(Act) DarkLight (T)

Ok, well, I'm going to attempt a fanfic. as best as I can, and I want as much HONEST feedback as possible. I promise you won't hurt my feelings, just critique and tell me what you think sinceraly from the heart. The name of my Fic. is DarkLight and I just started writing it recently, so chp. may come a little slow. Just be patient for the next chp's. It will all be worth it in the end. Anyways, here it is:



Chp.1: The Crossroads of Decision-

“Hark, the light of day has come and with it, brings tidings of ill-omen. It seems as though the sky has already turned to crimson.” A woman of fair, golden hair gazed humbly through her bedroom window. Thoughts of her lover's exile had whisked their way through her mind as if brought from a nameless evil. The emotions of the heart cannot be easily suppressed, especially when you’re a queen. “I am sorry I failed you, Link.” Zelda closed her aching eyes and relieved but a little of her sorrow through her welcoming tears.

The glint of the morning on the tiny stained streams upon her face twinkled like stars beyond the edge of mortal sight. All who looked upon her wept, for they knew not when her troubles would end. Though she was of coming age to be official keeper of dominion over Hyrule, she showed no sign of age, unless it were in the depths of her eyes; for these were keen as lances in the moonlight, and yet profound, the wells of deep memory.

The sky was bare and cloudless except for the passing shadows of birds in flight. Wide lands, beyond the market-square below, lay bleak in the bitter light. Mist gathered near the edges of distant forests; curling and slithering like the motions of greedy fingers searching for treasure. All was silent. Zelda clutched her hands tightly around the coble arches of a lonely window. “I…am so sorry. I wish…I wi”------there came a knock from the bedroom door along with the voice of a woman. The sound rolled off the castle’s sloping roof with a sighing echo. “My lady? I have come to bring you news of the captive’s exile. Also, I have with me your evening gowns. People are already beginning to whisper my lady. They think”------“That is enough, Clora!” Zelda interrupted. “The “people” can whisper all they want. It doesn’t matter to me any more! If being queen of this land means abandoning all reason, then I wish not to play this role anymore!” At that, the wooden door burst open and a scrawny middle-aged woman paced her way over to the astonished queen. “But, my lady! Then, it is true. You are in love with the captive! You are”------“YES! I am, and I see no reason as to why I must hide that. But now…now I am convinced. I see the true path that I must take.” Zelda bowed her head away from her baffled nanny.

The sound of far-off, “dooms”, from morning bells drowned her mind. She could no longer think straight. Her feelings of love clashed with her feelings of moral duty. At length, she began once more. “I am sorry for everything. I...am sorry I must leave. Tell everyone that an ill fate has befallen me, and I have left the realm of this life to enter the next.” A single tear trickled down her face once more. Then she smiled and continued, “Hope is not all lost Clora. You are very bright and I am sure you can handle this matter much better than anyone else. I need you to trust me.”

The impenetrable glow of the rising sun filled the queen’s bedroom with a warm blanket of peace. Birds like messengers of the heavens twittered in the welcoming breeze. Clora could tell, by the reflection of anguish in her eyes, that Zelda did no longer resemble the epitome of a queen. In fact, it was quite shocking. “Yes, my lady. You have my blessings. Our kingdom has never seen a reign as great as yours. I wish you the best of luck.” She paused as if in a trance or train of thought. Clora was deeply saddened, but she could not let her highness know. “You will find your captive at the foot of the Garo Mountains. There, a swift river runs down from the ruins of a battle long forgotten by time into a series of rapids and cataracts. These will run into a main waterway where the pure waters of the zora domain connect. You MUST… be extra careful my lady. Lately, there have been much too many strange creatures about the land. I have heard rumors of a monster dwelling at the edge of Lake Hylia. Please, I could not bear the burden of your failure.”

