The San Francisco bay was always beautiful at night. I watched from above as cars raced across the Golden Gate bridge, blissfully unaware of the shadowy monsters lurking in the darkness. I stood on top of one of the bridge's pillars as my gaze turned to the bay below. As the light shimmered off the waters, memories surfaced in my mind- of swimming through the ocean in an alien body; of awakening in a form not my entirely my own. Most of all, of that fateful eve when everything changed.

It is often said that with great power comes great responsibility. The world is a cold and unforgiving place, where battles for power are fought and lost. In such a world as ours, you either possess power or you do not. It is a double-edged sword; though it may seem wondrous at first, it only comes at a price. Like seven others besides myself, I too am among its unfortunate recipients. Within my body flows the essence of an otherworldly Hero. There is no place that his energy does not reach; it touches every aspect of my being- my heart, my mind, my blood... even my soul. When I received this 'blessing', it too came at a terrible price- it cost me my humanity. Though my heart is still human, I only bear a vague resemblance to the person I once was.

Even before the Binding that twisted my soul, I have been struggling against other forces. At my birth, I inherited the family curse- the curse of mental powers. Oh, they were weak at first, but as I became older, the 'gift' became stronger. Power, however, becomes destructive when one cannot control it; it wasn't until I was further cursed with the powers of a Hero from another world that I truly began to understand that.

Every single day is a waking reminder of that force. As I pulled out a sword from the scabbard on my back, I gazed at my reflection and into a face I do and do not recognize. When that essence touched me, I became something more. No longer did I have just the weight of my own power crushing my spirit, but I now also had the weight of another's deeply entwined with my soul. I was like a phoenix; a being burned by its own power only to rise again once more.

I remembered the person I once was... the life I once lived. Some days I ask myself, "Where did everything go wrong? Why was I the one cursed with this power?" Yet the answer is so simple... it stemmed from a simple question. A question I was asked by the Goddesses of Hyrule themselves. Oh, how could I forget? My meeting with them was forever engrained into my memory, just as the Hero's power was engrained into my flesh.

As the moon rose higher in the sky, I closed my eyes... and remembered.

---


I was screaming.

All around me was darkness spanning as far as the eye could see. The only thing I could feel around me was the wind gusting from below as I fell deeper into the void. How I had gotten here, I didn't know. It was empty and bottomless, with no definite beginning or end. In the back of my mind, I had hoped that this was just some terrible nightmare, and that I would wake up within a few moments.

Just as the thought crossed my mind, I landed with a thud on something solid. Whatever it was, I couldn't see; it was as like standing on thin air. Staggering to my feet, I tried to regain my bearings. My gaze shifted around the void in hopes of finding something else there. All that met my sight was the empty darkness.

"Where am I?" I said to myself, "What is this place?"

A sudden gust of wind picked up around me. As my hair whipped around my face in the wind, I heard voices call my name. Three golden lights appeared around me in a triangular formation. I winced and shielded my eyes from the light. Amidst the light I could vaguely make out human shapes. It wasn't long before I began to hear ethereal voices speaking in alien tongues.

"Wha... ?" I muttered. The voices continued to speak. As they continued to whisper, I could vaguely make out my name among their chatter. I took a step back, wary and unsure of what to make of this.

"Who's there?" I asked, unassured by these circumstances. More faint murmurs and whispers filled the air. I took a step back.

"You who have been blessed by the light," three powerful female voices said in English, "You must choose...."

"Choose what?" I asked, "What are you talking about?"

"Will you live? Or will you die?"

I felt completely taken aback by their questions. What kind of a question was that? Was this some sort of joke?

"This is no game, mortal," I heard them say, "The fate of your world hangs upon this very decision."

"What do you mean?"

One of the figures- a tall being with a red tinted aura- lifted her hands up into the air. Above us, an image appeared. Visions of shadows unlike any I had seen before raged and snarled above us. Stars, suns, and entire planets became blackened husks of their former selves. Shortly afterwards, images of deformed and grotesquely misshapen monstrosities flashed before my eyes.

"A shadow now hangs over your world. Soon, it will arrive, carrying its taint with it. If left unchecked, your world will be consumed by their darkness, like countless others before yours."

