Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

What am I supposed to say at the beginning? Well... my life is actually pretty normal. No special events, nothing earth-shattering... just the usual stuff. Like any other teenager, I go to school, obviously. I'm 15, almost done with the ninth grade. High school is just around the corner, which I think is worth mentioning.

So, I'm nothing special, that much I can tell you. Although, there are a few things that set me apart from, let’s say, normal people.

Point number one: For some reason, I have pointed ears. Kind of like an elf, like you see in fantasy movies or fairy tale illustrations. For my family, this trait is normal, but not so much for others. I'm sure you'd agree. Unfortunately, this was a reason for bullying me for quite a while, but that's in the past. And hopefully, it stays there. Nowadays, I'm pretty well-liked, not overly popular, but I get along with most of my class. My unusual ears have become a sort of trademark, and in a strange way, I'm even proud of them. Who else can say they have such a distinctive physical feature?

Point number two: On the back of my left hand, I have a symbol. A golden triangle, which is made up of three smaller triangles. Maybe it's a birthmark. Some people call it a tattoo, which it obviously isn't. Honestly, I think there's way too much fuss made over it. So what? The birthmark on your neighbor's arm might look like Australia, but do you freak out about that?

Some people would describe me as "brave." I'm usually up for all sorts of crazy stuff and rarely hold back. At least, when it comes to action. My social skills aren't exactly the best, but hey, I manage. Besides, I really don't like being the center of attention. Being the talk of the day is NOT my thing at all.

Oh yeah, by the way, my name is Link.

Chapter Text

It was a day like any other. The oh-so-dreadful beeping of the alarm clock jerked me out of a restful sleep. I always had a hard time getting out of bed. Having to wake up at 5:30 every morning didn’t make it any easier. I was far from being a morning person!

Frustrated, I smacked the alarm clock to make it stop. Groaning and maybe a bit overly dramatic, I buried my face in my pillow. I didn’t want to get up—just five more minutes, please! But no matter how much I wanted to stay in bed, I had to drag myself out. Even though moving was incredibly hard and keeping my eyes open felt impossible. The bed was so cozy it was almost creepy, as if it wanted to hold me in its grasp! This damned, comatose half-sleep right after waking up. So, I stayed in bed a bit longer and had to struggle with myself to finally get up. I couldn’t afford to fall back asleep; otherwise, I’d be late for school again. I knew a few people who wouldn’t be pleased with that. Maybe, just maybe, I should think about going to bed earlier than 11 PM when I had school the next day.

“Link, get up already, you sleepyhead! If you oversleep again, you’ll be in trouble, you hear me?!”

My uncle’s voice was the saving grace, the final push that got me out of bed. I cautiously got out, rubbed my tired eyes, and yawned heartily. A bit of morning stretching didn’t hurt, just to wake up a bit more effectively. Shuffling to the dresser, where I always laid out my clothes the night before, I chose my outfit for the day: jeans with a brown belt and a black t-shirt. Simple, plain, and not eye-catching. Exactly my style. I didn’t need anything more flashy.

I dragged myself into the bathroom and splashed cold, refreshing water on my face. It was truly helpful in trying to wake up properly. A glance in the mirror above the sink showed that it had worked—my blue eyes were no longer as sleepy and dull as before.

Quickly, I ran my fingers through my light blonde hair, which I thought was enough to make it look decent, before grabbing my backpack and heading down the stairs to my uncle. My uncle, whose name was Tom, was already waiting for me and grinning mischievously. His look was so provocative, as if he were pleading for me to punch him in the face. But sure, why not...!

He handed me a breakfast bag. Oh, how generous! Normally, I had to put together my own school lunch.

“Have you looked at the time?” he barked at me. “You need to get going, it’s damn late!”

“Oh, crap! Uh, thanks for the food! I’ll head out now.” I hastily took the bag and shoved it into my backpack.

“See you later, Link. And don’t you dare fall asleep in class!”

“I won’t,” I replied with a crooked smile and rushed out of the house, quickly slipping into white sneakers and a gray jacket. I was leaving without breakfast or an energy drink! How was I going to make it through the first two periods? Maybe there was still time to make a quick stop at the nearby kiosk…?

You might be wondering why I live with my uncle and not my parents. Don’t worry, they aren’t the kind of parents who abandoned me or had their custody taken away. No, I just never got to meet them. My father died before I was born, and my mother shortly after. My uncle kindly adopted me and took me in. Since then, I’ve lived with him, and he took really good care of me. He treated me more like his nephew than his son, which was actually what I preferred. Although I wouldn’t have minded meeting my biological parents, but that just wasn’t possible.

As soon as I opened the door, I was almost overwhelmed by the noise of honking cars. City life certainly has its downsides. The noise pollution was a huge drawback. Sometimes it was truly unbearable.

Outside, two of my buddies, Jan and Luke, were already waiting. Our way to school was pretty much the same, so we occasionally walked together, even though I wasn’t really in the mood for company that morning.

“What’s taking you so long, elf-head, huh?” Jan asked me. His grin was VERY provocative, his brown eyes staring intently. Chill out, my dude.

Elf-head, the most childish nickname ever, which I probably wouldn’t be rid of anytime soon. But no one meant it in a bad way. At least, I hoped so. I didn’t respond, as usual. I skillfully pulled my phone out of my pocket, plugged in my headphones, and looked forward to being enveloped by music. A break from social obligations, hooray! Well, it was really needed right now. Really. Don’t get me wrong, I like the guys, but early in the morning, I just wanted some peace and quiet. Especially since my exhaustion was making me a bit grumpy.

Both of them rolled their eyes in amusement and chatted away. They knew me well enough to understand that I couldn’t handle morning conversations. I was grateful for that.

So, as mentioned, it was a day like any other.
But soon enough, my interest was piqued when I overheard Jan say, “Dude, that girl’s coming to our class today!”

“Oh, right,” Luke said. “I hope she’s hot.”

“Haha, yeah, man!”

That got my attention because I had somehow missed this news. I pulled one earphone out to hear them better and asked, “What girl?”

Luke smacked his forehead in an exaggerated reaction and tried not to laugh. He found it quite amusing that I had missed something again.

He said, “Dude, you’re not paying attention at all! We’ve talked about this so many times!”

Jan added, “Yeah, but we don’t know her name yet. And what she looks like? No clue.”

“Right, there was something about that…” I said thoughtfully. I could vaguely remember something about it, but the information wasn’t very clear in my mind.

My seat was all the way in the back. It’s said that only the cool kids sit in the last row. And even though I would never call myself cool, I couldn’t deny that this seat was actually quite cool. Distractions and small mischief in class were hardly noticed by the teacher from the front. It made those sometimes torturous lessons a bit easier to endure.

I plopped down in my chair and tossed my backpack carelessly on the floor. The classroom was, as usual, a complete mess. So much for that so-called cleanliness patrol. But with Ingo and Ben in charge, it was doomed anyway. The board was covered in scribbles, there were scraps of paper scattered everywhere on the floor, and chairs were randomly placed around.

I didn’t have a seatmate. We were 29 students in the class, so someone had to be without a partner. That was me, of course. But, to be honest, I had actually volunteered for it. Sitting alone had so many advantages! Not only did I have much more space, but I was never disturbed. And group work became trio work with me. Way more fun guaranteed.

That day, English was first on the schedule. I wasn’t particularly good at it, but it could have been worse. Our English teacher, Mrs. Clarence, who was also our homeroom teacher, walked in precisely at the bell and stood upright in front of us. She was accompanied by a girl. Was she the one Jan and Luke had mentioned?

She was really, really pretty, without exaggerating. I was almost breathless; it was crazy! She wore a black beanie with the words “Bad Hairday” stitched in white. She wore black Chucks, very tight light blue jeans that highlighted some areas, and a pink top peeking out from under her leather jacket. She carried a beige handbag. Her smooth, golden blonde hair fell just past her waist and was styled forward. Her eyes were seductively large and sky-blue, her lips small and light pink, and her face had a little upturned nose. She exuded a certain self-assurance but was also visibly shy.

So cute! I thought.

Others seemed to feel the same way; she was practically devoured by looks. And did I see a hint of envy on the girls’ faces? Man, I hoped there wouldn’t be any drama. That would be so unnecessary!

Mrs. Clarence put on her typical friendly smile; her hair was styled up as usual. Her look was unmistakably that of a teacher: wide jeans with a black belt, a white blouse neatly tucked into her pants, and flat black shoes. Her eyes were ice blue, hovering over us like a hawk. Nothing escaped her notice. You definitely didn’t want to try cheating during a test in her class; you’d quickly find yourself with a failing grade. Not even my back-row privilege could counteract that. And yes, I speak from experience.

We all stood up. “Good morning, class,” she greeted us.

“Good morning, Mrs. Clarence,” we responded in unison, as always. I still didn’t understand why a simple “Hello” without all the standing up wasn’t sufficient. Especially since there were certainly more interesting things going on! But oh well, who was I to judge?

“Sit down, please,” she said, freeing us from the standing ordeal. A few seconds of standing up and sitting back down—hurrah, how fun. That’s what I call productivity. Anyway, almost everyone continued to stare at the girl, which seemed to make her increasingly uncomfortable. No wonder, I could totally relate.

Our teacher said, “As most of you have probably noticed, our class is gaining a new member today.” Laughter erupted, and even the girl giggled a little herself. For real, so damn cute.

Mrs. Clarence turned to the girl and asked, “Well, could you please introduce yourself briefly?”

She nodded and smiled at the class. My heart was about to explode; how could anyone be so cute? Calm down, Link, chill out.

The girl spoke, and I could swear it was the voice of a goddess. Get a grip, damn it!

She said, “Well, my name is Zelda, I’m 15 years old, and I recently moved here with my father. I hope we’ll get along well.”

I hope so too, I thought almost immediately. But Zelda… that name sounded strangely familiar.

After finishing her introduction, she turned back to the teacher, waiting for a response. Mrs. Clarence cleared her throat and said, “Alright, Zelda. Please take a seat next to Link back there, the spot is still free.”

Shit, I thought. Was that good or bad? Suddenly I was totally nervous. I hoped she wouldn’t notice! God, this was so embarrassing!

Zelda nodded and walked straight towards me.

Don’t panic, I thought. Just a NORMAL girl.

She sat down next to me and whispered softly, “Hello.”

