Chapter Text
“The courage of very ordinary people is all that stands between us and the dark.”
—Pam Brown
Footsteps echoed in the caverns. A lone woman hobbled through the darkness, her face drenched in cold sweat. Blood dripped down the right side of her face and lip. She brushed aside the strands of copper hair out of her eyes as she painfully limped forward, unable to move her right leg. The woman stopped for a moment, and pulled out her cellphone.
Come on, Alex… you can do this! There’s gotta be a way out of this place…
Alex held up her phone’s flashlight. It illuminated the darkness of the cavern, revealing the maze-like corridors around her. In spite of the light her cellphone offered, progress through the cavern came at a painfully slow pace. Unable to move or place weight down on her injured leg, it took every ounce of willpower she possessed not to give into the agony. Only the glimmer of a faint golden light in the distance drove her onward, along with the hope that she would leave this place alive and reunite with her family.
Hours went by without incident. Alex paused for a moment, exhausted and out of breath. Then, off into the distance, Alex watched as a strange black mist began to drift through the cavern. She placed a hand on her head, fighting the lightheadedness and lethargy that followed. Using the cavern wall for support, Alex came upon a pitch black chamber. She raised her flashlight in front of her and let out a startled gasp.
The cavern walls gave way to brick and stonework. Broken columns and pillars littered the corridor before Alex. A black, viscous substance, like thick motor oil, splotched the ruins around her. The dark mist grew more dense around her, filling the air with a rank aroma that sent her stomach twisting into knots and her nose and mouth burning. Alex leaned against the portion of the wall beside her untouched by the substance, and with her free hand, covered back an intense cough.
All around Alex, the stench of death hung in the air. Nausea welled in her stomach. The pain in her leg worsened, and she grabbed onto a nearby banner to stop herself from falling over from dizziness. Her gaze then shifted to the torn remains of the banner, where she spotted the symbol that adorned it: a winged golden bird crowned by the symbol of three triangles arranged in the shape of a larger triangle.
No… Oh no…
She had seen that symbol before on the news. Word of rifts appearing all over the country spread far and wide. Few who fell into those rifts ever returned, and those who did brought back various artifacts, many of which bore this very emblem. In that moment, the full weight of her situation came crashing down on Alex—she had fallen into one such rift, and now stood in another reality altogether.
Terror gripped Alex’s heart. All around her, the stench of death lingered in the air, rooting her in place. Now more than ever, she wanted to flee this place and never return. Yet even as she doubled over in coughing fits, that golden light shimmered down the hall, brighter than ever before. That light called to her from somewhere deep in her being, beckoning her onward in search of its source against all reason. In spite of the intense pain and discomfort in her leg, Alex pushed herself off the wall and hobbled down the hall, flashlight in tow.
An eternity passed, and the crumbling hallway gave way to the ruins of a once grand and opulent chamber. Shining her phone’s flashlight around the room, Alex spotted collapsed portions of the vaulted ceiling in the far end of the chamber, alongside large boulders from the surrounding caverns. More banners bearing the golden bird crest hung from the portions of the ceiling that remained, while others littered the floor. Broken, burnt-out candelabras stood on the edges of pillars that lined shattered steps, along with what remained of various torches once placed around the chamber.
In the furthest reaches of the chamber, the golden light shimmered in the darkness brighter than ever. With a painful grunt, Alex hobbled her way toward that light. As she did so, she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. A gut feeling wormed its way through her stomach, shoving aside the nausea that entrenched itself there since her arrival in this terrible place—another presence lurked in the room with her. Panicking, Alex flashed her phone’s light all around the chamber, where she heard scuttling in the darkness, followed by a low hiss.
She shrank back at the noise. Alex felt her heart race, and she let out a startled yelp. For several moments, she froze in fear. Silence fell on the derelict hall, and unsure if she imagined the sound, Alex forced herself up the steps, drawn to the golden light. When she reached the top of the steps, she found herself face to face with an ancient statue.
The face of an old man peered back at her with lifeless eyes. A long beard flowed from the statue’s chin, covering a kingly set of robes. Poking out from a mane of shoulder-length hair, long pointed ears graced the sides of the statue’s head. On top of that mane of hair rested an ornate, winged crown. The statue held its hands out in front of it, which held three triangles arranged to form a larger one, the very same symbol seen on the banners adorning the room. At the foot of the statue, underneath a pile of debris, the golden light beckoned her.
Alex carefully lowered herself to the ground with a pained grunt. She pushed aside rocks and dirt, when she spotted the source of the light. A golden triangle rested on the floor, shining with a gentle radiance. Bewildered, she picked the triangle off the floor and studied it in her hand.
“A… triangle?”
