Legend Of Zelda Fan Fiction ❯ Ethereal Wings ❯ Chapter I: Different Worlds ( Chapter 1 )

Chapter I: Different Worlds

 
 I wonder who I am, where I came from…how I got here. What's my story? It's all lost in time…

As the morning sun was glistening over the treetops, and the green forest was awakening from its peaceful slumber, I slowly opened my eyes to see the world around me.  It was a beautiful morning in Kokiri Forest, the wind blowing calmly throughout the trees, light peeking creepingly through the leaves of the canopy. Restless, I climbed down my rope ladder and skipped over to the giant willow tree across from my home. 
 
“Aiko!” I bellowed at the top of my lungs. “Hurry up; today we're going to go play in the lost woods with the boys!” 
 
Kazu, my fairy, fluttered up to the top of the tree house to peek inside curiously. 
 
I waited impatiently at the foot of my friend's tree house, tapping my foot, my hands situated on my hips. A small blonde mass of hair suddenly emerged from the inside and stumbled down the ladder. 
 
“Ok…I'm here, I'm here…” She yawned, trying to fix her hair quickly. 
 
Aiko's fairy, Jin, followed behind her. 
 
“Hah! You slept in!” I exclaimed victoriously. “This time it wasn't Me.” 
 
“Oh don't flatter yourself,” She giggled, rolling her eyes. “I was up late last night thinking about the bow I'm getting for my birthday tomorrow.” 
 
“You mean our birthday?” I imposed. Being born on the same day as your best friend can be quite problematic. Of course, Aiko was born during the daybreak and me during the nightfall, but technically we were the same age. 11 years, 11 months, and 364 days, to be exact. 
 
She giggled again. “Of course, silly. Do you know what you're getting?” 
 
I tilted my head, eye content with the grass. “Well…I wanted a sword, but I'm not sure if I'm old enough to have one yet…” I moped. 
 
“Oh don't worry; I'm sure you'll get something neat. Anyways, aren't we supposed to be catching up with the boys? Lee is the only one who knows how to get through the woods without getting lost, so we better hurry up!” She said, grasping onto my wrist and running up the hill to the opening of the Lost Woods. 
 
The name “Lost Woods” Generally came from how almost every Kokiri has gotten lost in this maze of trees, but of course, we always thought it was fun to run around in there, being the audacious kids we were. 
 
“Hey! You're here!” Link exclaimed as we ran up to them eagerly. He and his older brother Lee were waiting for us at the entrance. Link was 13 and Lee was 15. The two boys famously opposed each other, Link being quiet and withdrawn, while Lee was always saying something. They were orphans, like the rest of the children of the forest, but something still seemed they were more like us, than the rest. We always hung out together since we were tiny. Attached at the hip, the four of us promised to be best friends for life a long time ago. 
 
“Finally.” Lee added, with a sigh. “Where were you both?” 
 
“Hey, we had to get ready!” Aiko growled, hoping he wouldn't detect that she had overslept. 
 
Link snickered. “Yeah, just like always.” 
 
I scratched my head. “Yeah…hehe…” 
 
Lee glanced at us all awkwardly, and then curved to the entrance. “Oh well, lets get going then.” 
 
The day seemed to pass by slowly, with the excitement of our 12th birthday coming up. Playing in the woods was always fun, we would race and play hide and seek, but Aiko and I just wanted to be older. In Kokiri Woods, when you turned twelve, you were awarded something that you have always really sought after, as a gift to show that you aren't a little kid anymore, and are beginning to grow up. Though there was something weird about the others this day I couldn't quite grasp. 

As I followed behind the others, something shiny caught my eye. A small firefly was faintly glowing over in the meadow, floating gracefully above the tall grass. My curiosity caught the best of me as I quickly skipped over to it, pouncing at it until I was able to capture it in my grip. “Aha…Look guys!” I cheered, looking around me for support. All I could see was empty, wide fields of grass and trees, the wind whistled waryily.

Oh crap…I'm lost. No, no I'm not, I'm fine!

I repeated to myself over and over as I ran through the continuous hollow opening in the woods, as they just kept taking me back to the spot I began my escapade. Finally as I jolted through another tunnel, I ran straight into Lee, knocking me back a bit as I rubbed my head.

