The Legend of Zelda: Blood and Spirit

Chapter 14: The Light to Banish Darkness

Warm tears started to flow down Hylia's face and Zelda shared them with her, praying and hoping that it wasn't true. Hesitantly, she stepped closer towards the fallen warrior and knelt down beside him, taking in a shaky breath to prepare herself for what she knew she was going to find. As she reached over to take his cold, yet strong body in her arms, he did not stir at all, confirming what both the goddess and the girl had feared. An ill feeling of pain and misery came over Zelda, one she knew would never go away as Hylia stroked the injured hero's pale blonde hair and let her tears of mourning fall onto his unfeeling face. Zelda was too overcome with grief to notice that there were in fact differences between who she thought this was and who he really was, but all the same, she joined Hylia in a tearful cry of woe, one that echoed throughout the field as the both cried out the same name in unison: "Link!"

Zelda awakened with a jolt, her breath completely lost and her heart pounding despite the fact that she had not been in any danger whatsoever in her dream. Her eyes were still damp with tears, ones that wouldn't stop falling from her eyes as she sat up and hugged her legs, pouring out her sorrow and fear for several minutes. Her mind tried to make sense of the dream that she had just had, but the only thing she could actually focus on was the inner pain she was feeling. Never before had one of Hylia's memories brought her so much heartache and the girl knew the reason why this one had. Though she didn't know how to explain it, she had seen her hero lying cold and dead, and she had been far too late to help him. But now that she was fully awake, something bothered her about the dream. Though he had looked quite similar, the hero in her dream just didn't appear to be her Link. Zelda wasn't sure what to make of that realization; it could mean a number of things and the fact that she had seen it all through Hylia's eyes didn't make coming to a conclusion any easier. The girl sighed as she placed her head against her legs, trying to chase away the headache brought on by grief and confusion that she had developed. So instead of thinking about her dream and what it could possibly mean, she instead remembered the task at hand: finding a way out of the Interlopers' stronghold with her life.

Taking in a deep breath, Zelda peeked out of the small nook that she had been resting in and when she saw that the cost was clear, she stepped out into the hallway and glanced around, trying to remember her original direction. There was no question that she was lost within these maze-like corridors, but at the very least she had not been foolish enough to run into any of the monsters or traps that Veress had warned her about. But all the same, the girl wanted nothing more than to escape from this place and get back to Link, especially after what she had discovered during the Interlopers' meeting. However, getting out now wouldn't be as easy as she had initially hoped. Because of her failed attempt to destroy the Interloper's power source, they were certainly on the hunt for her throughout the temple, meaning that now, she'd have to rely on stealth as well as direction. But she knew that there had to be a way out of the temple; who would build a strong hold without creating an exit for it? And even if there was only one way out, Zelda was determined to find it, no matter what it took.

Gathering her bearings once more, Zelda pressed on, heading ever deeper into the darkness as she let her mind wander. She didn't particularly think back to her disturbing dream, so instead she thought about what Veress had said about Link earlier. The word that the rebel leader had used, "corruption", still bothered the girl immensely. According to Veress, this corruption had the intent and capability of somehow claiming the hero's soul and spirit, but to what extent and by what means, Zelda didn't know. She knew for a fact that Link's spirit was unbreakable; it was the very reason why Hylia had chosen him to be her hero. Perhaps Veress had simply lied to her followers about it to raise their moral or maybe she had just miscalculated in her theory. But all the same, Zelda couldn't shake the feeling that whatever this corruption was, it was related to how the hero had almost attacked her right before they were both attacked by the Interlopers. The only things that she was absolutely certain of were that all of this had started right after they got back from Termina and that Link knew exactly what was going on, but he had neglected to tell her anything for some reason or another, much to her frustration. But at the moment, all Zelda could really do aside from find an escape route, was hope that Terminus could provide her with the answers she craved to a problem that she only prayed could be resolved. She wouldn't know what she would do if she lost Link. It just wasn't an option for her.