I tried hard to appear casual and calm, leaning back in my chair and stretching out my legs. But for crying out loud, it probably looked so ridiculous! I felt stiff, and the position I had taken was definitely not natural.

In a thin, almost squeaky voice, I replied, “Hello.” She giggled, and I would have preferred to sink into the floor.

I couldn’t concentrate at all throughout the whole lesson. My thoughts were entirely on her.

What the hell is wrong with me? I thought over and over, trying not to make my sneaky glances too obvious. The only way to clear my head seemed to be a slap in the face, but of course, I couldn’t do that.

When would the lesson finally end? It felt like an eternity, and the intervals at which I checked the time on the clock became shorter and shorter. With every second, I grew a bit more tense. I could only pray that my face wasn’t turning red.

Then finally, the bell rang. Mrs. Clarence said goodbye and left the classroom. Five minutes break, very good. That gave me a bit more room to breathe. I did so immediately, discreetly of course.

Zelda’s and my eyes met, and she smiled at me shyly. Her English books were already stowed in her handbag. Her hands rested in her lap. That’s when I noticed the large bandage on her left palm.

“Um… what happened there?” I asked, making a desperate attempt to start a conversation. With the dumbest question ever. I couldn’t believe I asked that first! I’m such an idiot!

“Oh, this?” she asked, holding up her hand.

“Nothing special, really. I cut myself pretty deeply a few days ago, a very clumsy accident while cooking. I’ll probably have to wear it for a while, according to my doctor, so…” She laughed softly, and I joined in. Hopefully, she didn’t notice how nervous and tense I was.

The ensuing, awkward silence was unbearable. Couldn’t someone break it? And if lightning struck the school, at least it would be something we could focus on! Anything was better than this. I glanced around the class for help, but no one came over to talk to the new student. Were they too shy or what? They were probably gossiping!

Meanwhile, Zelda was scrutinizing me quite thoroughly. That made me even more nervous. Her gaze eventually settled on my tattoo. Her eyes widened quite a bit. I hoped she didn’t think I was some weird guy who got tattoos at 15. Maybe even someone who smoked a pack of cigarettes after another and got drunk at every party? Oh, so help me, hopefully she did not think that!

She asked, looking visibly confused, “Where did you get that?” Her eyes wandered back to my face.

“Uh…” I said, a bit overwhelmed. I couldn’t think clearly and wasn’t sure how to answer best.

I stammered a bit, “Well, um… I’ve had this since I was born. No idea where it comes from, really. A birthmark, I guess?”

I tried to ease my tension by laughing.

“Oh,” Zelda commented, not really joining in the laughter. Somehow, she seemed lost in thought. Why? Was she disappointed with my answer? Or maybe she didn’t believe me?

Suddenly, she said, “Would… would you like to meet up with me later? After class, I mean. I’m new here and would appreciate it if you could tell me a bit about the school and show me around.”

“Uh,” I said. Okay, that was more than unexpected. Her question came across so shy and unsure, how could I even think of saying no? And of course, I was thrilled that she asked me. Maybe this was the chance to get to know each other in peace. Maybe we could even become friends!

I replied, “Sure, I’d love to meet up with you.”

Chapter Text

Finally, there it was—the school bell that signaled the end of the school day. It was Friday, so the weekend was just around the corner. Happily, I slung my backpack over my shoulders and waited for Zelda to finish up. She grabbed her bag, slung it over her shoulder, and smiled at me, just as she had been doing all day. I returned the smile, and together we set off to leave the building.

The others eyed us with wide eyes and broad grins. I was sure someone said, "Ooh, something's going on there," with a stupid smirk on their face. If I had known who it was, I would have told them exactly what I thought—using my fist. But I didn't want to come across as a brainless thug in front of Zelda, so I ignored them and followed her with an exaggeratedly proud stride, just to provoke them a little. I topped it off with a slightly cheeky smile.

After we left the school grounds, Zelda led me away from the other students and straight into a rather lonely alley. At first, I didn’t really think about what this place meant, not least because I’d never been here before, and I followed her until she abruptly stopped.

She turned to me, her eyes sparkling. "Could you maybe... come with me now?" she asked in a voice that was almost choking.

I looked into her eyes kindly and replied, "Of course. My uncle isn't too strict about this sort of thing. He trusts me. I actually thought we were already on our way to your place; my home is in the opposite direction."

Zelda looked at me, relieved. "Then follow me."

She entered the alley, which was a bit darker inside than outside, but that made sense—after all, it was an alley. You wouldn’t expect bright sunshine here, even in the height of summer. It was still pleasantly warm, though. I kept following Zelda, waiting for us to reach the end. We walked through the rather narrow passage for about ten minutes until we reached the exit. Why was the way so long? Anyway, after we left the alley, Zelda closed a door that blocked the exit of this gloomy path.

I opened my eyes wide and looked around in astonishment. I had by no means expected such a large estate. The area was vast, as if it had no end! It seemed to be surrounded by a huge, gray wall. Damn, how long did that wall have to be? And when exactly was it built? Was this even possible in a big city like this? Lush green grass grew on the ground, and small, colorful flowers speckled the green like little splashes of paint. A small treehouse made of the most beautiful wood was set up a bit farther away. On the other side of the property stood a huge villa, built from the finest, gleaming white marble. It looked like a tiny palace. Enormous windows adorned the building, flawless, without scratches, stains, or anything. In the middle was a sort of lake, or more like a pond, with crystal-clear water—so clear I would have drunk from it. There was even a small fountain. The sun shone on the water, making it sparkle beautifully. In the center of the pond stood a huge statue of a woman made of white stone. She held a kind of harp aloft and wore a serious expression. I simply couldn’t find the words to describe all this. It seemed almost... magical.

"Do you live here?" I asked Zelda, full of admiration and great astonishment, but also slight disbelief.

She lowered her head a bit, embarrassed. "Yes, this is my home. It’s not that special."

 "Are you kidding? It’s beautiful here. I’d move in immediately," I replied with a slightly amused tone, though the wonder in my voice was still evident.

"Yeah, yeah, stop it. You're going to make me blush. Come on, we’ll have some peace and quiet up in the treehouse."

I nodded and followed her, even though I thought it would be even nicer by the pond, but a treehouse had its own charm too.

She gestured for me to climb the ladder first, which I immediately did. Once I reached the top, I opened the floor hatch and climbed into the small structure. Even inside, it looked simply stunning. Small, cozy armchairs and cushions were scattered on the floor, and a small table stood in the middle, so small that you had to kneel to use it—chairs wouldn’t make any sense. Zelda followed and sat down on one of the cushions. With her right hand, she tapped the cushion next to her, indicating that I should sit there. I nodded in agreement and settled down on the soft seat.

Her expression darkened a bit as she looked at my tattoo.

"I... I have something to show you," she whispered softly.

I looked at her, a little puzzled. "Oh yeah? And what is it?"

Slightly trembling, she raised her hand to her hat and carefully took it off. She placed it on the floor and tucked her hair behind her left ear.

What I saw made my eyes widen. "You... you also have..."

She nodded. "Yes, I have ears like yours too. My father has them as well, but he told me not to show them in public. It could cause problems or attract unwanted attention."

I stared at her, confused. How could that cause problems? Ears were still just ears, whether they were pointed or not. "But I show mine all the time. I was teased a bit for it in the past, but that’s long over now."

Zelda shook her head helplessly and looked at me sadly. This expression didn’t suit her at all, this sadness and helplessness. I felt an extreme urge to hug her right here and now, but I held myself back.

"I don’t know. I’ve never met anyone else with ears like these. I hoped you might know something..."

I looked even more confused now, and probably a lot dumber too—I was pretty sure of that. Did she want to meet up with me just because of this? I didn’t like that thought much, so I quickly dismissed it.

"But that’s not all..." she said after a short while, raising her left hand. I already had a feeling about what she was going to show me, and I almost held my breath. Carefully, she removed the bandage, revealing a sort of symbol. My eyes widened again; somehow, I couldn’t really believe it despite my suspicion. I then looked at my left hand, switching my gaze back and forth for comparison.

"You have the same thing as me..." What is happening right now?

She nodded. "I’m sorry I didn’t tell the truth, but there were too many others at school. I didn’t want them to find out."

That made sense. But always walking around with a bandage? Sooner or later, that would get noticed, right?

"And do you maybe know what it means?" I asked her.

Zelda shook her head, looking even more disappointed. That didn’t last long, though; shortly after, she put on a cheerful expression again. "But I think I might know where we can find an answer. My father has a very old book. The same symbol is on the cover. He explicitly forbade me to read it, but I can’t and won’t wait any longer. I have to know."

Without waiting for my response, she jumped up and headed for the exit. "Wait, I’ll be right back."

And then she was gone. Still very confused, I lowered my gaze and kept staring at my tattoo.

Sure, I had always wanted to know what this thing was all about, even though I had already come to terms with it. But above all, I was glad to have met someone who had the same traits as me, traits I had always thought were unique, traits that had made me think I was the only one. Traits that sometimes made me feel so damn lonely. So maybe… I wasn’t that alone after all.

Chapter Text

My gaze brightened slightly as the floor panel moved and Zelda climbed back into the treehouse. She was back quicker than I had expected. And her smile was wider than ever before. Almost radiant.

She sat back on her cushion and placed the thick book with the brown cover at our feet. It was adorned with the same golden symbol that Zelda and I bore on the backs of our hands, just as she had told me. With large, glowing, and curious eyes, Zelda gazed at the piece of writing, and my heart began to beat a little faster with excitement. What might be written in there? Could it really hold answers to everything I could never explain?

I looked into Zelda's eyes, and she returned my gaze. "Shall we?" she asked.

Cautiously, I nodded and watched as she slowly opened the first page. Zelda read aloud in a gentle voice.

"A long time ago, when our Earth did not yet exist, three goddesses roamed the cold and empty universe—the Goddess of Courage, Farore; the Goddess of Wisdom, Nayru; and the Goddess of Power, Din. Their goal was to create a whole new world with its own unique characteristics—a habitable planet with numerous creatures and a unique environment.

Din began and set the first great stone in motion. With her fiery breath and flaming arms, she created the bedrock on which this world would be built. Nayru continued the work and endowed this world with the gift of wisdom, determining all the laws of physics; all logic originates from her hand. The final task was entrusted to Farore. She was ultimately the one who created all forms of existence: plants, animals, insects. She also created intelligent life forms that could evolve and would constitute the majority of the population.

