into his midsection with terrifying force. He felt his lungs compress as the air was knocked out of him, bubbles of oxygen shooting from his mask as he was launched upward, straight toward the jagged ceiling. Instinct took over, and he twisted mid-flight, protecting his spine at the last moment—but it was too late for his arm.
A sickening crack echoed through the water as his elbow collided with a sharp outcropping of stone. The impact was so violent that the entire lower half of his arm was severed, torn cleanly from his body.
Time seemed to slow in that instant.
Link's eyes widened, his body numb to everything but the searing, white-hot pain that ripped through his senses. He watched, detached, as his severed forearm drifted slowly downward, a cloud of blood trailing behind it in the cold, dark water. His mind couldn't quite process what had just happened—he had lost his arm. His arm. It was floating in front of him, like something out of a nightmare.
A scream tore from his throat, though it sounded distant, muffled by the water surrounding him. His remaining hand instinctively shot to the source of the pain—his stump.
The agony was unimaginable. Searing, burning, a flame that wouldn't be extinguished. His blood poured freely from the open wound, thick clouds of red swirling into the water, dyeing everything around him. His heart pounded in his chest, every beat sending fresh waves of torment through his mangled limb.
The pain was too much—overwhelming, consuming every thought. His vision darkened at the edges, and for a brief, terrifying moment, he thought he might pass out.
But the survival instinct kicked in, pulling him back from the brink.
With trembling fingers, he clutched at his arm, trying to stop the bleeding. His mind raced, adrenaline pumping through his veins, pushing the pain back just enough to think. He was bleeding out, and if he didn't do something fast, he'd die down here, lost to the depths.
Tucking his stump close to his chest, he forced himself to move. Every slight motion was agony, each breath through the mask laboured and ragged. His pulse echoed in his ears, thundering louder than the wails of the Kraken ever could.
His thoughts were a mess, the urgency warring with the pain. He glanced down at his belt and saw the severed arm slowly drifting closer.
His arm. It was his.
Instinct took over again. He kicked his legs, weakly at first, then harder, forcing his body to move. The cold water helped numb some of the pain, but not enough. He felt every heartbeat, every throb from the mangled stump. With a grimace, he reached out with his remaining hand and grabbed his severed forearm.
The weight of it in his hand was surreal, and for a moment, he almost didn't know what to do with it. But his mind wouldn't let him stop. There was no time to be shocked, no time to process the loss. He had to keep going.
He tucked the severed limb into his belt, securing it tightly as it dangled awkwardly against his side. His vision swam from the blood loss, but he forced himself to focus. The bleeding had to stop.
He searched his pouch, hand shaking as he fumbled through the supplies he had left. His fingers brushed against a strip of cloth—something he had used earlier to tie a few smaller items together. It wasn't much, but it would have to do.
With the last of his strength, he pulled the cloth free, wrapping it around the stump as tightly as he could. Each movement sent fresh waves of agony shooting through his body, but he gritted his teeth, holding back the scream that clawed at his throat. His vision darkened again, and for a moment, he thought he would black out entirely.
"No. Stay awake. Stay awake," he told himself, his mind frantic.
The cloth wasn't enough to stop the bleeding completely, but it slowed the flow. His heartbeat, thudding in his ears, was still too fast. His breath came in shallow gasps through the mask, but he was alive. For now.
He had to get out of the cave. He had to keep moving.
Link kicked his legs, every motion a battle against the cold, the pain, and the weight of his own body. His stump throbbed violently, but he held it close to his chest, trying to keep it as still as possible. His severed forearm bounced loosely at his side, a macabre reminder of what he had lost, but he didn't have the luxury of thinking about it now.
He was getting tired. So tired. His muscles ached, and the bleeding, though slowed, was draining his strength. His vision blurred, the golden arrow of light swirling in front of him like a fading star. But he couldn't stop. He couldn't sleep.
Each kick of his legs felt heavier than the last. Each stroke of his arm sent fire through his chest. The cold water had numbed some of the pain, but it was still there, gnawing at him, threatening to pull him down into the depths. But Link kept kicking, his eyes fixed on the faint light above. The surface seemed so far away, almost unreachable, but he couldn't give up.
He couldn't give up.
He kept kicking. He kept swimming.
He had to get out. He had to survive.
Every muscle in his body screamed for rest, for relief, but Link kept kicking, his legs moving in a broken rhythm as the cold bit deeper into his bones. His strength was fading fast, the numbness spreading from his stump up into his shoulder. His movements felt sluggish, disconnected, as if his body no longer belonged to him.
The cold was numbing the pain, but it was a dangerous reprieve. He knew it. His mind fought to stay sharp, fought to stay focused, but his thoughts were growing dimmer, the edges of his vision darkening with each passing second.
Breathe. Just keep breathing.
He could see the surface now, but it felt as distant as the moon. The light above was faint, barely a shimmer against the weight of the water. The water itself felt like a heavy, crushing force, pressing in on him from all sides. The current pulled him along, but each stroke of his remaining arm felt like dragging lead through molasses.
He looked to the sides, searching for the Zora, expecting to see their forms moving through the murky water, closing in on him. But the space around him was eerily still. No movement. No signs of pursuit. Only the floating bodies above him, lifeless, pale, and scattered like debris.
Why weren't they attacking?
Link's thoughts were a mess of panic and confusion. He saw the Zora twitching, barely moving, their bodies limp as they began to float upward. It had been unsettling, unnatural, but there had been no time to question it.
Now, as he pushed further, he noticed them again. Most of the bodies remained lifeless, but a few—just a few—twitched and stirred. The sight filled him with a fresh jolt of fear. Some of them weren't entirely dead. The Zora, afflicted or not, were still there, lurking in the water.
No time to think. Just keep moving.
His legs kicked harder, his chest heaving as he forced himself to swim faster. The pain in his arm flared with every heartbeat, each pulse of blood reminding him of how little time he had left. The cold gnawed at his bones, but it was nothing compared to the bone-deep exhaustion pulling at him.
He couldn't stop. Not until he reached the surface. Not until he was free of the Kraken, free of the water, free of the darkness.
Link's heart pounded in his ears, his breath shallow and ragged as he kicked again, harder, pushing through the weight of the water. Every muscle in his body screamed for relief, his vision swimming as his head spun from the blood loss. The surface seemed to shimmer, just out of reach, taunting him.
He was close. So close.
With a final, desperate push, Link surged upward, his body aching, the light of the surface growing closer. He couldn't stop now. Not when he was so close. Not when escape was within his grasp.
Just a little farther. Just a little more.
He broke the surface of the water, surrounded now by countless limp Zora bodies.
"Link!"
What a lovely voice Zelda had, he thought to himself. His vision darkening, he kicked his way towards the sweet sound. It was beautiful. It was so calming.
Some colour flared in to his vision for a moment. He saw her! She was beckoning him over!
Sweet relief flooded him, he was almost out of the water finally.
He could have tea and coffee with her again. He smiled as his mind started to unravel.
She was so nice, working so hard for so many people. How could anyone not like her?
His vision darkened again. He wanted to hold her again before he fell asleep.
He reached the edge of the lake and scrambled up the ledge with the last of his energy. He couldn't even stand, so he fell to his knees. Smiling stupidly, he laughed once. Zelda looked to him and turned bone white as she screamed in horror.
Finally, after one of the longest days of life, he collapsed to the floor in to a blissful sleep.