Zelda gave a look of grief, then happiness. What exactly she felt overwhelmed her every senses. Clora was always a maternal figure to her, so it was far from easy trying to explain everything with haste. “Believe me Clora, it is not without a heavy heart that I say this to you: I must go, and soon. The guards will come to check on me. I must be leaving. I’ll take my mother’s bow in case anything happens during my little “quest”. Now, go on and get ready. I will acquire my horse to be prepared so I can escape as fast as possible. Freya is quite the skittish type, so she might resist your unexpected visit. Now, go, GO! We must be off.” Zelda released them of their embracing hug and politely nudged her nanny out the door. “I must be swift if I ever plan on catching up with “him”.

Oh, this is new!
It's pretty good. so be sure to keep going.
I wonder what the monster at Lake Hylia will be...

Hey guys, this chapter 2. It's a long one too, but I promise I'll try not to write so much next time. Anyways, here it is:

Chp.2: Bitter Truths

A loud silence, suspenseful and thunderous in nature, fell upon the kingdom. All around, it seemed to Zelda, there was a suspicious quiet, unusual for the time of day, lingering in the air like a thick fog. A soft trickle of water chimed from within the courtyard like the sound of a swift brushing of fairies’ wings, ever moving but never too obvious. Something was wrong. The curious queen could sense it.

A strong emission of light pierced through the vibrant colors of stained-glass windows, streaming down like rivers of gold. Revealed inside these beautiful phenomena, were clouds of tiny particles of dust, swirling with the breeze from outside ventilation systems. Before the frantic queen, across the hallway, was embedded in the wall, a door; small, yet grand. Appointed artisans for the royal family were especially meticulous in their work when it came to having their own piece displayed, and this door was no exception. Upon its surface was a crest pertaining to the stories of the creation of Hyrule and its people. Below it, lay engraved within the special oak wood by which the door was composed of, three words written in an ancient tongue; A lost generation of Hylian text that not even Zelda could read.

As she drew near, She began to make out a rusted knob, jutting out with about a length of 2 inches. It appeared to have been used many times and was almost unbolted from its place. All the fluttered Zelda could think of was, “Oh, I hope I don’t regret what I’m about to do!” She needn’t budge the hindrance too much before it swung open like a loose tooth, groaning as it moved. A long stairwell, completely submerged in shadow, awaited her arrival. Spiraling around a large center column, it declined like an endless pattern, never stopping, never relieved of its gloomy enigma.

Zelda flinched in disgust; she had still not completely reverted from her lady-like mystique just yet. Each corner of the walls, where they joined together with the ceiling, housed archaic statues depicting what looked to be angels. From the statues draped webs like iridescent curtains. “I can’t believe I’m doing this.” Zelda carefully clutched each end of her gown and lifted them delicately from the ground so as not to trip.

She listened to her heavy breathing, bouncing off the brick layered walls of the castle, as she felt lightly around with her hands through the suffocating darkness. The steps below were installed very close to each other and so it made running difficult to accomplish. An unfriendly breeze had been circulating through out the narrow passage and carried with it a stale aroma, like granite and dust, or an old closet left unscathed for many years. “I can’t let anyone see me. I must be quick. Please, oh please Clora, have Freya ready,” Zelda thought to herself while trying to coordinate each foot and not missing any of the steps, for it could prove fatal if she did. Her heart beat fast with adrenaline. It seemed to her that the end to the length of the stairs would never cease.

“Sir, I am afraid you cannot enter through there. You must take the east wing instead.” A voice could be heard speaking to someone at some immeasurable distance from where Zelda was easing her way down. “That stairway has not been used for many years and has no lighting. It is still left there from when the castle still stood in its younger days. Only the members of the royal family can use it.” The voice became clearer. It was Clora. “This must be the door.” Zelda reached her hands forward blindly to see if she could grope at any kind of handle. A faint light seemed to filter in from a crack in the wall. It was her only source of assurance that she had reached the end. “Sir, you must take the east wing…I cannot allow”------“Yeah, yeah, I heard you once old woman!” It was a man: the person who Clora had been speaking to. His voice was very deep, almost familiar to Zelda. He spoke again. “I don’t take orders twice, especially from an old hag like you!” “Oh, my! That is no way to speak to an elder: the ones who raised you and upheld the traditions of”------“Look, I don’t care if you’re a thousand years old or not! I only came here to see the Queen!” Suddenly, a terrible, heart wrenching noise pierced the air. It was like the screeching of cold metal. “GAURDS, GAURDS TAKE HIM OUT OF HERE!” Clora was screaming at the top of her lungs.

