Chapter Text
“I’ll miss you, Link. Your dearest, Paya.”
The bouquet of lilies sits with a comforting weight on his chest. Paya’s handwriting is familiar, the loopy letters and excessive use of hearts making him cringe. But he was a gentleman, and he could appreciate the gesture for what it was; a farewell gift.
Zelda drives as he lays in the backseat with all their junk. “Link, we’re almost there.” Her voice rings out before it descends into murmurs about how far it is from her fancy bookstores and how she was gonna have to deal with it.
He didn’t respond, instead just letting her ramble on as he tended to do. She interrupts herself not long after she started off on a tangent, pointing out a decently sized building. “Look, there’s the market. Looks great doesn't it?”
He peers out the window to see just what she was looking at. It was a decently sized market, probably has new foods he would try cooking with. However, some childish part of him feels bitter at the size.
Kakariko was a nice home. Sure the market wasn’t as big as this new one, but he liked Kakariko. It was the only home he’d ever known.
“It probably stinks.” He mumbles.
Zelda rolls her eyes in the rearview mirror which only makes him huff and pout some more. Why couldn’t he be stubborn in privacy?
Sitting up, Link notices the poor shape of his lilies. “Ah!” he shouts. “My flowers are dying!”
The bouquet is shoved forward as he squeezes himself next to Zelda. She looks over at him with a deadpan stare. “I told you not to smother them.” He only whines in response. “We’ll put them in water when we get to the house.” She huffs, her already short-patience wearing thin at his sulking.
“I finally get a bouquet,” he starts, “and it's a goodbye present from a girl I don’t even like. That’s depressing.”
“I got you a Silent Princess for your birthday, don’t you remember?”
“Yeah, one.” He starts sinking down back into his seat. “One Silent Princess doesn’t make it a bouquet.”
Zelda sighs, his sour mood completely dominating the trip. He would feel bad if he wasn’t already so pissy about having to leave Kakariko on such short notice. It wasn’t fair—the two of them have work to do out here in this new empty, boring town, but that doesn’t mean he has to like it. “Whatever, just hold onto your card, I’m opening the window.” A spring breeze rushes through the car. He curses his past self for not bothering to tie his long hair back.
Through the whistling wind, her voice pipes up again. “And quit whining. It’s fun to move to a new place. It’s an adventure.”
He doesn’t bother watching the rest of the town pass by as she drives. It was just going to make him more annoyed and probably more sad.
The road grows twisty, and he rocks with every sharp turn she makes. Honestly, maybe he should’ve driven even if he didn’t have a license himself. It would’ve probably made for a smoother trip than whatever Zelda was doing behind the wheel.
When the road turns rocky, Link finally bothers to sit up. The car slows to a stop and only then does he realize that they’re parked at the mouth of a dense forest.
“Wait. Did I take the wrong turn? This can’t be right.” Bless Zelda and her big brain but, by the goddesses, she can’t navigate for the life of her.
Distracted by the map unfolding in her lap, Link makes his way to the passenger seat, looking out to see if he could find the house. “What are those stones? They look like little houses."
She barely looks up to see what he was talking about. “Oh, those are shrines. Some people think little spirits live there.” Immediately, he thinks of the Koroks from his childhood stories. He remembers how his mom had once mentioned them being spirits of forest children—maybe they had lived in the little shrines.
Shaking his head, Link’s eyes move up towards a line of houses at the top of the hill. “Look. There’s the house.”
“Huh?”
“It’s the blue one at the end.” How she had managed to miss it was a mystery. Her father had made sure about six different times that she knew which house they were headed to. It was the only reason he had trusted the two of them to make the journey together alone, without either one of their parents.
She hums. “Must’ve missed the turnoff.” She quickly folds up the map and places it back into the glove box. Link stays in the front as Zelda shifts the gears back into drive. “This road should get us there.”
It isn’t until the car lurches forward that he realizes what’s happening. “Zelda, don’t take a shortcut. You always get us lost.”
She doesn't listen, driving on into the woods instead. Branches smack against the windows as the car rocks back and forth. Thankfully, Link had half a mind to pull on his seatbelt before she got them into an accident.
His hand clings onto the grab handle above him. It doesn’t stop his body from being thrown about but it did make him feel secure. “I think we’re lost, Zel.”