The Gorons—the people of fire and a proud community—she sent to the mountains. The Zoras—beings of water—she allowed to inhabit the seas and rivers. The Deku—the wooden forest people—were to dwell in the woods. Humans, made in their own image, were tasked with traveling the rest of the world and finding their own place to live. Unlike today, most of them had pointed ears and were endowed with magic. Only a few possess these traits today."

Zelda let her voice drop and looked at me. She had ears like those described, just as I did.

"But... but why do so few have this trait anymore?" I asked cautiously.

"I don't know. I suppose it might be written here somewhere. What I'd be more interested in is what happened to all the other beings. Like the Gorons, for example."

I nodded in agreement. What could have happened to them? Was what was written in the book true, or was it just a made-up story? And if all of this was actually true, how was it that I had never heard of any of it? The creation stories I knew were all entirely different, although I wasn't really religious and didn't particularly believe in any of them. And as she mentioned, I also wondered about the fate of the other creatures described. Surely there should be some trace of them; why were they so completely unknown?

Zelda flipped through a few more pages. "There's something here about other beings."

"Oh yeah? Read it," I asked her. Even though I was a bit sceptical, I was very interested in the content of the book.

"Alright. In very ancient times, there were still many other inhabitants, who, however, became extinct over time. An example would be the ancient water people, the Parakwa. At least, nothing more is known about them; no one has heard of them for ages. Some other immortal beings have transformed and changed... There's more about humans here. The most important human race was the Hylians; they were the ones who had the pointed ears. They lived in the kingdom of Hyrule, the most important land of ancient times. A shadow people served the royal family, the Sheikah. But they were betrayed by the royal family and nearly became extinct over time, with only a few survivors remaining... How old is this book? If this is true, it could mean that such Sheikah still exist today."

"Hmm..." I didn't know what to say. The whole story sounded so unreal to me.

"Oh, here's something important!" Zelda said, a bit more excitedly than before. "I think it’s something about the symbol on our hands. Wait, I'll read it... After the work of the goddesses was completed, they left one last gift to their world. A divine artifact that even they could not access. It consists of three fragments: the Fragment of Power, the Fragment of Courage, and the Fragment of Wisdom. They called it the Triforce. It holds the power to grant any wish, regardless of the convictions in the heart of the one who makes the wish. However, the qualities of the artifact must be in balance within the wishbearer, or it will shatter into its three fragments. The one who made the wish is then given the fragment that embodies the virtue they most represent, while the others seek a bearer who is most worthy of embodying their respective qualities..."

"That would mean we carry such a fragment in us… right?"

Zelda turned the page but was surprised to find that the following pages were all blank. She flipped through it frantically, but the front pages were also no longer written on, as if a magical eraser had wiped them all clean.

"What is this? How is that possible?" she asked, confused, more to herself than to me.

"Beats me…” I replied nonetheless.

Carefully, Zelda closed the book and placed it on the floor. I stared at her with my mouth slightly open, waiting for her reaction.

"At least now we know a little more," she said, managing a cheerful smile. I wasn’t sure if I agreed. I felt more like I was hit by a shit-ton of bricks. I did not understand a thing. Why did she remain so calm?

"And now... let’s get something to eat. I'm hungry."

That surprised me even more. First, she was disappointed because the book was, for some reason, blank, and then she wanted to eat? I must have looked very confused because Zelda covered her mouth with her hand and began to giggle softly before getting up from her place. Not sure what to do, I also stood up and followed her.

Zelda opened the trapdoor and climbed down the ladder. She called up to me from below and then ran into the house. I watched her contentedly and was about to follow her when I heard by a dull sound behind me. I turned around slowly and saw that the book, for some reason, was open. It had somehow opened by itself. I was unsure but decided to approach the book and take a closer look. After all, books couldn't open by themselves; this had to mean something. I knelt down in front of it and looked at one of the blank pages.

My eyes widened, partly in amazement, partly in shock, as I saw what happened next. Letters suddenly appeared on the book, as if written by a ghostly hand. They formed words, and with those words, entire, more or less detailed sentences formed.

"Link..." was written there first. In disbelief, I leaned forward and eventually picked up the book, frowning in disbelief.

"Chosen One... Descendant of the legendary heroes... you are the only one who can stop it."

My mouth hung open after these few lines had formed.

"W-what?" I stammered, staring at the open book. How was this possible?

"But before you can fulfil your destiny, you must first learn where you come from and who you really are. You must learn of the lost stories and experience them firsthand."

After these words, the writing disappeared, and the book was once again just a cover with blank pages. I stood frozen in place for what felt like an eternity, but I eventually regained my composure and flipped through the book a little. There was nothing strange to be found.

"Great, now I’m losing it." I said to myself quietly and chuckled to ease myself a bit. I closed the book and decided to head to Zelda; she was probably already wondering what was taking me so long. Just as I was about to put the book down, the book opened itself again and flipped through the pages at a rapid pace on its own, blowing a gentle breeze in my face until it began to disintegrate. I didn’t really realize what had happened. I just stood there, frozen. How is this...?

Only a kind of golden dust, floating in the air, remained. Completely bewildered and speechless, I stared at it and felt an inexplicable urge to reach out to it. It had no substance; I couldn't feel anything, and it had no smell. Even as I held my hand in it, I couldn’t detect any significant difference from the feeling of ordinary air. But I couldn't move from the spot; it didn’t even occur to me to leave. Hypnotized, I watched the dance of the golden dust around my hand. In a way, I was fascinated by this spectacle. You could even say I was playing with the stuff.

But suddenly, it froze in the air. I blinked a few times and managed to break free from my trance-like state. Slowly, I withdrew my hand and blinked, unable to believe what had happened a few seconds ago. I stood still for what felt like an eternity; with the freezing of the golden dust, time also seemed to stand still.

Everything that happened afterward occurred so quickly that I had no time to react. With a far too superhuman speed, the dust flew toward my face, straight into my eyes. Yes, INTO them. I let out a pained groan; for a moment, it burned terribly in my eyes.

But just as quickly as it had happened, it was over. It was as if nothing had happened. Had that really just happened, or...?

Uncertain, I touched my eyes, but couldn’t detect any kind of change. At that moment, I would have liked to have a mirror to check more closely, just to be sure. But there wasn’t one here in the treehouse. I took a few cautious steps back, and my body spontaneously decided to shake itself all over. Well, the thought that something unknown had flown into my body was pretty creepy. I actually felt a little sick.

“No one’s going to believe this,” I whispered, exaggerating my tone to cover up my confusion and disbelief, and then I left the treehouse.

Arriving at Zelda’s huge villa, I once again looked around in amazement. The entrance hall was adorned with a giant chandelier, and the floor must have been made of the most expensive marble. A red carpet with golden fringes was laid out in the center of the room, and the walls were decorated with pictures of this ‘Triforce’ and family portraits. How could anyone live in a place like this? It was simply incredible!

Zelda stood at the end of the room and gave me a slightly crooked smile. “Don’t be so amazed. It’s not that great,” she said.

Not that great? Well, then what did she consider great? Rivers of chocolate and houses made of gingerbread?

“Where have you been so long? You look a little pale…” she said, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I looked pale? No wonder, after what had just happened. Unfortunately, I couldn’t tell her about it; she would never believe me.

“I was... nothing important. I’m sorry.”

“Oh? Well, if you say so. Let’s go to my room, where we can talk in peace.”

I was a bit relieved that she didn’t press further, nodded, and followed her.

But something was really strange. Every now and then, on that short walk, I had little dizzy spells. Where did those come from all of a sudden? Once, I even had to stop and hold my head to avoid just collapsing. Zelda asked me worriedly if I was okay. I just kept nodding and following her, though I was sure she didn’t believe me. And yeah, I felt really awful, and I couldn’t figure out why it was happening all of a sudden. I hadn’t been seriously sick in years, so how was it that on such a short walk, I had nearly lost consciousness several times, and now I was even starting to feel extremely nauseous?

When we arrived in Zelda’s room, there was no time for me to take a look around. Suddenly, everything before my eyes began to blur, and the dizziness grew heavier; I couldn’t keep them open any longer. I had the feeling that the golden dust was to blame for my worsening condition—I couldn’t explain it any other way. But that was unimportant for now. The last thing I noticed was hitting the floor. Then I became completely unaware of my surroundings, and darkness enveloped me.

Chapter Text

I awoke heavily. The ground beneath me had been hard, definitely not a suitable place to sleep. I stretched generously, trying to relax my stiff neck while letting out a hearty yawn, though I still kept my eyes closed. After a short while, when I felt a bit more awake, I cautiously opened them. But somehow, I had a bad feeling about this...

Startled, I reflexively gasped for air and held my breath. I felt my heartbeat suddenly accelerate, and my eyes must have been as wide as car tires.

For whatever reason, I wasn't in Zelda's room. Instead, I found myself in a place I had never seen before. It seemed to be some kind of vast steppe, with dried-up grass and rotting trees.

How had I gotten here, and what was this place? The shock was deep, and at first, I was unable to move; I couldn't grasp the situation. I was completely alone in a desolate, vast landscape... how could this be? Had I been kidnapped? Perhaps by Zelda...? No, why would she do such a thing? It simply made no sense.

Eventually, I couldn't think of any better solution than to run. My legs started moving, picking up speed, and carried me forward along a long path. The barren landscape rushed past me and blurred before my eyes as tears suddenly welled up in them. I closed my eyes and wiped away the salty wetness before opening them again.

Damn it, everything looked the same everywhere! It felt like I was running in place. I really did feel like crying, which ultimately made me feel like a big loser. I was usually the type to look for solutions and ways out. But this situation was completely different, alien, the kind no one would wish upon themselves. But there I was, in the middle of nowhere, everything seemed destroyed, and I was all alone. There wasn't a single soul in sight, not even an animal or an insect to be found. Everything seemed dead.

I kept running, doing nothing else for what felt like an eternity. How long had I been running? Well, at least long enough to run out of breath and develop a sharp side stitch. But I didn't let that deter me; I had to ignore it. If I stopped, the chances of finding help or an exit would be zero; if I kept going, I at least had a sliver of a chance to learn something about where I was. I mean, at some point something noticeable had to come up, right?

Eventually, it became too much for me. I couldn't run any longer, my energy was completely depleted, and the side stitch was killing me. I abruptly stopped and bent forward, resting one hand on my knees while clutching my aching side with the other.