There was a jumble of noises too muffled for one to hear behind the wooden door and for a while, continued. Questions raced through Zelda’s mind. “What’s going on? Clora! What’s wrong?” Before even thinking, a yell slipped from her mouth: “Clora, don’t worry, I’m coming!” Zelda grabbed the invisible handle in front of her and shoved the door open. The blast of morning light momentarily blinded her as a tall, slender figure of a man stood before her, adorned in a cloak of black, and simple village attire; below him, was the body of a woman. Zelda screamed: a blood-curdling shriek that silenced the room in its presence. “What have you done? You MONSTER!” The man revealed, from his side, a burnished blade, baptized in the blood of his fallen victim. “No!” Zelda knelt down to the still woman on the floor.

“Clora! Please, NO! Please be alive!” Tears rushed from her face. She had thought that no more could she ever cry again as she had been. The feeling of heavy depression and loss of hope had gone straight to her head. “Well it seems I have finally found you…my queen.” The man spoke softly, but behind his words, lurked a sinister ambition. “You have been hiding away in this castle for far too long, my dear.” Zelda quickly jerked her body around to face the mysterious, cloaked person. Around him lay the motionless bodies of the castle guards. Their helmets had been cleaved and their spears, broken in two. “What do you want from me? I know you and I remember your evil ways of old. You used to haunt my father when he was still alive…Erenn.” Zelda waited for the moment when he would strike once more, but instead was greeted with only a laugh, both malicious and frightening. It seemed as though his eyes were glowing from behind the veils of darkness induced by his hood. They were like two burning coals, smoldering with the flames of hatred and desire.

“My precious queen, I want nothing more from you than yourself, and…YOUR KINGDOM!” His voice rang through out the halls of the armory. It ricocheted off the plates of metal surrounding the lifeless statues of soldiers aligned upon the walls. Zelda stood with all the courage she could muster. “I will never give you rule over this kingdom. You are a selfish man so overtaken by his own greed and lust for power that you are blind to it and you WILL pay for that.” With that, she took from her side an intricately crafted bow. Its smooth and curving shape branched out to two points like branches of a tree. Around its body were carved many vines and leaves. The man quickly reached for the corners of the folds in the fabric of his hood and eagerly yanked it back revealing his face. The glint in his stare was even more horrifying than Zelda could imagine.

“I wouldn’t quite relieve that arrow from its cage just yet.” His voice had changed completely: almost to a peaceful tone. “The goblin does not sneer unless it has reason to.” “Then tell me”, Zelda broke in, “what is it that you could possibly say that would change my mind. You are lucky I have not already killed you.” Erenn paused for a moment, only staring at the woman in front of him intently. “Indeed, she would make a lovely wife”, he thought to himself. “I have come to warn you of a certain doom. As you know, a man of terrible power had attacked this kingdom once. He was sealed away with the magiks of the sages, born into fate by the ancient divine ones. So great was his power that all fell to ruin at his feet. He even became a legend. But you know…it never really was enough for him!” Zelda remained silent, still aiming her bow at the man’s face.