“Where have you been?” He questioned angrily as Aiko and Link rushed to me, grabbing me like I was a lost puppy. “We've been frantically searching for you for the whole time! You can't just run off and get lost…you always do that!”

This triggered my defensive side, and I snapped back. “Oh shut up Lee. Nobody likes you anyway, you're so weird!”

“Whatever.” He responded. “Let's just go home.”
 
Later that day, I was skipping stones in the pond near my house when suddenly Link came running up to me, I could see in his eyes that something wasn't right. 
 
“Nozomi!” He panted, tripping over stones to reach me. 
 
“Huh…? What is it, are you ok?” I asked, quickly standing up. 
 
“It's Lee again. He's nowhere to be found.” Link answered disdainfully, crossing his arms.
 
Lee had run away several times in the past, for short amounts of time. This always worried Aiko sick, because she cared for him deeply. He would sometimes say that he didn't feel right, and disappear. We knew in truth that Lee actually was a very sensitive person, and sometimes felt different. How he ran away, we never knew…. As far as we knew…there was no outside world, nothing but this forest and it was impossible to go anywhere further. 
 
“Oh no…” I sighed. “Just promise me…you won't tell Aiko… I don't want her upset for her birthday, and… we aren't sure if he may come back just yet…” 
 
Lowering his head to the ground, he responded with a mutter. “Yeah, yeah. I promise.” 

I couldn't help but feel that this time; it might have been my fault.
 
 
That night, Aiko and I sat on the bridge right outside of our homelands. We weren't really even supposed to be at this bridge, but clandestinely, we did all the time. It was a spot where we could feel like we were somewhat in a different world than the one we had always been at… you see, a Kokiri can never leave Kokiri Woods, because of all the incredible dangers of the mainland of Hyrule that waited outside. Kokiri were small and weak in comparison to a lot of the creatures out there, they were simply forest sprites that lived peacefully in the southern end of Hyrule. 
 
I looked out into the horizon. “Do you ever wonder what's out there?” I mumbled to Aiko, my legs dangling off the bridge. You could barely see, through the trees, a giant land, full of adventure and…mystery, to me. 
 
Aiko breathed in to say something big, but all that came out when she opened her mouth was, “I really…do wonder…”

I tilted my head in confusion to my friend's slow response. Something was clearly on her mind. “Ok, spit it out. You're thinking about something aren't you?” I smirked, nudging her shoulder slightly.

“Well…” Aiko sighed. “If you really want to know, when we were all in the woods today, I suddenly had the weirdest feeling. Instead of looking for everyone right away, I sat down because my head started to hurt. Then, this strange vision came into my mind, and I couldn't control it.”

My eyes widened. This event sounded bizarrely familiar. “Yeah, go on.”

“Well…there was fire, darkness, and this huge figure riding on…horseback. Screaming…and….I hear Link's voice, but for some reason I didn't even vision Lee…he felt so…far away.”

I stared completely through her for a moment, bewildered and surprised at the same time.

“Ok, Aiko…” I started, sighing out as I spoke. “First of all, I had what sounds like the exact same dream last night.” It was true; everything that she said right at that moment explained my nightmare to perfection. I just sort of shrugged it off, but I knew Aiko wasn't lying because she can never forget about things like nightmares so quickly like I could.

“You…did?” She stared back into my eyes. “I knew it…something is going to happen, I can tell.”

I rolled my eyes. “Oh you baby, it's nothing to worry about. It's only all of this stress that we have been going through lately with worrying about tomorrow.” I waved my hand at her teasingly.

Aiko's face grew stern. “I know the difference between the anxiety over a birthday present and a nightmare that makes me cry like a little baby like in the Lost Woods!”

I paused for a moment. “Yeah, you do that anyways.”

She sighed at me and turned her face back to the distant pink sun. 

Kazu jingled his warning signal at me. “It's getting pretty late, Nozomi!” He squeaked, sitting himself on my shoulder. 
 
“I agree. You both should get to bed before your elders or the Great Deku find out where we are. I sense that if we stay any longer trouble might make an appearance soon.” Jin stated. 
 