"Shit," I cursed, breathing heavily. What wouldn't I give for a sip of water... but there wasn't even a puddle to be found, no stream in sight, and certainly no river.

After a while, I managed to calm down, considering the circumstances. My breathing returned to normal, and I was able to stand upright without any further issues. I continued on my way, but this time I decided not to run. Instead, I walked at a leisurely pace, taking a closer look at my surroundings.

Unfortunately, there wasn't much to see. It was clear, at least, that this must have been a beautiful place at some point; I just had that feeling. What had happened here to leave everything so destroyed and... ugly?

I stopped again, but this time there was actually a reason that briefly brought me some joy. Not far from me, I could actually see someone. And it wasn't just one person; quite a few people were gathered in one spot. Strangely enough, it was the only idyllic, almost unbelievably beautiful place in the entire vast landscape.

Suppressing a cry of joy, I began running again, straight towards the gathering of people. But the closer I got, the worse I felt about it. I had the impression that the people were afraid of something; their faces were as pale as a white wall, which I could already make out fairly fair away, and some were trembling like leaves. The children among them were crying, their mothers holding them tightly in their arms, and some men stood protectively in front of them, though even they couldn't hide their panic, despite their best efforts. I slowed my pace, but still wanted to approach them, to find out what was going on here and what kind of place this was.

Then I noticed the strange creatures gathered around the people. I immediately stopped. They looked so peculiar that I couldn't really describe them; there were far too many of them. More and more were coming from a distance, and there were certainly far more of them than there were people. Some looked as big as boulders, others like land fish, some seemed like living stuffed animals, and there were even a few robots or whatever? Were they the reason for the people's fear? I mean, I couldn't blame them.

I quickly realized that they weren't the main issue. These creatures could apparently speak. I was too far away to understand what they were saying, but their mouths were moving, and their facial expressions suggested that they were speaking reassuring words. After staring for a while, I couldn't stand the pointless waiting any longer and wanted to join the crowd to finally ask what exactly was going on here and what kind of strange place this was. But I held back when suddenly everyone fell silent, and a woman stepped into the crowd. She was wearing a floor-length white robe, her hair was the color of shining gold, dancing majestically in the light breeze, framing her face—she was, in short, beautiful (and seemed to bear some resemblance to Zelda...).

In her hand, she carried a small harp that radiated golden light. The entire crowd fell silent and stared at her. She waved once, and as if on cue, the creatures slowly moved away from the people. With confidence and a steady gaze, she nodded to the panicked crowd. The people began to cautiously nod back, one after another, and held hands with each other.

The woman smiled tiredly but still warmly and kindly, and she lifted her harp heroically into the air. My eyes widened again at the sight; what the hell was even happening?! It seemed absolutely impossible, but the woman had to be the exact same person as the statue in Zelda's garden. She resembled it down to the smallest detail, except that she wasn't made of stone but was very much alive.

The glowing harp in her hand began to shine like crazy, illuminating the entire surroundings. It was so bright that I was sure my eyes would melt on the spot if I looked directly into it. At the same time, the earth began to tremble, and I feared that the ground beneath my feet would split open and eat me alive. Unfortunately, there was nothing around to hold onto, which resulted in the tremors causing me to fall and hit the ground hard, naturally headfirst. I was really lucky not to have seriously injured myself, but it still hurt like hell, and I couldn't help but let out a cry.

Slowly and cautiously, I held the aching spot on my head, already fearing it might have split open. The wounded area throbbed terribly, but nothing worse seemed to have happened. A glance at my hand confirmed this assumption—no blood was visible. A little relieved, I carefully pushed myself up, though I couldn't help but groan in the process because, even if there was no serious injury, my head was pounding like crazy. For a brief moment, my sense of balance was almost nonexistent, and I nearly fell down again if I hadn’t managed to catch myself.

I still held my head, gritting my teeth a little to make the pain more bearable, while at the same time, I followed the events in front of me. I just wanted to know exactly what was going on, who this woman was, what these strange creatures were, and everything else.

Huge cracks formed in the ground around the crowd of people, and massive amounts of dust were stirred up into the air. Reflexively, I held my right hand protectively in front of my face to avoid getting anything in my eyes. For a moment, I couldn’t see anything significant, as the dust spread before me like a thick fog. When it was finally possible to recognize things somewhat clearly again, my jaw dropped wide open.

The piece of earth on which the crowds of people had gathered was floating in the air and slowly moving toward the sky.

Land was floating in the air, and terrified people were being catapulted into the sky! I almost fell over again from surprise—this was simply… impossible?

The woman nodded once with satisfaction and watched her "work" for some time until it was only recognizable as a small dot in the sky, then she finally turned around. The strange beings around her followed suit, all looking straight ahead with serious expressions. I, on the other hand, remained in my position for a while longer, staring in disbelief as the floating land, along with the many people, continued to rise faster toward the sky. It really didn’t take long from that point until nothing could be seen anymore. Only the massive crater in the ground was a reminder that something had happened here.

By now, I had completely forgotten my pain. My eyes were bigger than ever, and I had the dumbest expression on my face, I was sure of that. With growing nervousness, I followed the gaze of the woman and the creatures, straight toward a dark, fog-like cloud. It seemed to keep expanding, growing larger, almost as if it was about to devour the entire landscape. Now where did that come from? How did I miss this?

I squinted my eyes to focus on what was happening further away when I saw even more strange creatures making their way through the cloud to freedom. It seemed to me that they were deliberately charging in my direction. With raised weapons—swords, clubs, bows and arrows, morning stars, spears, and much more—more and more of them came running out of the cloud. Some of these monsters bore a certain resemblance to pigs, at least that’s how it seemed to me, but among them were many other, partly indefinable figures. More and more of them came rushing out of the giant fog—undead skeletons, zombie-like beings, giant birds, dinosaur-like monsters, and more.

The beings around the woman—who appeared much friendlier to me than the newcomers—charged at the monsters with loud roars and attacked them with all their might. It was one huge, bloody massacre. When one of these monsters was killed, it evaporated, releasing purple smoke, while the other creatures collapsed lifelessly, their bodies remaining on the ground.

At any moment, my heart was going to stop, I was almost certain of that, as fast as it was already beating… this couldn’t be healthy. The events unfolding before me were simply too gruesome for me. Was this really real? I didn’t want to look, but I couldn’t move from my spot either. As if the shock had shot through me, paralyzing everything that is usually mobile.

My gaze almost automatically shifted to the dark fog. I wasn’t a hundred percent sure, but I was convinced I had seen a shadow in the cloud, much larger than any of the individual monsters on the battlefield. I moved toward it as if on autopilot, yet still maintaining a small safe distance.

Deep inside, I wished that this shadow was not a monster, but just a figment of my imagination. But of course, I was completely wrong about that. A gigantic beast stepped out of the fog, causing the earth to tremble with every step it took. It was at least five meters tall, very muscular, and covered in a skin of scales that seemed as strong as the hardest metal. The hair—if you could even call it that—seemed to be made of fire, flickering around its head. In its hand, it carried a huge, black, jagged sword. I was absolutely certain that it could slice and crush anything. The monster had a smile on its face that reflected pure bloodlust. Almost with fascination and even joy, perhaps amusement, it watched the "spectacle."

The woman stepped into view, making her way through the slaughter without anything happening to her. She stared expressionlessly at the giant monster and continued to approach it with slow, deliberate steps. With each step, she shone brighter in a dazzling, golden light. She once again raised her hand, still holding the harp firmly.

As she walked, the instrument dissolved into thin air and instead transformed into a sword made of the finest metal, which seemed to shimmer slightly. With astonishment, even full admiration, but also panic-stricken fear, I watched as she suddenly grew exponentially until she was roughly eye-level with the giant monster.

Amused, it watched her and made no effort to stop her, yet it assumed a combat stance, holding its sword tightly in one fist. The woman drew her sword with force, yet still elegantly, and both swords clashed together, the impact causing a massive shockwave that almost knocked me off my feet.

I wanted to run away; my innermost self was screaming at me, urging me to get as far away from there as possible, but I simply couldn’t move. Like a statue, I remained frozen in place, unable to tense even a single muscle.

But then the scene before me blurred, without any warning.

Over time, another image took shape. I was in the same place as before, but a completely different, dark, and empty atmosphere prevailed. Countless dead bodies were scattered on the ground. Much of it was on fire. The air was filled with the smell of acrid smoke and even faint hints of the stench of decay.

I moved toward the crater. Something told me I would find something of importance there, even if I would have preferred to run in the other direction and disappear from here. And indeed, there was something to be found. In the center of the excavated earth stood the remaining survivors; there really weren’t very many of them. At first glance, there seemed to be no more than ten.

The small remnant stood around the woman, who had luckily survived as well, though she appeared weak and exhausted. She was breathing heavily; I could hear it from up here, and she was leaning in a sitting position against some kind of stone embedded in the ground. The others seemed to have fallen into a bit of a panic and appeared to want to say something to her, but she commanded them to be silent with a wave of her hand, and this was immediately obeyed—everyone instantly fell silent and froze in place.

Shortly thereafter, she began to glow again, causing the others to fold their hands, or what must have been their hands, and close their eyes as if in prayer. The golden light that enveloped the woman rose into the sky and looked like a star in the cloudy evening sky. I stared after her.

I just stood there. Whatever had just happened here, it simply couldn’t be real…

Once again, I became dizzy, just as strongly as before in Zelda’s room. And again, the same thing happened as there—I went completely black before my eyes, tipped to the side, and for the second time in a row, I lost consciousness.

~*~

I opened my eyes. As I sat up, I groaned in pain. I supported my terribly aching head with one hand. My vision was completely blurred, and my body felt entirely numb. I needed some time to gather myself. Gradually, my sight began to clear, and I could make out both my limbs and my surroundings. However, I also started to feel a sudden, sharp pain at the back of my head.

"Ow!" I screamed, pressing my hands against the painful spot, but quickly pulled them away as it only made the pain worse. I cautiously felt around the area—it was a rather large and throbbing bump.

"Are you okay?" a slightly shrill voice asked me. It was Zelda. She was kneeling in front of me, looking at me with a worried expression.

"I... I don't know..."

"You were unconscious for an hour," said a deep, unfamiliar voice. It was unmistakably male. Although my senses were still foggy, my vision was clear enough to register the presence of a stranger in the room.