“We’re fine! I’ve got four wheel drive.”
That doesn’t quell his anxiety one bit. He closes his eyes to send a silent prayer up to whoever would listen that the fragile box in the trunk wasn't being jostled around too much.
He opens his eyes once more. Just out the window, he sees a large stone covered in moss. Carved into it was an eye—it reminds him of the Sheikah of Kakariko, and yet it still feels so unfamiliar.
Time seems to slow down at that moment, where only Link and the stone exist in the world. His breath catches in his throat.
As soon as he saw it, the stone had already passed by, once again hidden by the woods.
He very quickly grows to miss the minute of pause when he realizes just how fast the world outside was rushing by. “Zelda, slow down! You’re gonna get us killed!”
In front of the car, a few meters ahead is another stone eye sitting in front of a large archway.
Both teens start screaming as Zelda slams on the breaks.
The car screeches to a stop, kicking up dirt and rocks all the way to the end. It parked inches away from the stone, mere inches away from an accident.
Instead of processing how close to death they just were, Zelda steps out of the car almost as if she were in a daze. “What is this place?”
Link watches as she easily walks past the stone, fingers lightly dancing on it, and stops right before the entrance. He sticks his head out the window. “Looks like an old building. Get back in the car! We’re going to be late!”
She doesn’t listen. “Looks like an entrance.”
Muttering under his breath, he steals one of her hair ties in the cup holder to throw his hair up in a loose ponytail, and he gets out of the car to stand next to her. Together in the woods, at a strange entrance they probably shouldn’t cross, the wind pushes at their backs. “The wind’s pulling us in.” His voice is soft, and he could understand what was so alluring to Zelda. Doesn’t mean he likes it, though.
She brings her hand up to put at the stone. “This building’s not old,” she says, “it’s fake. These stones are just made of plaster.” She easily meets his eyes. There was that signature look of curiosity and mischievousness that tended to make itself known when she had every intention to run off. “Come on. I wanna see what’s on the other side.”
“I’m not going in, it gives me the creeps!” Link blurts out as his cheeks dusted pink.
“Since when have you ever been a scaredy-cat, Link? It’s just a bit of exploring.”
Expectation sat heavy on his chest. The two of them had been inseparable since they were very young, one never straying far from the other. It certainly helped that both of their fathers worked together. No matter what, Zelda would wander off on her own beaten path and Link would never trail too far behind. Not once did he ever question her curiosity and rarely was he ever scared by the lengths she would go to satiate it.
This, however, was far too eerie.
She waits for him to come to his senses and agree, like he always would, but it never comes. “Your father will get to the house before we do.”It was a pathetic excuse. Seriously, where did his sense of adventure go?
“He has a key. He can start without us.”
The two stare at each other in a tense silence. Leaves rustle behind them as the wind pushes once more. Taking a deep breath, Link softly shakes his head. “I’m not going, Zel. Let’s just get back to the house.”
She rolls her eyes again, maybe today was gonna be the day they got stuck back there like her father always said. She was done trying to convince him, so she started walking forward. “Just wait in the car then, Link.”
He’s alone, with only a car full of junk and a mysterious stone at his back. Her footsteps are still audible–he still has time to change his mind.
Turning around, the stone was still staring at him with its all-knowing eye. Goosebumps travel up his arms and he couldn’t help but shiver. “W-wait for me!” His feet begin to carry him forward into the darkness of the entrance.
They walk shoulder to shoulder in silence down the dark hallway. Their footsteps echo throughout the entire building until they reach the main part.
Sunlight dances through stained glass, tinting the entire building in a golden light. Empty benches look old and decrepit and—
“Do you hear that?” Zelda said.
Barely, he could hear wheels speeding along tracks. “It sounds like a train.”
“There must be a station nearby. Let’s keep going.”
So they keep walking. Link looks behind him at the dark hallway they entered from. No longer could he see the car, or the stone, or even the afternoon sun. They walk into another windowless hallway.
This one is shorter and lit by daylight from the exit in front of them. As far as he could see was rolling hills with long, unmanageable grass.