“Oh, alriiight.” I replied disdainfully. With that, Aiko and I started to head back towards the forest entrance. On the way out though, we heard the trees creaking and bushes rattling close by, causing us to stop. The bridge ceased swaying at the sight persuading us to stay upon it. There sitting on a gossip stone sat a skeleton kid scratching his head. One of those little children with black faces and bright beaming eyes; it was only a myth that these creatures existed. If you caught it, though, it was rumored to teach you the way through the lost woods without ever getting lost again. I stretched out my arm across Aiko's chest to hold her back from leaping at him in excitement.

“Nozomi…is that what I think it…?”

I nodded silently in her question.

“We have to be very quiet or else we'll-”

“I bet I can catch it first!” She hollered, darting over the railing clumsily and landing off balance as I followed.

“Not if I beat you to it, duh!” I giggled rushing towards him, leaving her behind.

   The two of us laughed as we chased the poor creature throughout the hollows of the Lost Woods.

“You know,” Aiko panted, “I don't think this was such a bright idea of mine after all…seeing as we always get lost.”

“Don't sweat it. Once I catch that skull kid, he'll zap us right out of here!”

“You wish!” The battle continued as we ran neck to neck in search of the skull kid. Lefts and rights, leaping through trees, he tried to escape us, but we remained on his tail. Aiko and I were in mid-sentence when we came around a corner and nailed a large object in the way, which knocked us back quite a bit into the dirt. I held my head dazed as Aiko pushed herself backwards, closer to me, rearing against a tree trunk.

   “Ai…? Ai what is it?” I asked perplexed at her expression. Her face had been completely drained of its color, her playful and naïve energy vanished as fast as the skull kid. But taking one glance at the object that blocked us, I felt the exact state of fear she was in. Towering over us with a midnight black steed, a huge dark toned man with eyes that burned like embers grinned slyly at the two girls that cowered beneath him. His horse snorted, treading its hooves into the moist earth as he dismounted. The clank of his boots echoed throughout the chilled night air as he approached Aiko and me.

“Nozomi…what do we do?” Aiko whimpered to me, grabbing my arm tightly. My jaw clenched and chattered in mere response while he just grew nearer and nearer. Suddenly, his reach swallowed Aiko and I both in a swift swoop as a tremendous amount of pressure met my stomach, knocking the wind out of me.

   I heard Aiko try to scream, but the impact must have been too much for her as her body went limp beside mine. My head was ringing by now with the force and surprise of the incident. This couldn't be happening, there was no way we could let this happen…no, there was no way Link or Lee would let this happen. The momentum of the ride quickened and I knew we were galloping away; away from Kokiri, away from home. Sounds of hooves pounding into mud and grass soon dissipated into the air as hollow galloping resound off the trees.

   It wasn't until my eyelids fluttered open at the sound of the horse whinnying and a small boy crying out. Looking behind me along the bridge was Link, his belongings scattered across the planks as his eyes filled with tears and dirt.

      “Link!!” I shouted pathetically tossed over the man's lap watching my childhood friend fade into the distance, hearing my name yelled back in bitter confusion. His pale little fingertips spread to me as if to pull me off the saddle, but we were already a distance away. The hooves clattered against the hollow oak bridge while we were stolen off into the night. The moon glistened against the clouds giving them a silver lining.

      Rounding the bend at then end of the tunnel, open fields and dirt paths came into view, kicking up the small bits of gravel as the man kicked his stallion to go faster. The pace quickened, giving Aiko and I a lurch into one another, causing her to regain her senses.

“N…Nozomi?” She moaned lightly, her eyes only half opened. “Where…are we?”

“Aiko…don't look now, but…” as I said this, the top of two maroon spires split the moon in two halves, taking the iridescent glow from the clouds away.

“But what? But what, Zomi?” she pleaded eagerly, not being able to look past for the position she was slumped in.

      Our conversation was curtailed and ended abruptly as the horse reared violently, sending the man as well as us tumbling to the grassy earth. I shielded my eyes from a bright light emitting from a blur of figures that advanced towards the man. He backed away though, crying out what seemed to be curses and black magic whilst the group of unknown apparitions chanted. I was about to look for Aiko when I felt small fingers twirl around my wrist to find her huddled at my side in awe as myself. They were using magic!