It was obviously an older man, relatively round in build, with white hair and a white beard. He was wearing a black suit, presumably his work attire. I guessed he had just returned from some work-related duties. He looked directly into my eyes with a serious expression, which made me feel a bit uneasy.

"That's my father," Zelda whispered to me. He scrutinized me with a slightly mocking gaze.

"So, you've read the book?" he asked, glaring at me with a hint of anger.

How the hell did he come to that conclusion? Did Zelda tell him, or how was I supposed to understand this? And what did that have to do with the current situation? Did the book fall on my head or something?

"Yes, Father," Zelda said, her head bowed and her voice almost choked.

"Didn't I forbid you to read it?" He paced slowly around the room with his arms crossed.

Zelda didn’t respond. Instead, she lowered her head and wrapped her arms around herself. She seemed so small, hurt, as if she had been beaten. She looked so helpless.The whole situation made me feel very uncomfortable. I just wanted to go home, eat chips, and rot in my bed.

I must have looked quite distressed; the pain at the back of my head was killing me. As slowly as possible, I tried to stand up, but it proved to be a fatal mistake. Everything blurred before me again, and I started to stagger. I would have surely collapsed to the floor again if Zelda hadn't grabbed my arm and held me steady.

"You shouldn't overexert yourself," she said quietly, guiding me to a swivel chair. I carefully supported myself on it and took a moment to catch my breath. Thick beads of sweat formed on my forehead.

"Oh man..." I cursed softly, collapsing into the chair. Meanwhile, Zelda's father paid us no further attention. He continued to pace slowly through the room, deep in thought. Zelda, on the other hand, had turned away from me again and sat down on the edge of her bed.

Suddenly, her father stopped. He sighed deeply and looked out of a window.

"Sooner or later, you would have had to find out anyway," he whispered softly, but it was still audible. He turned to his daughter. "Zelda, please leave the room."

Zelda jumped up and looked into his eyes, pleadingly. "But Dad..."

"Zelda, please. I need to discuss this with Link alone."

Zelda stood in front of her father, confused, and I was no less surprised. What did he want from me? We had only known each other for five minutes, and already he had something to discuss with me? Very strange.

"Alright..." she said, her voice slightly crestfallen, and left the room. Why did he have to send her out? Being alone in a room with him made me feel even more uncomfortable. I mean, he was super intimidating!

He positioned himself in front of the window and stared into the distance with a blank expression.

"Link..." I looked up and glanced in his direction. "During your unconsciousness, you had a dream, didn't you?"

I hadn’t really thought about the dream, but yes, I suppose I did.

"Now that you mention it, I did have a dream," I said, trying to recall it, though my pain made it difficult.

"You must tell me everything, every little detail could be significant. I will try to interpret your dream as best as I can."

"But... what?" I asked, puzzled. He wanted to interpret it? Why, did I see the future or something?

He turned to me and looked me sternly in the eyes. I swallowed. Man, he surely was kind of frightening.

"Well... I had originally intended to keep my daughter out of this as much as possible. I would have preferred to wait until she was 18 or even longer. But it seems fate has intervened..."

He paused briefly, thinking. "I need to explain something to you. It may sound absolutely crazy, but you need to listen to me, it's important. My family and yours are one of the last direct descendants of a long-lost kingdom, which you surely learned about from the book. A distinctive feature is the pointed ears… However, the kingdom fell after a long and brutal war, most of the people were wiped out. Only a few managed to survive, our ancestors. We, Zelda and I, are descended from the royal family, which we know for sure. Link... the book referred to you as the 'chosen one,' didn't it?"

My brain felt like it needed a moment to load. I just blinked and stared at him. What was that? He had to be crazy, right? I mean... what?

"Just as I thought...” he said. The dumbfounded expression on my face seemed to be enough of an answer for him. “Let me explain it this way, Link: This ancient kingdom was frequently plagued by manifested evil. The evil could never be completely destroyed, but there was always a chosen hero who could defeat it and help to seal it away. You are apparently a descendant of these heroes, although I find a reincarnation more likely.

I nodded along, though I had nothing appropriate to say. It still took some time for me to even process what he was telling me, and this wasn’t just due to my headache, but also because his story sounded like he was explaining the plot of a run-of-the-mill fantasy movie to me.

"The deeds of these heroes became legends and were forgotten over time. As far as I know, only my family is aware of them. What I’m guessing is, you must first experience what happened back then yourself, in the form of dreams... that's why you need to tell me about them so that I can explain what they mean. You won’t find anyone else who can explain to you what’s going on." I lowered my head and tried to understand.

On one hand, it somehow sounded logical, but on the other hand, it seemed unreal and absolutely impossible. An extinct kingdom that no one knew about, but there were still descendants? I just couldn’t imagine it. Surely some historians, researchers, or whoever would have found some evidence of this civilization.

Along with my increasing confusion, memories of my dream began to resurface. I closed my eyes to focus better and reported to him as accurately as possible what I could still remember.

Chapter Text

"Hm..." came from Zelda's father, who kept his eyes closed and listened to me attentively. After a little while, I finished my report, sighed in relief, and leaned back in my chair. The pain was gradually subsiding, but I still felt dizzy, and now a large bump was forming on my head. I gingerly felt the spot with my hand. I could only congratulate myself for being such an idiot, as the touch intensified the pain several times over. I winced briefly, let out a pained sound, and clenched my teeth, while a few tears welled up in my eyes. Great... How hard had I hit the ground to cause such pain? I just hoped I didn't have a concussion or something.

"What you're telling me sounds very familiar... Unfortunately, I must tell you that I'm still not entirely sure. It's certainly a very old event, and if I'm right, it predates the times of Hyrule."

Hyrule? What was a Hyrule?

I was about to ask but stopped, as it came back to me. The place had been mentioned in the book. This kingdom, which Zelda's father spoke of, I thought. Apparently, it was quite important. But why was I dreaming of events that took place before its founding?

Nothing made sense.

"Anyway," Zelda's father continued after a brief pause, "before I give you incorrect information, I need to research this thoroughly again. Rest assured; I will contact you once I know for certain."

I sighed deeply and sank further into the chair. Only I could end up in situations like this; typical me. While I wallowed in self-pity, I glanced out the window. Apparently, I had been here much longer than intended. The sky was bathed in the light of twilight, and as the sun disappeared behind the horizon, I couldn't help but think that the scene was perfectly set.

With a jolt, I got up from my seat. "Alright, I understand. You can contact me anytime when you know more," I said, slightly uncertain but with a smile on my face.

Zelda's father crossed his arms, scrutinized me thoroughly again, and nodded. Somehow, that made me feel even more unsure.

"Anyway..." I said after clearing my throat, "I need to go now. It's already late, and I haven't informed my uncle. He's probably wondering where I am." My words were mainly an excuse to get out of there and not stay any longer alone with this guy in a girl's bedroom, so I scratched my head awkwardly to emphasize that my uncle didn't know where I was. Which was actually true. If I was out longer than two hours after school, I usually let him know so he wouldn't worry. And this time, I'd been out even longer.

Zelda's father hesitated briefly and cast a quick glance at the clock hanging on the wall. "You're right... it must have been quite a day for you."

He held out his hand to say goodbye, and I hesitantly shook it. His handshake was firm, I had to give him that. Then again, with his build, it was to be expected.

"You've been through a lot. Learning about such things all of a sudden can be quite overwhelming. When my parents told me about it back then, I felt the same way."

He paused briefly and suddenly started laughing, though it didn't last long before he adopted a serious expression again. I didn't know how to respond, so I just furrowed my brow.

"It wouldn't hurt to take some time to reflect on everything," he concluded. A bit confused, I looked at him before nodding, wishing him a pleasant evening, and heading for the door.

"Just one more thing," came Zelda's father's voice before I could leave the room.

Damn, what now? I turned around and stared at him questioningly.

"If you have another dream like the one today, let me know as soon as possible."

I had no idea how I was supposed to recognize if it was another special dream and not just an ordinary one, but I wasn't in the mood for further explanations. So, I just smiled and said, "Sure, I will." Then, finally, I could close the door behind me.

I stood still for a moment, took a deep breath, and shook my head in bewilderment.

"Bullshit," I whispered and started walking toward the exit. And again, I could only conclude: As strange as everything was today, this mansion was still just incredible.

After descending the stairs in front of the house into the garden, my eyes immediately fell on Zelda, who was sitting by the edge of the fountain with the huge statue. I observed her briefly, confirming that the woman from my dreams must indeed be her. Either my subconscious had given a figure from my dream her appearance, or this woman was connected to Hyrule and all the other stuff.

But I decided to stop thinking about it. None of this could possibly be real, totally impossible. Just a strange... coincidence. Exactly, nothing more.

I slowly approached Zelda, who eventually noticed me and turned her body in my direction. With incredible grace, she tossed her hair back and rose from her seat. From afar, her sweet smile radiated toward me, and I smiled back. But then I stopped, slightly furrowing my brow in confusion. I had already noticed that Zelda resembled the woman from my dreams, but this much? And now, comparing her to the statue... it could have been the exact same person. Zelda wasn't quite as serious, but the facial features and the body shape were very similar.

As she walked toward me, I pulled myself together and smiled. Really, I should stop with this. As if Zelda and the woman had anything to do with each other. It couldn't be. At least, I hoped not.

"So? What did my father want with you so urgently?"

"Well..." I swallowed slightly and thought about how and what I should tell her. Her father had mentioned not wanting to involve Zelda in these matters.

"It wasn't really important," I said, with as natural a smile as I could muster, so she wouldn't get suspicious. I could understand why her father didn’t want to tell her. This whole thing could really give you a headache. Besides, I couldn't believe it myself, so I didn’t want to say anything. Maybe her father was just schizophrenic or something...

"He just thanked me for wanting to help you, since you're new here and... yeah. No idea why he didn’t want you to be there, but what can you do?" I continued hastily. Internally, I crossed my fingers and prayed that she would believe me.

"I see..." she said, a bit disappointed. I actually felt bad for lying to her, but did I have a choice? At least it seemed like she bought my excuse. Thank goodness.

"And... how are you feeling now?" she asked. "You were in so much pain."

"Yeah, I was... but most of it has gone now, don't worry about it..." I tried to drop the subject. I still had a bit of a headache, and the bump was throbbing slightly, but I wanted to get away from anything related to that dream.

