A Couple of Trials (ZeLink)

Chapter 1: Another Morning, Another Nightmare

Do you think you can save your beloved blind, hero?

The young man's eyes snapped open at the familiar voice. Though a storm was still raging on, he was no longer standing on a contaminated sea, nor was he exposed to the elements. He now stood upon a large, circular arena floating amidst the black clouds. Its base was built from a deep gray stone, decorated with yellow accents, with three large pillars evenly surrounding the circumference of the platform. Now, he stood clad in blue, with leather armor given to him by the one he loved most. She filled his mind as the familiar voice spoke of her.

While he wanted to question her safety, he only had half a second to react to the blur of blue that had appeared before him. With the glowing purple-winged sword in his grasp—that had suddenly appeared along with the stadium and clothing—he blocked the incoming light with the edge of its blade. He glanced over to see another blade grinding against his own, one made of nothing but blue energy. He looked down at the energy sword's hilt to see another old, deceptively frail-looking hand gripping it. This hand was different from the corpse he had seen earlier. He looked up to see a tall, much thinner body standing before him, wearing nothing but a pair of old trousers and a large straw hat. Its face was covered by a white cloth and the painting of a bright, violent orange glowing eye that stared Link down.

Is your unbreakable spirit waning? Are you a failure of a hero after all?

In the blink of an eye, the monk-like being vanished in a puff of white smoke. With rainwater falling even heavier than before, the young man quickly brought up his free arm to wipe away the water that blurred his vision. He quickly looked around the arena, yet the centuries-old man was nowhere to be seen. It wasn't until lightning cracked down from the clouds and blinded him for a brief moment that the old man reappeared. Yet, this time, there wasn't just one of him. There were multiple, an endless amount. They all charged at him, causing the arena to echo the splashes of water beneath their feet.

You may have beaten me, but your trials are not over.

"What are they?" the man shouted as he blocked and avoided as many of the blue swords aimed at him as he could. "Tell me what they are! Is she going to be safe this time?"

Despite his plea for answers as he fought to stay alive, a clear answer never came from his multiple opponents. The only voices he could hear were the echoes of words or phrases in his mind, growing louder with each ring of blades that clashed together:

Lost Woods...

Master Sword...

Trials...

Trials...

Her... Grace...

Master Sword...

Her safety...

Her...

Will you once again rush to your death? Can you protect the remaining inhabitants of these lands? Are you strong enough?

"I will!" he shouted, stepping back as the mob of ancient monks began to overwhelm him. "I can't afford to lose! I promised her! I will pass the trials and protect everyone from whatever threat arises!"

In another burst of white smoke, all the monks surrounding him vanished, leaving only one sitting in the air above the arena. His palms began to glow blue as his hands circled his body. In a flash of blue, his body grew to a monstrous size. The monk fell from the sky, shaking the arena as he landed. Out of breath from defending against the horde, the hero raised his dull sword toward the giant, refusing to back down. The monk walked towards the tiny hero, shaking the floating platform even more with each step. Once close, the monk lifted a large foot into the air.