Before she could react, a deafening roar filled the room. Alex fell backwards, dropping both the triangle and her phone on the ground as she did so. She let out a scream as pain shot up her broken leg. Rumbling shook the chamber. Dust fell from the ceiling, mixing with the black miasma that filled the room. She let out another cough as she crawled along the ground, her entire body shaking in terror.
Her vision swam as the room spun around her. More and more, she felt her body growing weaker and weaker with every breath she took, as though the dark mist drained the very life from her being. It took every ounce of energy she had not to collapse. As the shrieking grew worse, she scooted toward a nearby pillar, afraid for her life.
From out of the darkness, yellow slitted eyes opened up en mass. Shrill screeching soon followed, and Alex watched as a swarm of bat-like creatures flooded the chamber. Alex cowered behind a pillar and tucked her head underneath her arms. In the darkness that blanketed the chamber, scuttling noises, followed by the sound of talons scraping against stone. She looked up, and in the light of the golden triangle, bipedal chameleon-like lizards dropped down from the ceiling, brandishing bladed weapons. The moment her eyes met theirs, they scurried toward her with inhuman speed. Alex let out a blood curdling scream and held up her arms in front of her face.
As if in response to her cries, the golden triangle’s light flared, blanketing the room in its radiance. It rose up from the floor. Alex curled herself into a ball, tears streaming down her face. Instead of the pain of death, she felt nothing. The sound of weapons clashing filled the air, followed by inhuman shrieks, explosions of smoke, and then harrowing silence.
Collapsing on her side, Alex felt her awareness wane. She held a hand over her mouth to silence another coughing fit. The room spun around her. As darkness blanketed her vision, she caught a glimpse of an ethereal figure in green approaching her…
Six months later…
Loud music filled the neighborhood. The thumping of a bass speaker
punctuated the evening, brought on by several partygoers inside a house.
Alex stepped out the front door of the house, accompanied by a boy her
age. The two of them turned to look inside the chaotic living room one
last time before waving at the crowd of people within. She let out a
laugh as her friend yelled through the doorway.
“Goodnight, everyone! It’s been a blast!”
His smile wide, the boy held Alex’s hand as they made their way down the steps. The pair walked through the neighborhood, feeling the summer heat boiling around them. Alex wiped the sweat from her brow, eager to get back home and park herself in front of an air conditioner. In spite of the roaring heat, the night’s events played back in her mind, her heart full of joy.
“Thank you, Darren. That was so much fun!” Alex beamed. “I had a wonderful time tonight. I’m glad I got to finally hang out with the rest of your friends, too.”
Darren paused, studying the warmth of Alex’s smile. A look of pleasant surprise filled his face as he studied his girlfriend. He sensed a change in her—something he could not quite put his finger on. Before that fateful hiking trip all those months ago, Alex would have never joined in his friends’ partying, her shyness and anxiety always getting in the way. For the first time since they began seeing one another, he saw another side to Alex that he did not know existed.
“You surprise me, Al. I thought you hated parties?”
Alex came to a stop in front of an alley. The fingers of her free hand played with the golden triangle dangling from her neck. Darren glanced back at her, his eyes full of concern as the two of them paused their journey back home. She looked back up at him with a smile.
“I guess I wanted a change.”
Shrugging her shoulders and thinking nothing more of the inquiry, Alex motioned for Darren to follow her. For several minutes, the two walked through the neighborhood, mind the passage of cars around them. The two of them came to a stop in a small park, where a giant pond greeted their eyes. As the moon cast a silver glow into the lake, the hooting of owls punctuated the night. They then walked through the park, where they sat down on a bench.
For several minutes, the two of them stared into the water’s surface, peering into the ebb and flow of pond. Off into the distance, several ducks stirred, filling the air with light quacking. Alex sank back on the park bench, flicking her copper locks behind her. Unconsciously, she placed her left hand across the golden triangle resting on her chest, her thoughts elsewhere as she took in the sounds of nature at night.
“Darren… can I ask you something?”
Darren raised his brow and turned to look at Alex. “Sure, what is it?”
A nervous expression formed on Alex’s face. She frowned, unable to find the words she wanted to say. Once more, her shyness rose to the forefront, filling her with anxiety. Alex lowered her head and sighed.
“Do you think… I have a chance?”
Cocking his head, Darren returned a confused stare. “What do you mean?”
Alex squirmed on the bench. She peered into the water once more, and found herself gazing back into her reflection. A part of her hated the shy, timid girl that peered back at her. Now more than ever, she wished that she could say the things she wanted to say, but couldn’t bring herself to do so.
In that moment of anxiety, she clasped the golden triangle with her left hand. Immediately, she felt a gentle warmth pulsing in her fingers. That warmth banished her anxiety away, and with the weight of it gone, the words finally came to her. She turned to Darren, her confidence restored.