"I actually came back to say goodbye. It's already late, my uncle doesn't know anything, and... yeah. We'll see each other on Monday." I grinned awkwardly. Not knowing how to say goodbye properly, I simply offered her my hand. She just stared at it. As if she'd never seen anything like it before. My nervousness grew. Was shaking hands a bad idea? Definitely.

Finally, she lifted her hand and placed it in mine. My heart started beating a little faster, and I just wanted to kick myself. Now all I had to do was blush, and the picture would be complete.

You can't be serious, right? I thought to myself. Why was I making such a big deal over something as simple as shaking hands? Ridiculous.

"Well... goodbye," I said, and we let go of each other. My heart was still racing, but it was starting to calm down. Hopefully, she hadn't noticed.

"Wait, I'll walk with you for a bit," she said.

"Uh... sure, okay." How awkward! I had already said goodbye, and yet we still didn’t part ways. Just kill me now, that would be less embarrassing!

Anyways, we walked the last few steps together toward the proper exit—a wooden door set into the wall. By now, it felt like this door led to another world, even though it didn't seem particularly special. The fact that such a place could exist in the middle of a city was magical in itself.

And there were so many secrets to discover here. Today alone, I had learned of so many, and I was sure that wasn't even the half of it. Even if I didn't believe that these secrets were true, they were certainly present here. In any case, everything here was definitely strange, no one could convince me otherwise.

We had arrived at the door. A simple, brown wooden door attached to a massive stone wall. I hadn't thought about it before, but I was starting to wonder why Zelda and her father were so isolated from the outside world. Zelda stopped, and I did the same. She looked a bit uneasy, staring at the ground and fiddling with her fingers. I looked at her, hoping for some kind of reaction, as the unbearable silence was starting to kill me. Slowly, she lifted her head and gave me a small smile. I stared at her. Cautiously, she stepped closer to me. My heart started pounding again. Gently, she wrapped her arms around me. I stood there frozen, unsure of what to do.

My eyes widened, and my cheeks flushed slightly. The scent of her hair filled my nose—it smelled nice. The few seconds she held me were both uncomfortable and warm, almost pleasant. I was actually sad when she let go. She smiled at me, and I stood there, a bit stunned. I must have looked pretty stupid.

Amused, she closed her eyes and said, “You’re sweet.”

More blood rushed to my cheeks, and I looked down awkwardly.

“So… see you later,” Zelda said, raising her hand in farewell. Cautiously, I lifted my head and looked at her again. I began to grin.

“Yeah… see you on Monday.” I moved my hand to the handle and gently pulled the door toward me. It creaked a little. I took a deep breath and gave Zelda one last smile before closing the door behind me.

“What a day,” I muttered to myself.

I trudged through the alley, reflecting on the day. The first thing that came to mind was the book.

“If only I hadn’t touched that thing,” I grumbled. “That’s going to cause me some real trouble. What if I…” I stopped, a bit alarmed. “Am I going to pass out more often now? If I collapse in the middle of class, what happens? Or in the city? Or at a friend’s house? Or somewhere completely alone, where no one can help me?!” I started to get worked up.

Stomping angrily, I continued on. “None of this makes any sense! I had a dream, big deal. That’s not exactly unusual. But then there was that golden stuff… and that’s definitely not normal. Why is this so complicated? I don’t get it! And what am I supposed to say if I pass out and someone asks what happened? ‘Oh, I’m just one of those chosen ones who has to relive the stories of my ancestors, so get used to it because it’ll happen more often.’ Yeah, right, that’ll land me in a psych ward! And now I’m talking to myself. Great! I’m losing it!” Suddenly, I started spiraling, waving my arms around as I got more upset.

I’m all alone in an empty alley, who’s going to see me? I kept thinking to myself. “And then there’s Zelda… I don’t get it, normally I don’t get this nervous around girls. But… she’s different. She’s… I don’t even know what she is! She’s…” I lowered my voice a bit. “... she’s like me and on top of that, she’s beautiful…”

I stopped and sighed deeply. That was so cringy, I kind of felt like throwing up. Everything was just… too much.

 I stared up at the sky, which had grown darker, with a few stars already visible.

“What time is it?” I reached into my pocket to pull out my phone. “Damn, it’s already 9:30!” I put the phone back and picked up the pace. “My uncle’s probably super worried…”

Chapter Text

I stared at the doorknob. That might have been the weirdest and longest day of my life, and I was somehow having trouble forming normal thoughts. All I really wanted was to sleep. Or eat something. Either one would have been the greatest thing in the world at that moment. But just standing around wouldn’t get me anywhere either. With a deep sigh, I pulled out my keys.

As soon as I slammed the door shut behind me, I let out an internal scream of joy. Now I just had to get out of these clothes! I threw my backpack into the nearest corner, followed by my jacket. Quickly, I slipped out of my shoes and carelessly kicked them away. Almost automatically, I moved toward the kitchen to stuff myself with something.

The path to the kitchen inevitably led through the living room. My uncle was sitting on the couch, watching something on TV, with a bag of chips in his arm and his feet up on the coffee table.

“Hey,” I said briefly to make him aware of my return, before disappearing into the kitchen.

“Dude,” my uncle said, pausing the TV. I heard him following me as I opened the fridge and scanned for something to eat.

“Where were you for so long?”

“I went to visit someone.”

My eyes landed on a can of Coke and a leftover hot dog from the day before. Nice, I thought, grabbing them eagerly. This was perfect.

“Oh yeah, and you couldn’t have texted to let me know?”

I rolled my eyes. “Sorry, didn’t mean to,” I replied, throwing my hot dog onto a plate and tossing it into the microwave.

“Alright. And whose place were you at?”

“You don’t know her, she’s new.”

As soon as I said it, I bit my tongue, as I had just made a big mistake. How could I say, “She’s new”? I asked myself angrily. I might as well have punched myself. Whenever I mentioned any girl, even one I’d only waved to, my uncle would tease me about it for days.

“Interesting,” he said with a wide and very dumb grin.

“Chill, it’s nothing special,” I said, opening my can with a hiss.

“Oh, but I find it VERY special,” my uncle said, moving closer. “Is she pretty?”

I almost choked on my Coke. I cleared my throat and felt the blood rushing to my cheeks. Embarrassed, I tried to avoid his grinning face.

“Well… yeah, she is…”

The microwave beeped, and I quickly focused on getting my food out. In my rush, I forgot how hot the plate could get and burned myself. “Ouch,” I squeaked through gritted teeth.

My uncle patted me on the shoulder, and I fought the urge to groan in frustration and push him away.

“You little hero,” my uncle said, laughing. I could feel myself getting even redder.

“Ha, ha,” I muttered, this time grabbing a dish towel to handle the plate.

“What’s her name?”

“Do you have to ask?”

 “Well, I think I should know what girls my nephew is hanging out with.”

I sighed. “Alright. Her name’s Zelda.”

He laughed again and nodded. “Zelda, huh, I…”

Suddenly, he went silent. His expression changed. Instead of his usual dumb, smug grin, he just looked confused. And for some reason he became pale.

“Did you… did you say Zelda?”

“Uh… yeah?” I furrowed my brow. What was that all about?

“Huh.”

“Is something wrong?”

He hesitated but shook his head. “No… it’s just an interesting name. Um…”

Awkwardly, he scratched the back of his head. “You can go up to your room now if you want. I’m going to keep watching the game.” Then he left the kitchen.

I stared after him, confused. That was a very unusual reaction from him. I had expected some dumb comments. But since I was still tired and hungry, I decided not to think too much about it and headed to my room with my food and Coke.

I threw myself onto my bed, placing the plate on my nightstand and the Coke right next to it. I pressed my face into a pillow and groaned. I would’ve liked to stay like that forever, without ever having to move again.

But then it hit me… “I should get changed.” So, I slowly sat up and went to my closet. With an empty stare, I looked inside and immediately grabbed my favorite pants – a comfy pair of dark green sweatpants. Green was my favorite color anyway. I tossed my jeans back into the closet and slipped into the cozier option.

And then, suddenly, I had no idea what to do with myself. I just stood there.

What should I do?

Watch TV? Play some games? Listen to music? Keep being annoyed about today’s nonsense? Call Zelda?

“Crap!” I shouted, slapping my hand against my forehead. “I didn’t ask for her number!”

I flopped back onto my bed and stared at the ceiling.

“What a mess,” I muttered, letting out a loud sigh. “Oh well, nothing I can do about it. First, I should eat…”

~*~

“Where the hell am I?”

I was in a strange and alien place. Everything in front of me was blue, sky blue, with white specks... presumably clouds? There was no solid ground beneath me, instead, I felt light, very light. As if I were floating. Cautiously, I looked down at myself. I was... in the air! Horrified, I realized I had no body.

“What the... should I be scared now or what?” I mumbled nervously to myself.

Carefully, I lifted my gaze and stared at the white... clouds. They were slowly drifting away. I could barely make out something behind them. It was... some kind of island. Floating in mid-air! I should have been surprised, but considering the fact that I had no body and was also floating in the air, it didn’t knock me out of my senses. Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling... this scenario felt very familiar to me.

“This island... this is the one from my dream!”

I began flying towards the land automatically. As I got closer to the mystery, I saw some people, happily going about their daily lives. I could have never imagined such a thing... a floating island with people who found this completely normal! When I was directly above it, I prepared for a landing and descended towards the ground. I looked around in astonishment; everything was completely different from what I was used to. Strange, yet fascinating.

Without warning, someone zipped past me. I turned towards them and could barely make them out from behind before they jumped off a kind of platform...

“What the hell?!” I screamed and quickly moved to the spot where they had jumped. Carefully, I looked down into the depths to try and spot the person. But then, they soared through the air on the back of a giant bird, pulling me upwards with a powerful gust of wind.

It was a guy, dressed in strange clothes. All in green. He was also wearing a rather odd-looking pointed hat, color-coordinated with his outfit. “Weird guy...” I mumbled to myself as I followed him. He jumped from the back of the bird straight into a yellow light that created a hole in the clouds. After he disappeared beneath the cloud cover, the scene in front of me blurred.