He continued. “I know! I was there. I was there the day he had risen to the people of Hyrule with an army of thousands at hand. Everywhere his spies lurked. They say he could control the very hearts of men, and within seconds, mend it to his will.” “Like yourself?” Zelda added. Erenn made a look of disconcert. “You will become my wife, won’t you?” The queen spat at him and began to tighten the string by which she held, along with the arrow at ready position. “Ok!” Erenn continued. “I tell you this because I have long felt it as a need to inform you that…his resurrection is imminent!” Zelda simply moved her head to the side all the while pondering over Erenn’s sentence. “How is that possible? Maybe he is lying to trick me?” “Yes, it is true”, he said. “Already he is regaining his strength even as we speak. Come with me, and together we can fight against him!” “Never! I would never give up my kingdom to someone of the likes of you much less marry you! I know also, according to my father, the reason you are so knowledgeable of the events that took place all those years ago. You yourself were a spy to the dark lord. You studied in the ways of dark magic and…used it against your own people! You murdered your own family and you were nothing but a pawn! Just another face in the crowd!” Erenn reared his teeth and growled. “I will not be spoken to with such a tone! You would do good to keep your tongue where it belongs!”

A quick flash of silver, fast like the reflexes of a fox, passed by Zelda’s vision. Erren had readied his sword. “So”, he continued, “ you have chosen death! Just like your old grandma there!” A look of horror had formed upon the queen’s face. The sight of Clora’s mingled body clawed her soul. She yearned so much to say good bye one last time: to be able to tell her how much she appreciated her for all those years as a nanny. “You CAD!” she muttered in between sobs trying not to loose her emotions. Flashbacks raced in the confines of her mind; visions of her past. She remembered the stories of old and new, trademarks of her dearly departed Clora. “I will tear you apart!” Zelda raised her bow and without hesitation aimed an arrow at the face of the wicked Erenn. “Indeed you have chosen your fate!” He slithered the words from his mouth like the snake he was. “And to think, you have lived so short a life. It really is too bad.”

The depraved man raised his arms, still holding the sword in his right hand, and broke into song. It was more of a chant than anything, but with a rhythm nonetheless. There was a moment of silence like that of the calm before a storm, then an enraged howling of wind. Above the noise, disembodied voices were hissing and speaking in many tongues. It was enough to cower Zelda to her knees, begging for mercy for the gods to save her. Glass imploded from windows as a dark energy burst within the castle. Erren became overpowered by his magic and his eyes began to blaze, glossing over as if his soul had left his body into a lifeless shell. The frightened queen on the other hand, laid on her side, eyes closed and hands clutched into fists. She was beginning to lose her strength, and with what she had, used it to let loose her only defense: “Echate orinus!” Two words taught to her by Clora when she was still a young girl. It was a counter spell, only to be used under the direst situations. Erenn cringed at Zelda’s words, and before he could say anything, a void of light began to bloom from out of nowhere. It enveloped the room, clashing with the shadows of Erenn’s chant.

The queen stood, fumbling as she tried, and reached for her last vessel of hope. There was a horrid stench as the wind continued to blow; it reeked of death and decay. “Time to finish you off!” Zelda gritted her teeth and aimed at her enemy. The sorcerer stood with the pride of a lion, holding his cloak from both sides as if he were pretending to take flight. “Yes! Kill me! Kill me if you can!” He began to speak nonsense, laughing maniacally and screaming all at once. It was frightening and disturbing. Suddenly, the great bow of Hylian lore sang, and shrill went the arrow from the silver string as it plunged through the air. So quick did it fly in fact that Erren stood no chance, and so he fell. There was a loud thud followed by a gurgling of blood. The man twitched and writhed in pain as his tortured body slowly died. Pools of crimson laced the cracks of the tile in the floor. They contrasted the pure white of the polished rock with the unclean red of Erenn’s sin: His only reason for living: to serve his master. Zelda dropped her weapon with a long saddened sigh, before collapsing also. Her vision became cloudy…murky…fading, and then…there was a long peace.

Originally Posted by Draconic

Oh, this is new!
It's pretty good. so be sure to keep going.
I wonder what the monster at Lake Hylia will be...