      “Ganondorf, Lord of Darkness and all that is evil, leave the future guardians of this land alone and never set forth in Hyrule again” Their incantations seemed to decipher into this, drawing Aiko and I to our feet and closer to the spell bindings. The man, known as Ganondorf, cringed beneath the pressure of the light, shakily reaching to his side pocket and withdrawing something. I squinted through the beams to see a dark violet tube with fog seeping from its lid.

“Ela-freigh-rah!!” His voice hissed stinging my eardrums as a piercing boom bellowed over the plains with smoke gusting from under him.

      Aiko began to cough as I stood up. He was gone. Waving my hand, the smoke dissipated from my presence and the night was clear once more, although the mysteries still stood over us.

“Do not fear us, my brave chosen ones. Nozomi, Guardian of Twilight and Aiko, Guardian of Ethereal.” An enormous glowing figure in the shape of a feral beast, like a wolf, stepped closer to us as we held each other in amazement. “We knew that this moment was going to come for thousands of years now.”

I looked around at the foreign lands surrounding me, then back up at the figure. “Are you…a…”

“God?” The creature howled. “No, the gods of these lands have long passed. In their place now are us, the Guardians. Our time of reign has passed now, and we waited many years for you to be brought into these lands as the new Guardians of the sacred Lands.”

“Sacred Lands?” Aiko questioned, glancing upwards curiously.

“Yes, one of light and one of dark, one of peace and one of life. They are both needed to maintain the balance of the world around us. You two were chosen from birth to be the new Guardians because of the unknown past that befell you and the realm of innocence you were brought up by. The man that tried to take you away was Ganondorf, the Ruler of Darkness, born the only Gerudo male in hundreds of years. He had heard of our prophecies of you from Hyrule Castle when he was asking for the Princess' hand in marriage merely to start his reign of the Lands.”

      “The Princess?!” Aiko and I exclaimed leaning forward as the Spirit's aura lightened.

“Of course”

“The Princess Zelda”

Multiple voices of the spirits erupt into hushed names, titles, and affirmations of our statement.

“But why would she let him get away with all of that in the first place?” I questioned skeptically as the group silenced themselves.

      “She didn't” replied the Wolf Spirit, “She rejected his court and banished him back into the Desert of Colossus to roam endlessly and think about his wicked ways”

“Then how did he get out?” Aiko inquired twiddling her fingers befuddled.

“It is still beyond us” spoke a Great Bird appearing like a phoenix before us, “Some say that he was released by some unknown force. Our magic once held him in the desert, but that…wore off many years ago.” 

“Others supposed that he was able to free himself with dark magic, the only magic that can affect light magic, and vice-versa…” Another Spirit added.

“What are WE going to do about it though? We're just eleven--!”

“Twelve” Aiko nudged me slyly.

“We're just twelve!” I panted a bit; quite frustrated with the burden they decided to drop on us the night before our most momentous birthday ever.

      “No worries my children” The Wolf Spirit bowed humbly in understanding, “The prophecies said that the guardians would be brought to us on the evening before their twelfth year of age…and soon, you will understand. Someday, you will know everything.” Looking up into the sky the creature seemed to reminisce slightly as if lost into a dream world.

The Phoenix draped a wing across Aiko's shoulders, causing her to silently gasp.

“We never assumed that it would fall upon us in such a turmoil instance” I glanced around at the group of Spirits, all of them immense compared to small Kokiri children.

“Here it is…the letter, show them the truth.” The spirits chanted in unison as the wolf Spirit obtained a huge scroll. Unrolling it, the Aiko and I peered over the writing.

We are in great honor to inform upon you, that the great sages of the lands have come together and decided to choose two young souls to instill a vast honor upon. In the outskirts of each border of Hyrule, lie two hidden worlds that have remained a mystery to those who were not born there. These worlds have recently been opened by an evil force named Ganondorf. He opened these worlds with his power to create a war between the opposite worlds, as well with the rest of Hyrule, which lies in the center of the war. Now, slowly, the sacred realms are starting to disappear bit by bit, and only certain areas of these worlds can be accessed. The parts still remaining are becoming waged into war, and as soon as these realms disappear completely, he will have all of their sacred powers and the ability to un-harmonize life and reign over it all. He seeks the power of the tri-force, which you, unknowingly, have been born with when the spirit blessed their souls before life. If the war continues, Hyrule will be destroyed, and the tri-force will be open for him to steal from out lands. Nozomi and Aiko must depart to be the Guardians of the Ethereal and Twilight worlds…until the time comes when the worlds collide and start to battle, for nothing can be done until that time. Your missions will be to collect sacred medallions, to bring these worlds back to a whole, and then collect sacred orbs from the temples of your worlds to re-harmonize the world with the balance of your music. In the end, when you learn the truth about who you really are, you will finally have the power to defeat the Dark and Evil King. I wish you the best of Luck; please help me save my beloved Hyrule.”