I found myself standing in front of a person I didn’t recognize, but from the clothing, I could deduce that it was the same guy as the one on the bird. Around us, there was nothing but yawning black emptiness. He raised a sword into the air and stared ahead with a stern look, right through me. A strange figure flew out from the blade of his sword. Was it a... a woman? This... thing... definitely had female features. The oddly dressed guy nodded confidently at the thing. Then the creature flew past me. I focused on it and saw it stand before three large flames. Each flame was a different color: one was red, the next blue, and the last green. This thing raised its 'arms' in the air. The flames reacted immediately and grew larger, each one firing a fireball at the creature. It became engulfed in flames. Instantly, it was flung through the air, crashing repeatedly against invisible walls, until it landed right in front of the guy and stared at him. He held his sword tightly and positioned it in front of the burning entity. Smaller flames shot toward the weapon, enveloping it in a strange light. The creature’s flames gradually died out, and it floated in the air, merely observing the man’s actions. Heroically, he raised the sword into the air. It grew longer, and the hilt had also changed. Satisfied, the creature looked at the man. He nodded at it, and it disappeared back into the blade. Then, the scene blurred again.

“This is getting annoying...” I mumbled after finding myself in yet another place. I looked at a... guy who looked even crazier than the green-clad one. He was completely white and had a more-than-strange haircut, plus he was wearing a kind of cape in a red color. He... was dancing? I was pretty sure he was dancing. And around a girl floating in the air. She wore a white gown and had golden blonde hair. She didn’t seem conscious, yet her face looked tortured. The green guy stood in front of him, holding his sword towards the dancing guy. He seemed to have a fit of rage and flung the girl several meters into the sky. A platform of sorts appeared beneath them, and they were lifted into the air. The appearance of the strange and almost creepy guy began to change drastically. He now had a more brownish tone, and his hairstyle had changed as well. Then the two began to fight.

After some time, the battle was over, and the weird brown guy stared at his opponent in disbelief. But suddenly, he began to laugh loudly and maniacally. A strange purple mist emerged from a stone. Immediately, a strange monster appeared. It looked like a whale with scales, two legs, and many teeth, with the stone embedded in its head.

“That’s the same stone the woman in my dream was lying on...” I noticed.

The girl above it started glowing and screaming, and a golden light shot toward the creepy creature. She fell to the ground. The green guy panicked and ran to catch her, but that task was taken over by another... very odd-looking guy.

“Why do they all look so weird?”

The manic guy laughed gleefully and watched in satisfaction as the monster began to change. I couldn’t believe my eyes.

“It’s the same one from my dream!” I shouted. Since I obviously wasn’t present, I didn’t worry about being discovered. The manic guy bowed to it, so I assumed the monster was some kind of king or something.

The transformed monster was now a large, towering, humanoid beast with flaming hair and pig-like facial features. Its mere presence made me shudder, even though I was technically without a body. It just extended its hand towards the manic guy. A burst of energy shot out from it and the guy collapsed. He was lifted into the air, immediately laughing heartily as the monster summoned something from his belly. It seemed to be a huge, menacing sword.

I watched the scene and was utterly horrified. This was so disturbing, I didn’t really know what to think.

The monster took the sword and made the manic guy disappear into it, just like the creature from the green guy. The monster turned its gaze toward the green-clad man and pulled up the corners of its mouth. I watched the situation intently. But then, my vision faded.

“Damn it!” I cursed. It was kind of getting interesting. What happened?

The scene that now unfolded before me was quite surprising. The green guy had rammed his sword into the monster’s belly.

 “Well, I guess that answers my question.”

He quickly pulled it out again and did a backflip, right away from the monster. It staggered, wheezing and gasping, glaring at the green-clad man. The sword in his hand began to dissolve. But he didn’t seem to care much about that. He started laughing maniacally before he, too, dissolved into black smoke. The green guy raised his sword into the air and absorbed the essence within it.

“Cool,” I said.

“I know what’s coming next...” I sighed. “Scene change.”

The green guy stood before a kind of rock. It had a hole in the middle, just the right size for the sword to fit into. He stared sorrowfully at the female-like entity. It just nodded at him encouragingly and disappeared through the scabbard into the blade of the sword. The guy hesitated before drawing his sword. With all his might, supported by a heroic scream, he slammed the weapon into the rock. A white light radiated from it, filling the room with its splendor. But then, again...

Darkness.

~*~

I jolted awake. I was lying on my bed, an empty plate placed on my lap. Groaning, I rubbed my neck.

“Did I… have another dream?”

Chapter Text

A long and annoyed sigh escaped my lips. The weekend had been a complete failure, no real relaxation and no proper sleep. With tired eyes, I sat on the uncomfortable chair and let out a hearty yawn.

"Dude, you look totally wiped out. What's wrong?"

I looked up and saw Sven standing in front of me. He eyed me with a bit of concern but still had that typical grin on his face.

"Nothing special, man. I just didn't sleep well."

My friend's eyes widened in surprise before he burst out laughing.

"I can't believe it! The elf-head couldn't sleep properly! You usually sleep so deeply that someone could pour hot water over your head, and you wouldn’t even notice!"

I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms behind my head.

"Yeah, man, I get it. Go ahead and make fun of me if you don't have anything better to do."

He had nothing more to say, only gave me a light punch on the arm. In response, I stuck my middle finger in his face while smiling like a lunatic.

"Yeah, yeah, same to you," Sven said as he left me alone and sat down at his seat. I grinned after him.

I kept glancing at the door from time to time. I was a bit earlier than usual today, but I was still hoping that Zelda would show up soon. I needed to discuss something with her. But honestly, I also just wanted her to be around. A wide smile crept across my face as I thought about her.

It's strange, I thought, I've only known her for two days, and yet I already like her a lot.

My smile grew wider when I finally saw her walk through the door. She grinned at me and plopped down in the seat next to me.

"Hey," she said, stretching out her arms for a hug. I stared at her, unsure whether I should hug her in front of the class. The others would just make up some nonsense again. Zelda groaned dramatically.

"Maybe today?!" she said in an annoyed tone, but she still had that sweet smile on her face. On impulse, I decided to just hug her. Let people think what they want; as long as I knew it was purely platonic, everything was fine.

"Hey, I haven't asked for your number yet," I said to her as casually as possible.

"Yeah?" she replied.

"So... can you give me your number?"

"Sure... wait a sec." She took a piece of paper and a pen from her handbag, placed it on the desk, and started writing. "This is my mobile number, and this is the landline number... there you go!" She quickly handed me the note.

I thanked her, took the note, and put it in my pencil case.

The bell rang, and as if on cue, a teacher walked in.

"Hm? Don’t we have history with a woman right now?" Zelda asked me, slightly confused. We stood up and greeted him.

"Yeah, we do... no idea who this is," I answered.

The unfamiliar teacher was abnormally tall, at least two meters—no way he was any shorter. He had dark brown skin with a greenish undertone, which made him look sickly. In contrast, he was broadly built and incredibly muscular, like a one-man army. I was convinced that a single punch from him would kill me instantly. His red hair was long and voluminous, tied up in a sleek ponytail. He was wearing a black shirt and blue jeans. Overall… he just didn’t look like a real person. It freaked me out.

With a deep and throaty voice, he began to speak: "My name is Mr. Dragmire. I'll be substituting for your history teacher for a while, as she had... an accident. It would be helpful if you all put up name tags."

When Mr. Dragmire mentioned the accident, the class began to murmur. The class representative—Leonie—raised her hand, and the new teacher gestured for her to speak.

"What happened to Ms. Kramm?" she asked in a worried voice.

Mr. Dragmire wrinkled his nose and made a dismissive gesture. “That's none of your concern," he said sternly.

"I already hate this guy," I muttered quietly to myself. I set up my name tag and crossed my arms, a little annoyed.

I wasn’t sure if it was just my imagination, but I had the feeling that he kept eyeing me and Zelda with a strict gaze, his creepy face giving me the chills.

I glanced over at Zelda, and she didn’t seem to be warming up to the new teacher either.

Chapter Text

“Oh no,” I murmured to myself after I had noted down the last homework for the day in my planner. It was way too much all at once. In nearly every subject, there was an assignment to do, and especially in history, Mr. Dragmire didn't spare the class. Frustrated and far from motivated, I threw my backpack over my shoulder and left the room.

“I can't believe this!” I heard Sven call out behind me. “Five pages on the French Revolution! And we finished that topic almost a year ago!”

“You can say that again, dude,” I groaned. My buddy trudged up to me and stopped in front of me. He ran his hand through his black, slightly curly hair, as he always did when he was annoyed.

“Anyway, see you tomorrow, bro,” he said. We bumped fists as a goodbye and went our separate ways. Now it was just Zelda and me walking together.

“I don’t know…,” she said in a thoughtful voice. While we walked, she stared at the ground the entire time, not lifting her head for even a second to give me a brief smile. Ever since Mr. Dragmire had entered the room, she had this troubled expression on her face.

“What?” I asked after a while of silence.

“That Dragmire... something’s off with him. I don’t know how to explain it. It’s more like a feeling that tells me to stay away from him.”

“Now that you mention it…”

I crossed my arms thoughtfully over my chest. I had felt something like that too, but I hadn’t given it much thought.

“Well, he doesn’t exactly come across as likable.”

“Did you also feel like he was watching us the whole time?” she asked me in a tone that was slightly worried. I didn’t want to tell her that I had felt the same—it would probably only make her worry more. I was sure she was just overthinking things.

“Oh, I’m sure he was just staring at my ears the whole time. They’re hard to miss. You’ve been wearing a hat the whole time, so I think it was more because of me.”

“Could be…”

~*~

Exhausted, I collapsed onto my bed. Zelda had already gone home; we had said our goodbyes a while ago. My uncle was probably still at work, so I was alone now. Tired, I closed my eyes and groaned loudly. I hadn’t been able to sleep well because of these strange dreams. Over the weekend, I hadn’t had any dreams like that, but I also hadn’t really tried to sleep.

“I should call Zelda’s father now.”

Annoyed, I swung myself off the bed and grabbed my phone. I had put the note with Zelda’s phone numbers in my pocket. I quickly pulled it out and dialed her home phone number. The phone rang. I waited for someone to pick up, hoping it wouldn’t be Zelda. What would I even say to her? If I told her I wanted to talk to her father, she’d surely think it was about what happened on Friday, but I didn’t want her to think I was hiding something from her.

Which, in a way, I was—but more or less unintentionally.

“This is Major, hello?”

I exhaled in relief when I heard Zelda’s father’s deep voice on the line.

“Hello, it’s Link.”