“At getting into acting school, I mean.”
Darren hummed in understanding. So that’s what this is about…
He turned to look at Alex, a mask of concern on his face. Although she continued to smile up at the sky, he could sense something troubling his girlfriend. He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
“Of course I do! You knocked everyone dead at the party tonight. I’ve never seen Sascha laugh so hard.”
Alex’s face beamed. She let out a snicker of her own, remembering the fits of raucous laughter at the party not long ago—laughter resulting from jokes she had always wanted to tell. In that moment, a heavy weight in her soul lifted, and she felt a sense of freedom she never had before.
“It’s just… I’ve always wanted to be a comedian, you know? I’ve always wanted to put myself out there and make people laugh. After seeing how happy everyone was at the party… I feel like once school is over, I can make the next step.”
Darren radiated a warm smile of his own. He took her free hand into his own, and entwined his fingers with her own. Happiness bubbled inside of Alex as he peered at her intently.
“I’m proud of you, Alex. You’ve really changed a lot these last several months.”
Closing her eyes, Alex played with the golden triangle in her other hand. She twirled it around her other fingers, thinking nothing more of the innocuous object. To this day, Alex did not know how this triangle came into her possession. Yet every time she held it, she felt all her worries and anxieties vanish, just as they had done several times over the course of their conversation.
Although she could not quite put her finger on it, Alex felt a benevolence from the object, as if something protected her from afar. That feeling eased her heart, and for the first time in her life, Alex no longer felt afraid. She felt a confidence in herself that was not there before.
“Thanks. I… I don’t know what it is, or what’s come over me lately… but you know… I like this.”
Darren blinked. “Like what?”
Alex closed her eyes and gathered her thoughts. “I can’t explain it… but for the first time in my whole life, I’ve started to feel… brave.”
In the confines of a distant office, far from the park where Alex and Darren gathered in the summer night, a man in a black business suit sat in front of a sleek desk. His slicked back hair glistened under the fluorescent lights above him, parted to either side of his scalp. The man peered into a monitor at the corner of his desk, where he witnessed several men in black surrounding a park.
His cold eyes studied the images of a girl and a boy sitting on a park bench that came into view. The young couple held each other close, caught within a tender moment. As the two held hands, the image of a golden triangle dangling from the girl’s neck appeared before him. A wicked sneer formed across the man’s face.
“There you are…” A chuckle escaped the man’s lips. “After all these years of searching, I have finally found the missing piece of the Triforce…”
The man stared at the golden triangle with a covetous expression on his face. He turned his attention to a nearby speaker, refusing to take his eyes off the woman and the Triforce piece she carried. As moments went on, the man pressed the radio button, eager to finally claim his long sought prize.
“Is everything ready?” The man asked.
“Dr. Palmgate, we are in position. We are ready to begin the operation as soon as you give the word.”
Palmgate’s lips curled into a sinister smile. As he watched the couple begin to hold one another, he pressed the intercom button on his desk again.
“Bring the girl and the Triforce to me.”
“Alex.”
Darren pulled Alex closer to himself. The two of them embraced each other, enjoying the warmth they shared. He gently cupped Alex’s head with his left arm before moving the strands of copper hair out of her eyes. A look of sincerity formed on his face as his eyes met hers.
“You don’t have to prove yourself to me. I believe in you, Alex. I always have.”
Alex nuzzled her face against his. Her heart leapt out of her chest, overflowing with joy. Now more than ever, she loved the boy next to her. He always stood by her side and encouraged her, even when her social anxiety got in the way. He helped her come out of her shell, and be the person she always wanted to be. Alone with him now, she wanted this moment between the two of them to last forever.
“I love you…,” she whispered.
The pair closed their eyes. As their lips touched, Alex felt something grab her arm. Alex screamed at the pair of arms hoisting her into the air off the bench. Darren looked up with a look of horror and alarm as a black-clad ripped Alex away from him and carried her off.
“Darren!” She reached out to him, tears streaming down her face. “Help! Help me!”
Darren gritted his teeth. He charged after the man and tackled him. The man dropped Alex to the ground, who fell on the grasp with a thud. Alex crawled backward and watched as Darren fought against her would-be assailant. For a brief moment, her eyes met his.
“Alex! Get out! Get out of he—” Before he could say anything else, a wrenching thud filled the air. Alex screamed as Darren’s eyes rolled into the back of his head. He fell onto the ground, unconscious. Another man in black stood behind him, and joined his accomplice. The two of them looked back at her.
“Stay where you are, lady.” The pair stepped closer to Alex as the second man spoke once more. “You are coming with us.”