Sincerely, Princess Zelda and Royalty.

 

The phoenix spoke reverently. “This was how it was meant to be, my dear ones. This was how it was meant to be.”

 

And so, there it was. We were sent to those worlds, the Ethereal and Twilight. We were given the weapons of the Sacred Guardians before us, the Moon blade and Winged Bow. We guarded our lands, grew up there, and started a new life. We never saw the forest again. I became friends with the Twilight villagers, and before I knew it, I started to look like one. I grew marking and symbols, I had the features, and same with Aiko, who looked more and more like an Ethereal each day. The Light Spirits taught us everything we needed to know about our worlds, and before we knew it, six years had passed. It's funny how your life can change forever in such an instant.

- - -

I opened my eyes slowly, the fire still crackling amidst the silence, the moon shone over the supernatural world I resided.

“Wow…that dream…was about when I was young…the day we left…” I muttered, in a half yawn to myself. It was indeed a dream, my subtle memories, and the last memories I had to myself before leaving my beloved home. Fading from my reverie, I sat up in my bed and stretched out my arms taking a peek outside of the window.

“It's still happening, I guess.” I muttered to myself, watching the outskirts of the realm slowly dissipating from dark magic. It wouldn't be long before we were called into action, I knew it.

My name is Nozomi. I was born a Kokiri, as you probably already know. I'm still one at heart, but now known as the Guardian of Twilight and a true Twili. It's been almost 6 years since I was sent here, to protect this Land. My friend Aiko lives in the Ethereal World, a world opposite of this one. We can each hop back and forth to each other's worlds, so we are still best friends throughout all this time.
The last 6 years of my life have been unusual. It's been a time of obscurity and new experiences. I have gained authority battling the bad twilight creatures, and gained knowledge befriending the good ones. The Twilight World isn't sinister and frightening like you might think from the name. It's actually a world of peace and reverence…it's very quiet and undisturbed for the most part.
The Ethereal world, while being dazzling and lively, compliments the Twilight, which is soothe and subtle. They represent Ying and Yang, or opposites, which is why Twilight resides on the West and Ethereal on the East. Together, mixed, they are the perfect balances. What the world should be.

I grabbed my sword and walked outside into the crisp air, the red moon was bright. The wind blew my dark hair around my face, stinging my eyes.
I slowly paced over the bridge. `I wonder what Aiko is up to…' Kazu followed behind me, glowing in the darkness.

“Nozomi, I feel a strange Aura today…” He said, flying next to me.

“You aren't the only one.” I answered, stopping at the end of the bridge. That's when I noticed it. A scroll lied in the grass, blaring my name.
I opened it up carefully, my ice blue eyes scanning diligently over the words. “It's from Hyrule Castle… They're having a council meeting…Ganondorf…he's finally here…” I whispered to Kazu from the manuscript.

“You know what this means…” Kazu replied. “The worlds…Havoc is going to take place all over Hyrule.”

“I'm going to go see Aiko. Maybe she's been able to speak with the spirits.” I ran quickly over the the other side of the bridge where I was automatically teleported to Ethereal.

I squinted my eyes, adjusting to the brightness. “Aiko!” I shouted with raised arms. She was sitting on the rock outside her house, reading the same scroll. The liveliness of birds chirping and kids playing outside the village was a nice change from the quiet and peaceful villagers I have grown to know.

“I was waiting for you!” She said, with that same smile, the exact one she had given to me that day that we had left. “It seems the time has come.”

“I know…but…What exactly do we have to do? I don't think I'm ready…” I sighed.