Thank you. Btw, you'll just have to keep guessing what that monster might be. Though, I must say, it won't be anything like what you're thinking I'm pretty sure.

Wow that we incredible. I can't wait until moe of this is posted up. I really like how Zelda accually fights, and doesn't have to be saved by Link yet again. I wonder what that monster will be... At lake Hylia... (My favorite place to go in Twilight Princess)

Originally Posted by AMP1317

Wow that we incredible. I can't wait until moe of this is posted up. I really like how Zelda accually fights, and doesn't have to be saved by Link yet again. I wonder what that monster will be... At lake Hylia... (My favorite place to go in Twilight Princess)

Oh, thaks mate Btw, you'll just have to wait and see what that monster is, just like everyone else. Wonder what it could be

Originally Posted by Link101Hyrule

Oh, thaks mate Btw, you'll just have to wait and see what that monster is, just like everyone else. Wonder what it could be

Haha yeah I guess I will... I bet you know what it'll be.

Well can't wait keep me posted.

-Cheers!

Ok guys, here is chp.3. It's alot shorter than the previous, but still, enjoy, and tell what you think.

Chp.3: The Prophecy-

~Meanwhile~ ^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^

Link leapt to the right of him, flinging particles of dirt and rock over the edge of the cliff, and into the lulling sea of flames below. They landed with a hiss and vanished within the fire. Volvagia: guardian of the mountain lair threw down his long, wriggling tail upon the cratered ground, forcing his green-clad intruder to fall at impact. Smoke and ash flew about like blackened snow. “Damnit! I can’t keep doing this!” Link cried with frustration; his disheveled hair hung loosely in his eyes and sweat beaded into drops upon his forehead. “Why…” the hero swung his sword once more, but missed, “won’t you DIE?” Trying to attack was like catching smoke. A thick heat choked him, forcing him to instinctively grab for his throat for air. Within the haze of the room, there was a vibration from the ground. Link guessed his enemy to be nearby, before ducking to the left. Two large rows of jagged teeth lunged from the behind the darkness, just barely omitting a fatal wound to the hero. He was blinded to the dark figure that lurked in the shadows of the mountain: a disadvantage he was not too fond of.

“Oh, please let this end.” Link drew his shield, just in case. A swift strafe had him almost tracing the edge of a cliff. He was quickly caught off guard. “I beg you goddesses, relieve me of this horrid place!” Right then, a subtle but terrifying roar, like that of a bump in the night, was heard all around the room. Link braced himself for another assault. Ripples formed atop the surface of the magma below, moving closer and closer together as Volvagia approached his target. The hero’s eyes widened at the sight of an evil glare, eyes large and slit, and staring straight back at him from behind a curtain of smoke. Once closer, the dragon displayed his blood stained nostrils, followed by a sneering mouth, ready at will. Link’s cuts and bruises rendered him incapable of making any sudden moves, allowing his pursuer to lunge. Tears hugged his face, slowly making their ways into his mouth, along with dirt and ash. The dry, brackish taste repulsed him.

“What do you want from me? Tell me! PLEASE…”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Something spoke, it echoed through the hall of Zelda’s consciousness. “Where am I? What am I doing? And who was that shouting?” She felt disoriented, nauseous and confused. “My lady! You’re ok! I can’t believe it! I thought you were… gone…like the rest of them.” A woman, no larger than 4 feet tall, was kneeling beside the wounded queen, scrutinizing her painful grimaces as she lay there on the ground. Zelda’s memory began to fade back to reality. Everything, from her skirmish with the evil Erenn, to the strange dream she had, surged back like something being pushed at her from afar.