"What are you saying? Are these... 'demons' going to destroy the earth?"

"Your decision will decide that, mortal."

I looked at them with confusion and fright as I listened on.

"There is but one force that can withstand the darkness- the Light of the Soul-Gatherer, Aetherus...."

"What does this have to do with me?"

"You are one of the few souls of your world that possesses the Soul-Gatherer's light."

My eyes widened. Me? Possessing a 'light'? What the hell were they talking about?

Just as the very thought crossed my mind, I felt something knock the wind out of me. As I fell onto the "floor", I saw an eerie light surround my arm. I felt as thought something was choking the very life out of me. I began to panic.

What was going on? What were they doing to me?

"Stop...," I said between gasps of air, "Please... stop...."

As soon as I had said that, the light surrounding me faded. I collapsed onto the floor, catching my breath and shaking with fear. In my mind's eye, I saw a comet blazing through the skies. I could see the eerie light that flared around it, glowing radiantly like a sun in the darkness of space. As I thought about it a little more, I realized that the light that surrounded the comet... and the light that snaked out of my body were very similar. Were they ...one and the same? I cringed at the thought.

If I possessed such a light... what did that make me? Was I... even human?

"Though you possess this light, your soul remains that of a human, mortal. While the light of Aetherus protects its host, alone it cannot defeat the darkness that encroaches upon your world. Only by combining your strength with that of our Chosen can you hope to drive it back from whence it came."

I rubbed my temples in frustration. Their "Chosen"? What the hell were they babbling about now? I was getting just about tired of their riddles; the more questions I asked, the more confused and frustrated I became.

"...What do you want from me? Why did you bring me here? Why do you keep telling me these things? I don't understand any of this at all!"

I wanted to cry. I wanted to scream. I wanted this nightmare to end.

"You can either live in the Light, or die in the Darkness. Which do you chose?"

"What...."

"Become a vessel for our Chosen's light. Combine your strength to conquer the darkness. Or be devoured by the shadows of nothingness with the rest of your people. We ask you again, which do you choose?"

"Are you going to kill me? What gives you the right to judge me like this? Just who are you people?"

"It is not our desire to end your life, mortal, but there is little time. Make your choice now... or we shall make it for you."

I was so terrified at this point. I got up onto my knees and closed my eyes. Was this where I was going to die? On trial for things I have no knowledge of? Moments of my life flashed before my eyes. I remembered my grandmother's warm yet enigmatic smile, eager to share her knowledge with her posterity. I remembered my parents, their smiles equally warm and full of love. I also remembered my friends, their smiling faces eager to greet me- but I also remembered other things. My parents, laying near lifeless on a hospital bed, machines their only lifeline. Planks of wood breaking apart before caving in. Items around my house moving without my knowledge.

Yes... that's right. I possessed a power. How could I forget? It was an ability I could not control... an ability I wanted to be rid of. My lack of control over it was what put them in that bed. I am the reason they were in a coma. For this reason, I wasn't sure if I deserved to live.

There was a part of me, though, that disagreed with that voice. A part of me that wanted to make up for the wrongdoings I had caused. I wanted to be redeemed. There were so many things I had yet to do, and so many things that still needed to be done. If I died....

In that instant, I made my decision. I finally broke the eerie silence that had built up.

"I... I don't want to die," I said, "I want to live!"

The light around the three figures faded, and I could see three golden women with auras tinted red, blue and green smiling at me.

"Then we shall honor your Courage, mortal."

The red and blue figures approached me from behind, and held my arms. Confused, I struggled against their grip in vain. Whatever they were... they were insanely strong. I looked on as the green figure materialized a gentle white light in her hands. In it, I could see swirls of the same eerie light I saw stream from my body moments before.

"We shall grant you our Chosen's power, o fledgling Aeon."

Aeon? What the hell where they-

Before I could think about anything else, she held up the ball of light in her left hand and thrust it and her hand into my chest. Pain unlike anything I had ever felt before surged through my body. Thoughts, feelings and visions that were not my own invaded my mind and body. As I tried to shut them out, I caught a glimpse of what seemed to be countless souls swirling around an alien tree, eager to be released. Unable to think, I surrendered to the darkness that engulfed my senses once more.