“I know…but…I'm sure they will explain our mission to us at the meeting…we should get going, it starts midday. It's at the Temple of Time.”

Using my teleportation, we quickly arrived outside the huge Temple. Its presence was proud, yet eerie. This was our first time here for six years, for we could not stray outside of our worlds much.

I looked up at the structure. “So this is it… Now I remember.”

Aiko pushed open the elegant stained-glass doors, revealing a huge room, with even more huge windows inside. It was so colossal, it seemed empty, but you could plainly see, at the very end, familiar faces resided, including some new ones.


I noticed a similar face across the room. He was way older…and more muscular, too…But I just knew it was him. As he walked up to me, I couldn't seem to get my words right.

“L…you're…you are…that's…” I managed to pull out of my mouth.

“Hey Nozomi!” He said with a smile. “It's been awhile…wow; you've really grown haven't you?” He laughed.

I quickly him a leaping hug. “I can't believe it! I never thought I'd see you again!” I cried tears of joy in my eyes. “And look who's talking! I was always taller than you as a kid…now you're like a freaking tree compared to me!” I pouted.

Link chuckled as he hugged me back. “Yeah, yeah… I'm just glad to see you both back, safe…”

I couldn't help but notice Aiko, across the room, looking at us with a smile. But you see, I knew this wasn't a smile on the inside. Lee was nowhere to be found, and a huge fear of mine was unveiling at this moment. I had gotten to meet Link, but she couldn't see Lee.

I stepped back from my old friend, and looked up into his eyes, glancing at Aiko, and then him once more. “Umm…” I started.

“I know what you're thinking…” He interrupted. “And it's…true.”

Horror captured my soul when he said this. `No way…' I thought. `Lee is…still gone?'

“Actually… Lee never permanently came back. He came back a few times after you both left…but only to tell us that he decided he was going to travel Hyrule by himself. After that, I left the forest as well trying to find him, but I never did. Eventually, we both went our separate ways around Hyrule, for our own reasons.” He sighed.“Truth is…we've both sort have left Kokiri…But we had a reason for it. I just wish he could have told her before she had to leave.”

“I see…” I answered softly. “So, was that where you were going that one night when we got kidnapped?”

Link's eyes widened in amazement at my memory, and then he smirked again, this time a warmer smile. “Yeah…”

It happened to be at that moment, the Temple doors opened broadly. A very tall figure stood at the doorstep, and when the silhouette cast away, it was plain to see. This man was Lee, and following him, a young woman who appeared like a child, if you didn't look at her face. She had long blonde hair, and Elvin ears like a hylian. This was the Princess, Zelda.

“I'm back.”

Link and Aiko looked at him in awe. Somehow though, I predicted that he would arrive for this certain occasion, especially if it meant seeing Aiko again.

Aiko stared at him confounded. “You…left? Why?”

“It doesn't matter…” He answered. “I'm back now and here to help defend Hyrule. Zelda informed me of the situation; she realized I was old friends of the Guardians, after all.” He said, smiling.

Tears formed in Aiko's eyes and she hugged him tightly. A warm feeling inside me couldn't help but form from seeing this. I was glad that Aiko could be happy like the rest of us. We were all together once more, and we never wanted to be separated again. Childhood friends could never be lost.

“Greetings,” Said a voice from the other side of the room. “I'm Zelda, Princess of Hyrule…”

A silence formed in the room from the short reunion. We all stood aligned, looking at the Princess with importance.

“As you know…” She began, breaking the silence. “I sent letters to each of you stating that there would be a meeting held here, a council meeting. This so much may not be quite what you expected. I stand alone here, so that I can explain to you simply what your duties are, without you getting confused from other input. Now, will the Guardians come stand before me, please?”

I looked over at Aiko, not wanting to make the first step. It looked as though she were thinking the same as I, though. Suddenly, she grasped my hand and pulled me with her, walking down the long isle, towards the Princess. We approached her, anxiety in our eyes.

Zelda smiled. “Don't fear me, for I am the same as you. Only our names separate us. As beings, we are the same.”

With that said, I suddenly felt more relaxed. I gave a small smile back, to reassure she was understood.