“I must take leave! I have to find…”------“Find who?” The woman interrupted. Zelda paused, thinking of an excuse. “I can’t explain, but I have to go. There was a dream…a horrible dream, and if my instincts are trying to tell me something, I have to go before it’s too late!” “But your highness”, the woman grabbed her by the shoulder abruptly, “So many people have died! Our castle has been invaded!” The queen loosened their grip and took a look around them. Everywhere laid the bodies of soldiers, slain by the forces of darkness. They served honorably for their kingdom. “I understand the loss we have recently experienced, but we can’t live in the past, now can we? We must act fast and inform the kingdom of this unfortunate event.” “Yes”, said the woman, “and I will be the one to do it! You can trust me my lady.”
There was a quick recession of tears as she scurried off down the nearest hallway. Zelda on the other hand was still too busy, caught up in her own thoughts to even realize that the woman had left. “Where are you Link? Please hang on just a little longer.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Link finally awoke from his dreaded slumber. As he slept, vivid scenes of fire and ash danced in his head. “Wow, what a dream.” The cold, wet ground was soaked with dew from the morning mists and still, some of it, gathered in areas around him like a sea of white. “Well, it seems that the fog still hasn’t let up. That’s weird…I thought it always receded whence the coming of the sun.” Small water stains, the size of pebbles, appeared on Link’s tunic. His muscles hurt as he strained to stand. The bright, radiant sun had reached its peak and shone its harsh, but angelic rays down upon the earth.

“What a day! Already it’s only been a couple of hours, and already I’m stating to feel the pain. Where the heck am I supposed to go? And Zelda…”
A harsh wind was blowing from in between two large rock formations behind him. Like a tunnel, the path that was stretching forward went down a hill or steep slope. Around the entrance, patches of grass and other vegetation grew tall and wrapped around like serpents. Many cracks and holes told of a long history of war and turmoil and much erosion. Even tiny sprouts or small flowers poked their ways through the nooks and crannies that covered the surface.

“So, this is the Archway of Darolas.” Link subconsciously opened his mouth and gaped at the ancient monument in fascination. Many large bricks that were broken and worn away, arched along a hall of pillars set in stone. As they continued to go on, the darkness of the mountains concealed them and anything beyond. A small babbling noise moved along the hollow crevices of the mountain. It was a river that ran straight through the tunnel, splitting the middle into two sides.

“And the river of the Aeornd Pass. I remember the sayings as a kid”: ‘Never venture far from the river, for in the depths of the mountains sleeps the body of a monster: a terror of the deep.’ “And yet, the one place I was told never to go, is just the place I’m trying to get to.” Link finished his sentence shortly after being startled by the sound of sirens in the distance. There was a collage of many “dooms” and “dongs”. All the bells were ringing in the central square of Hyrule castle.

“What the heck is going on over there? I wonder if they’re trying to tell me something. Man, this exile business sure is a pain.”

I really like this story so far, I can't wait to read the next chapters and find out why Link's in exile and stuff.

Originally Posted by Jac06

I really like this story so far, I can't wait to read the next chapters and find out why Link's in exile and stuff.

Cool, it's always nice to see people who enjoy my work. Btw, thanks and enjoy the rest of the story. I promise you, all will be revealed in time.

Originally Posted by Link101Hyrule

Cool, it's always nice to see people who enjoy my work. Btw, thanks and enjoy the rest of the story. I promise you, all will be revealed in time.

Ace! Great story mate. The descriptions fit beautly. I can't wait for the next chapter.

-Cheers!

Hey guys, sorry for the delay. Anyways, here is a very short 1st part to the 2 part chp.4. Don't ask why there are two parts, just enjoy. Oh, btw, there is a song to go with it that you can listen to while you read. I will do this everytime I feel that it will actualy enhance the story. Ok, enjoy. Here is the link to the song: 10 Treebeard.mp3 MP3 - Lord of the Rings - The two Towers - Howard Shore OST - Download Lord of the Rings - The two Towers - Howard Shore Soundtracks for FREE! ***Just right click on download to computer and then save target as.