“Ah, Link, you’ve called at just the right time. I’ve figured out what your dream was about.”

“Good to hear. I also wanted to say that I had another dream like that recently. I can’t remember everything exactly, but if you want, I can tell you as much as I can.”

“Alright, go ahead.”

“Okay,” I replied and told him about the dream I’d had over the past weekend.

“Hm, it seems like the events in your dreams are happening in chronological order. Your dream must have taken place right after the war from the dream you had during your unconsciousness.”

“And what was it about?”

“Your first dream was about the Sealing War. The goddess Hylia was fighting against the Demon King and his followers. To keep humanity safe, she raised a part of the earth into the sky, where they could live in peace. With the remaining inhabitants of the land—then called the Surface—she faced the Demon King. The Gorons, Kyus, Parakwa, Mogma, and ancient robots were the beings you mentioned. After Hylia defeated the Demon King, she sealed him in a stone, the Sealing Stone. But she knew that this seal wouldn’t last forever, just as she knew she couldn’t defeat him a second time. So, she gave up her divine body so that, in the event of another attack, she could be reborn as a human and, with the help of the Triforce, bring about the Demon King’s final end. Gods weren’t able to have a wish granted by the Triforce. You also saw her reincarnation in your last dream. She was the girl that strange-looking guy was dancing around. That guy was a servant of the Demon King who wanted to use her to revive his master. His name was Ghirahim. He was a sword spirit—basically, the Demon King’s weapon.”

“The weapon?”

“Yes. He was a sword. He was the Demon King’s great, black weapon.”

“Okay…”

“Just like that feminine entity from the Greenling’s sword. She’s something like Ghirahim, you could say she’s the good counterpart. She was created along with the sword to assist the chosen hero.”

“And the hero was the Greenling?”

“Correct. That hero was your ancestor, Link.”

“And what about those colored flames?”

“Those were the three flames of the goddesses. At first, the sword wasn’t very powerful, but only through the strengthening of these flames and Hylia’s blessing could it gain its true power and become the legendary blade: the Master Sword. This sword can only be wielded by the chosen one. It should still be stuck in a stone somewhere today, though I wouldn’t know where.”

“Very interesting…”

“I hope I was able to help. Did you understand everything?”

“Yes, I did. I’ll need to hang up now; I still have homework to do. Anyway, I’ll call you again if I have another dream. Goodbye.”

“I’ll be waiting for your call, Link. See you.”

I set the phone down. Once again, it had been so much information all at once. “It’s exhausting..."

Chapter Text

The door creaked loudly as it opened. I stepped inside, exhausted, and immediately flung myself onto the couch to rest. A week had already passed, completely dreamless and without any complications. Well, if you didn’t count Mr. Dragmire, that is. He was without question the worst teacher imaginable, and he clearly had it out for me. His contempt was impossible to miss. Every time he spoke my name, it dripped with such mockery and venom that it sent a cold shiver down my spine. I desperately wished our old teacher would return. History had actually been fun with her. It had even been one of my favorite subjects. But now? Now it was the most hated class by far. Dragmire’s behavior bordered on bullying. The class had decided: if he acted the same way tomorrow, we’d report him to the principal. How was a man like that even allowed to teach?

My uncle was already sitting on the couch. He looked at me with concern, that same expression I’d seen more often ever since I mentioned Zelda to him.

"Dude, why are you back so late?"

"Detention," I muttered.

He raised an eyebrow in disbelief. I was usually the well-behaved one, the goody two-shoes. I hadn’t even gotten a single punishment back in elementary school.

"With Dragmire," I added.

He opened his mouth slightly, wordlessly signaling that he understood. "What did you do to deserve it?"

"If only I knew. He came up to me after class, glared at me, and handed me the punishment slip. Made me stay behind. Watched me the whole time, too. With this creepy, unsettling stare. Totally unnerving." I shiver a bit just thinking about it.

All I got in return was a simple, thoughtful “Hm.” Annoyed, I got up and headed to my room.

“Hey, don’t you want something to eat?”

“Nah, not hungry.”

“If you say so…”

I threw myself onto the bed, stripped off my jeans and tossed them carelessly to the floor, leaving my T-shirt on. Wrapped in my blanket, I tried to sleep. And to my surprise, I drifted off quickly and easily.

~*~

A boy. A young boy dressed in the green of the fields. A short sword was strapped to his back, and a wooden shield bearing a red painted symbol hung beside it. He looked about twelve, maybe a little younger. Hovering around him was a glowing blue orb with small, transparent wings, trailing sparkling glitter through the air. Facing him stood a girl, just as young and equally striking. Her hair was wrapped in a kind of scarf, and her clothing resembled a royal gown. I stood right beside them, yet they didn’t seem to notice me.

This had to be another dream. Yet this time, I had a physical body.

The girl gestured to the boy, urging him to peer through a window into a grand building. I stepped up beside him and looked inside as well.

A towering figure knelt before a throne. His skin was sun-kissed, his hair a fiery red, and his nose sharp and angular. His piercing yellow eyes were void of emotion. Though I could swear I saw glimmers of greed and malice within. There was something eerily familiar about him. I wracked my brain. Who did I know who looked like that?

Then it hit me like a lightning strike. Dragmire. He looked exactly like Mr. Dragmire. The only difference was the clothing.

Suddenly, the man turned his head and stared straight toward the window. At me—or perhaps the boy—I couldn’t tell. His gaze was filled with pure hatred. The boy flinched and immediately turned back to the girl. They seemed to be talking, but I couldn’t hear a thing. Though they stood right beside me, not a single sound reached my ears. Not the rustle of leaves, not the chirp of an insect, not even the whistle of wind, though I could feel it brushing against my skin.

Their conversation was brief, and then the boy turned and left. I followed, though not entirely of my own will. My legs moved on their own, trailing behind him.

Outside, I realized we had been inside a castle courtyard. Likely the royal one Zelda’s father had once mentioned. We were now in what I assumed would be the kingdom's capital. A massive marketplace buzzed with life: frantic shoppers, wide-eyed admirers of trinkets, carefree citizens laughing and chatting, armored guards, and beggars lining the square.

The boy ran straight out of the city, crossing a moat via a drawbridge. Dusk was settling, and nightfall approached rapidly. Unnaturally fast, even. Before I knew it, he was gone, and I stood alone before the city gates.

“I could really wake up now.”

But night dragged on unnaturally long. Ten hours of pitch-black darkness, it seemed. The drawbridge had been raised; there was no way back into the city. And my mind apparently had no intention of waking me.

To my horror, skeletal undead emerged from the ground, shambling aimlessly around. They ignored me entirely. I sat down, trying to get comfortable, but inspite the weird skeletons rustling and groaning over the fields, nothing happened. Boredom soon set in. It felt like I had been stuck in this dream for hours, even if probably only minutes had passed in the real world. With a big and long sigh, I laid down.

The stars shimmered in the foreign sky. Out of boredom, I tried to pick out constellations. And with that I mean trying to identify the Big Dipper, the only one I know. But I didn't find it for the life of me. 

Suddenly, dark clouds rolled in at an unnatural speed, blotting out every star. A bolt of lightning tore through the sky, and rain poured down in sheets. Yet the eerie silence persisted. I couldn’t hear a single drop. No thunder, no rainfall. Just the cold sting of water drenching me completely. Had this not been a dream, I’d have scrambled for shelter. Instead, I stood there and muttered a curse under my breath. Why did these dreams have to feel so real?

In the distance, something green approached. Likely the boy. He stopped as he reached me, his eyes fixed past my shoulder. I turned and saw the drawbridge slowly lowering. A horse bolted out of the city at full speed, carrying the girl and an older woman. I couldn’t make out her face. The horse was too fast. The boy watched, confused. As they passed, the girl tossed something blue into the moat.

I ran to where it landed and saw a faint outline beneath the water. I couldn’t quite tell what it was, but it looked like a strange wind instrument. I turned, expecting the boy to retrieve it—but he was stopped.

The red-haired giant had returned, riding a jet-black horse. The boy drew his sword, staring at him with defiance. The man laughed—at least, it looked like he did—and raised a hand. A glowing yellow sphere of energy formed in his palm and shot toward the boy, sending him flying.

The boy groaned and looked up with pain in his eyes. I wanted to instinctively scream, to run to him, to help. But I knew it was useless. In this dream world, no one could see or hear me. The man rode off into the night without another glance.

The boy stood, brushing mud from his clothes. The moment the man vanished, the rain stopped. Yet I remained drenched. The glowing blue orb flew from his cap, and he seemed to talk to it. After a short exchange, it vanished beneath his hat again, and he jumped into the moat to retrieve the artifact. It was indeed a wind instrument, albeit one I didn't recognize.

Just then, the sun rose, and the drawbridge lowered once more. The boy climbed from the water and entered the city. I followed.

This time, he went somewhere I hadn’t noticed before. A large, brown building that looked like a church. Inside, I gasped. It had an ethereal, mysterious quality. Everything was bathed in white. The floor looked even more exquisite than the marble in Zelda’s villa. In the center was a platform with the Triforce symbol, and beyond it, a pedestal and a staircase leading to a great locked door.

As I stepped inside, my hearing returned and I immediately got goosebumps all over me. Every footstep the boy took echoed through the vast chamber. I followed him to the pedestal. He paused, then slowly removed three stunning gemstones from his pouch—one green, one red, one blue—each uniquely shaped and adorned with gold. He placed them gently on the pedestal.

Then he pulled out the instrument and began to play a soft, haunting melody. It felt strangely familiar, though I couldn't say why.

As he finished, the great door opened on its own. The boy stepped forward and ascended the stairs. I followed.

In the center of the next room was a stone with something embedded in it. A single beam of light illuminated it, drawing all attention. The glowing orb burst from his cap and danced excitedly around the object. The boy approached reverently, inhaled deeply, and grasped the hilt.

He pulled.

It was a sword. I recoginzed it as the very same blade from my earlier dream. A brilliant light exploded from the stone, blinding me.

And then I heard it. A deep, ominous laugh…

~*~

My eyes flew open. A strange sound had jolted me awake. Not that I minded. It took a moment to collect my senses. It was still the middle of the night. I climbed out of bed, feeling disgustingly damp. Did I sweat so badly? I switched on the light.

“What the—?”

I looked down at me, noticing that I was soaking wet. My hair, my clothes—drenched. Just like in the dream.

“What the hell is going on?”