They emerge from a looming clocktower. Just beyond the hills in front of them is a colorful scene of buildings. “I knew it!” Zelda says with a smile, wrapping an arm around his and pulling him towards it. “It’s an abandoned theme park, see? They built a bunch of them a while back but they all went bankrupt. This has to be one of them!”
He yanks his arm out of her grasp. “Where are you going? We looked, now let's go back.”
Once again she didn’t bother to listen to him, instead opting to march forward.
Link is more than ready to turn around right then and there, to head back to the car and drive himself to the new house. He would’ve if he wasn’t so startled by the clocktower above him. “The building just moaned.” He says loud enough for her to hear.
She chuckles and waves a dismissive hand. “It’s just the wind.”
Her steps didn’t slow down as he struggles to catch up once more. It’s only when she stops by a barrier of rocks was he able to stand by her side once again. “Looks like they were planning to put a river here.” She says before immediately perking up. “Do you smell that? Something smells delicious. Maybe this theme park is still in business.”
Scrambling up, she doesn’t even wait for Link to respond. He stands and watches her reach the stairs just past the rocks. “Come on, hurry up! I’m starving.”
If he was being honest, Link was starving too.
Not that he had any intentions of eating here. His appetite may not have disappeared at the anxiety pooling in his gut, but he would gladly push down that hunger.
Making his way across the rocks was a lot harder than Zelda made it seem. He almost fell on his face on two separate occasions before getting himself up onto stable land.
She is already about to turn the corner before he gets himself back onto two legs. With her nose leading her, she waves him on to move faster. “This way.”
The two wander on through the colorful streets, each one as empty as the last. He notices not a single one was an attraction of any sort that you would find at a theme park. They were all, “Restaurants? They’re all restaurants.”
Zelda hums before turning another corner. He wonders where any signs of life may be. It seems like not a single person had ever ventured through these streets.
A hand from the side alley drags him in. He stands nose to nose with Zelda, his worried gaze starkly contrasting her wide grin. “I found it. You have to see it, Link. It all looks so delicious.”
Turning on her heel, she disappears under an awning.
She wasn’t lying when she said it looked delicious because really, it looks heavenly. Certainly better than anything Link himself could’ve cooked in his little kitchen in Kakariko.
“Hello? Does anyone work here?”
“I don’t think we sho–”
“Y’know what? I’ll just get the bill when they get back. I do have Father’s credit card.”
He shakes his head as Zelda begins piling her plate with food. Once she has one of everything on her plate, she sits down and starts digging in. The second she sinks her teeth into whatever meat she had in her hands, her body relaxes with pleasure. “You have to try this, Link. It’s so tender.”
He huffs, wringing his wrists between his hands. “I don’t want any. We’re gonna get in trouble. Let’s just leave.”
She ignores him, again, continuing to eat to her heart's content. Only briefly did she acknowledge him when she shows him what looks to be some sort of fried frog, insisting that he would love it.
He shakes his head again.
Ever since entering the woods, Zelda had not cared for a single word that left Link’s mouth.
It wasn’t unusual for her to be much more outspoken than him, but never to this degree. He feels like an annoying child and quite frankly, he’s sick of it. So while she gorges herself, he turns and leaves the alleyway to figure out just what was up with this place.
There are large, traditional looking statues placed in between the stalls. Everything is so closely compacted, he couldn’t even imagine how it would look if there were people here.
With all the lanterns strung about, he couldn’t help but wonder how the area would glow come sundown—not that he wanted to see it. He wants to walk back with Zelda to her car and drive to the new house. He wants to meet back up with his parents and sulk about how he had to move away from Kakariko. He wants to leave.
A towering red bathhouse catches his attention as soon as he sees it. It isn’t the size or the color that keeps his eyes, no, it was the smoke pouring out of it. The way the sliding doors seem to rattle as if it were in use.
The bathhouse looks alive, like it was being used at that very moment.
His feet carry him forward onto a bridge.
Rumbling below tempts him to look down past the guardrail. A train speeds by, probably the same train he and Zelda heard in the clocktower.
He runs over to the other side of the bridge, chasing the train to see where it is headed. Just like that, the locomotive disappears down a tunnel, one he would never know the end location of.