Chapter 4: The Archway of Darolas
As the Aeornd ran, so did Link. The task seemed daunting: entering the mountain. Serrated rocks reached up from the ground, similar to stalagmites. “These look like petrified dragon teeth. I wonder…” The explorer searched the pillars all around as if his life depended on it. Upon their chipped and worn down facades, markings were branded and engraved. Their colors changed, switching in tone as the light of the sun refracted at different angles. “This is definitely a tribal ground. An ancient one at that.”

The mineral Galt, or “rainbow” as is translated from the most dominant and common language of Hyrule, was used as a type of beacon in the darkest of nights. Whence the intensity of the moon increased, so did the mineral’s glow. They were often set within runes to signal strength and power. “I bet I could use this!” Link wrapped his fingers around an edge of one of the stones. With just a few tugs, the item slipped right out from its socket. As it laid in the hero’s hand, a small, yet powerful radiance, like that of a star in a winter sky, cast numerous reflections inside the tiny cuts and dips upon its surface. “It really is an amazing thing, nature.”

At those words, Link fell into silent thought. He could hear the wind hissing among the rocks and trees, and there was a howling and wailing round him in the empty spaces of the shaded mountains.Suddenly he leapt to his feet. “How the wind howls!” He cried. “It is howling with wolf-voices. The Wolfos have come west of the mountains! I can’t believe they followed me all the way from market-square! What luck! It seems as though I’ll never get a moments peace!” Link gathered his belongings with haste and made for the ruined road of Darolas. The whistling of the breeze and the rumbling of the bells all clashed together in chaos like being stuck in a hurricane. “So, the hunt begins.” Link hesitated to move further, for dark images haunted his mind. Remnants of war dangled from the rocky ceilings in long, sinuous drapes bearing the marks of many clans.

“What a foul, odious place this is!” Link seized The Galt from his belt pocket and held it firmly in his leather gauntlet. A strange occurrence began to happen as the hero made his way deeper towards his goal. All sound, even the wind and the bells, completely stopped. No noise escaped the crevices of the lonely passage, like a wall separating the inside from the outside world. Shadow quickly fell, blanketing all beneath the towering peak.

“What the hell? I could’ve sworn I ate only a small ration of bread the night before.” Link had been rummaging through his bag of food when he noticed a large amount was missing. “Layguen aith ol!” The charm had triggered the Galt. Within seconds, the dim road became lit with emerald fire. Walls were revealed, tall and smooth, reaching a height of hundred feet then curving into secular points, resembling the structures of ordinary domes. Before the hero were two pieces of cloth, each containing a pile of crumbs and herbs.

“Where could it have all gone?” He kicked a boulder. It crumbled at impact, more than expected. Peculiar wisps of air, like whispering, came from behind. Link knew better than to do something as stupid as kicking a stone in the middle of an abandoned chamber, though he guessed the noises to be bulblins. Creatures as repulsive as those loved to hide in places like these; where the dank air surpassed that of any kind of atmosphere that tried to enter from the outside. “I really can’t risk an attack now. I have to keep moving.”

The floor oozed of liquid fungi; a type of mold that only grew in caves and the like. Hylians liked to call it Orphium. Each step Link took gave a wet squish. Five routes, aligned within the back of the mountain, and branching into multiple side rooms, stretched on to unknown depths. It was bewildering beyond hope of remembering.

“I don’t remember this in the stories!” He cried in dismay. “Please…oh please let there be refuge in this dark place!” Fallen spears and arrows lay about the sides entangled in webs and dust, and even some, wedged between ribs of discarded corpses. Beneath the tiled floors, a swift flowing stream undulated, barely showing in the glimmer of the emerald Galt: it lead on to one of the many doorways. Link was curious. “I wonder where the stairway is? The castle guard mentioned something about finding the sloping stairway…but where? All of this thinking is making me hungry. I’ll never last the rest of the journey, much less, the return trip.” After much consideration, he slouched down, crossing his legs and gently resting an arm upon his knee. He let loose a long sigh, followed by a series of unsatisfied grunts. “…I am so lost.”