Alex shook her head. Her heart pounded in her chest. She had not felt so afraid in her life—not since the day she fell into another world. Images of monsters rushing toward her assaulted her mind, leaving her frozen in place like a bad dream. Just like then, she felt powerless against her attackers. She wanted to flee, to get as far away from these men as possible… and yet she could not bear to leave Darren behind, and feared for his life above her own.
Each footstep they took against the grass and earth sent shudders throughout Alex’s body. She stepped back, fighting the terror that overwhelmed her senses. The men in black held their arms out toward her, while they peered back at her through the balaclavas that obscured their faces.
“Don’t make this harder than it needs to be. We’ve got this entire park surrounded. There’s nowhere for you to run, and nowhere for you to hide.”
Time slowed to a crawl. Alex watched the black clad men rush forward to grab her. As they moved toward her, she held up her arms to shield her face. She squeezed her eyes shut and cried out at the top of her lungs.
“Help! Somebody, help!” Alex screamed.
As if in response to her distress, the golden triangle began to glow with a holy light. To the black-clad men’s surprise, a dome of golden energy surrounded Alex’s body. It repelled them back, sending each of them flying through the air. Alex opened her eyes and lowered a shaky arm. Her eyes widened in disbelief at the dome of golden energy that now shielded her body.
Wha…?
She looked down at her necklace, and stared in confusion at the golden triangle glowing with energy. Since discovering it in her possession, the golden triangle had never demonstrated such power before. Alex furrowed her brow, afraid of what other surprises lay in store for the night. Then without warning, the barrier of energy disappeared.
A familiar groan tore Alex away from her confusion. She looked further down the park, where she spotted Darren stirring awake. With a nervous gulp, Alex rushed to Darren’s side. She then gripped his shoulders and shook his body.
“Darren!”
Darren groaned at the sound of Alex’s voice. His eyes fluttered open. The world faded in and out of focus. Alex kneeled over his body, shaking his shoulders to break him out of his stupor.
“Darren, get up!” With every ounce of strength she possessed, Alex forced Darren into a sitting position. “We have to get out of here!”
Alex grabbed onto Darren’s arm. She wrapped it around her shoulder, and helped him to his feet. Too afraid to stay in the park any longer, Alex slowly moved to a distant parking lot, supporting Darren’s weight as the pair fled the area. As Darren finally snapped to attention, the pair grabbed hands and sprinted out of the park.
All around them, men in black gave chase. Alex let out a terrified scream as the two of them jumped over fences and ran through dimly lit yards to escape their pursuers. Dogs barked in the nearby homes around them, filling Alex with dread. As the two of them fled into the streets, several black cars gave chase.
Why? Why is happening?!
Terror gripped her heart. With her free hand, she clutched the golden triangle, feeling its warmth radiate in her hand. She felt a calmness take root within herself, pushing away the fear and panic that overwhelmed her every thought. Her eyes caught a glimpse of a nearby alley.
Hoping to evade the strange men pursuing them, she darted into a nearby alley, dragging Darren inside with her. The two ran deeper inside, where they spotted a huge wall lined with dumpsters full of garbage. Alex and Darren looked around the alley. Darren let out a gasp, while Alex searched for a way out.
“We’re trapped!”
The sound of an object hurtling toward them filled the air. Darren felt a jab in his leg. When he looked down, he found a dart poking out of his jeans. Within moments, he collapsed onto the ground, unconscious once again. Before Alex had any time to react, she felt a jab in her shoulder. The world swam around her as she fell onto the ground. She spied a pair of men above her as the world faded to black.
The men in black stood over the unconscious bodies of Alex and Darren. One of them approached Alex’s body, and turned her over. She let out a groan as her chest rose up and down with every breath she took. The golden triangle dangled from her neck, gleaming in the beam of their flashlights.
Moving closer, one of the men looked at the object with keen interest. As he approached, the golden triangle began to gleam with a holy light. Overwhelming curiosity filled his mind as he reached out to grab the triangle from Alex’s neck. When his fingers made contact with the triangle’s metallic surface, a surge of energy jolted his body.
Stumbling backwards, the man involuntarily jerked around. He clutched his hand, feeling the lingering tinge of electricity on his fingers. Another one of the men in black approached him, his voice dripping with irritation at his accomplice’s actions. That man then curled his fist into a ball, and punched the fool that had touched the triangle across the face.
“Don’t touch it, you idiot!” He said in a muffled voice, “You wanna get us killed?!”
He turned around, where another held a two-way radio up to his lips. Narrowing his eyes, that man turned his attention to Darren’s unconscious body before pressing the call button. The man spoke into the microphone with a gruff voice.
“What shall we do with the boy?”
Palmgate’s voice chuckled on the other end of the radio. “Bring him along with the girl. He may hold the key to awakening the spirit within the Triforce.”