Taking a step back, he meant to turn back towards the bathhouse. Taking a step back, he means to turn towards the bathhouse, and has every intention of exploring more, but rather he meets the piercing blue eyes of a boy just a year or two older than himself.
A small gasp escapes him.
The boy looks like any other hylian he’s ever seen, with the exception of the dark markings that seem seared into his skin. They look like they could be makeup from the Twilight era of history, only that certainly is not makeup on the boy’s cheeks and forehead.
“You shouldn’t be here. Get out of here, now.” The boy’s voice is gruff and as he pushes Link back off the bridge, the teen could only imagine just how strong this stranger was. He looks angry that Link was even there in the first place, which quite frankly made no sense. No one was here, why was he a problem?
And more so, why was he questioning whether or not he should leave when he had spent the entire time wanting so desperately to go home? A quiet, “What,” tumbles out of his mouth before he could stop it.
He is only met with a glare and furrowed eyebrows. “It’s almost night. Leave before it gets dark.” How did he not realize the twilight settling in as the sun set? His parents must be worried about him, he should leave at this very moment.
Only his legs wouldn’t work.
“They’re lighting the lamps.” It’s said with such urgency that it sends a shiver down his spine. Link is shoved back once more. “Get out of here! You’ve got to get across the river!” The stranger turns his back to him. “Go! I’ll distract them.”
He finally unfreezes himself from his spot, quickly walking backwards before taking off in a jog to find Zelda. Before he leaves completely, he sees black squares fade in and out of existence with the wind, almost dancing to a backwards sounding melody. Strange.
He couldn’t stop himself from thinking just how unusual that encounter was. Seriously, what was up with him?
Lights began turning on as the sun set further past the horizon. For a second he could swear there were shadowy figures everywhere, walking beside him in the streets. No, he needed to find Zelda and leave, not hallucinate weird creatures suddenly spawning with no forewarning.
“Zelda!” He calls out, retracing back to where she was left.
The alleyway where she sat is now practically glowing from all the lanterns. “Zel, come on! Quit eating, we gotta go!”
Where his friend once sat was a monstrous looking toad, ten times the size he had ever seen. Its skin was dry and warty and it continues to stuff its face even with the ruckus Link is causing.
Stepping closer, he notices how odd that this beast was even sitting there, eating. How odd that it sits on tattered blue shreds of fabric. How odd that it has familiar blonde hair. It sits where Zelda once sat too.
No.
His chest tightens and his breath speeds up. There’s absolutely no way. This doesn’t happen in real life. Friends don’t become monsters, there's no way. She must’ve made her way back to the car.
Yeah, that was logical and she was a smart girl.
He begins running through the streets shouting for her. The shadowy figures that he once could’ve tricked his mind into thinking were an illusion are so much more tangible now. As he weaves his way through the mass of beings on the verge of tears, he could feel just how cold the air around them is. He isn’t imagining this.
Only he is, he has to be imagining all of this.
Zelda had not made one sign that she was in the crowd. She had to be back at the car, right?
Against his better judgment, he continues to run down the stairs only to be met with, “Water?”
He stands waist deep in cold water where there wasn't any before, where there were rocks and rolling hills and—
He looks up.
Rather than seeing an old stone clocktower, across the water a vibrant looking town shines in the darkness. It wasn’t there before, what was happening?
Was this another memory thing? Surely it wasn’t. He hadn’t had a problem in a few years. There was no way his brain was playing tricks on him once more. This had to have been a bad dream.
Pulling himself out of the water, Link tries taking deep breaths to calm himself down. This was only a dream, there was no reason for him to be so upset. As soon as he calmed down, he would wake up. He just needs to breathe.
Link crouches down on the steps, gently rocking himself back and forth in order to self-soothe.
When his racing heart steadied, he looked back up. Everything was still the same, nothing was different. He looks down at his hands; he read somewhere once that you can’t count your fingers while you’re asleep. It was the only thing he could think of to prove that he was dreaming.
Ten fingers started back up at him, only they were now very much so see-through.
In fact his whole arm was see-through, and his feet.
Link shouts, stumbling backwards, completely unaware of the ship full of spirits that had docked and unloaded. He was so preoccupied with his own troubles, he didn’t even realize just how the world continued to ignore him.
So engulfed by fear, he does the only thing he could think of.
Run.