“You two are the chosen ones to defend Hyrule's Innocent. Yet, you are still young. I put my faith in you… for if I could, I would have certainly put myself in your position rather than you for safety issues, but you see, you were chosen for a reason, and the Spirits of the Past have sealed your fate.
Though, you weren't the only chosen ones,” She said, glancing further back into the room. “Link, please step forth…for you have the power of the Tri-force within you as well. Lee, you as well, have this strange power.”

The two boys walked up, and stood next to us. It seemed as if they already knew what she was going to tell them. After all, they had already journeyed Hyrule, so maybe they had unlocked their powers by themselves.

“I know that you two are aware of your powers, for I am always watching.” Zelda announced.

Link appeared nervous, while Lee just stood silent and emotionless.

“With your powers, you shall help these young girls through their journey I will soon unveil to them. With their inner spiritual powers, and your known strength to protect them along the way, you four should be a group almost indestructible.”

They both nodded. Had they already known that their duty would be this? Was Hyrule planning this…without even telling us? Or did the guys somehow know this…from their experience around Hyrule?

“Ladies. Your mission will not be an easy one. For the most part, you are aware already of what has been happening over the years, and what has finally concluded from this. Years ago, The Twilight Lands and Ethereal World had been opened by Ganondorf; an evil man with intensions to steal Hyrule's prized Tri-force to gain power to control the lands. He knew that by opening the hidden portals to these worlds, that someday the creatures would rage out in war with each other, fighting over their own territories and ways of life, and pieces of the worlds would eventually start to vanish. If this continues, the rest of Hyrule will soon join in this war, Villagers unable to stop the powerful creatures from tearing the land into pieces, until they disappear completely into a foreign wasteland. Hyrule will become a place of erosion, death, and Ganondorf will finally be able to overtake it with his dark powers, commanding the brainwashed creatures to his whim again I, and you as well. He will be able to defeat us, possibly…So this is what I ask of you…

All throughout the many different lands that reside in Hyrule, there are powerful elemental stones, called medallions. Each of these medallions has an element, related to one of you. Aiko is Light, Nozomi Spirit, Link Earth, and Lee is Shadow. The other two are Water and Fire, more basic elements, but you shall find their possessors on your journey. The Sages hold these medallions as prized possessions and give them over only to Guardians who seek them to help protect the world. The power of these stones is amazing. Once they are all together, they can control time as we know it. Also, they are the only thing, when combined, than can actually seal the two worlds back together in complete harmony, with their power to change the past, present, and future as we know it. They are definitely not something to be taken lightly, as for when they are all together, they can either destroy the living world, or save it. In the Guardians hands, they can save…but if in evils hands, like Ganondorf, they have horrific powers to gather the tri-force and let him take control, choosing the fate of the world at his whim. To get these, you must travel through every single space in Hyrule, journeying through dangerous temples, created to protect the stones. It is said only the Guardians and the Heroes, the ones who protect them, can travel successfully through these temples…one in each world, for you shall gain many new powers along the way. You have six to collect…The spirits of the Guardians and I shall help you to find these places, and then you can retrieve the medallions. Even after this, there is something you must do on your own…you must look deep into your heart and travel back into the places where you came from…you must do this to save the unconnected pieces and bring them back. I wish I could say more, but this is what the prophecy states, and that is all. I wish you the greatest of luck on your journey… And for you… I have a gift; I was able to keep contact of one medallion, the one that belongs to you, Aiko.”

With that, Zelda placed the Light medallion in Aiko's hand.

Aiko stared at the glowing stone. “…Amazing…” She faintly whispered. Putting a determined look on her face, she added, “We'll try our best, we promise.”

- - -

Later that night, we camped out in Hyrule field under the stars with the guys, preparing for our first journey in the morning. Though something still was in my mind…

`I wonder why Zelda asked Link and Lee to protect us… I'm happy to see them again, but that makes me feel like…she doesn't think we're quite good enough to pull it off ourselves. They have their own lives…they shouldn't have to follow us around.' My fingers twiddling, playing with a twig in the dirt by the fire.

“What are you thinking about, Nozomi?” Link asked concernedly while fixing the fire, embers sparkling in the night air.

“Oh…nothing…” I said slowly, giving my famous half-smile. Though, I was indeed thinking…I was thinking if Aiko was wondering that same thing as me.

Later in the night, while everyone was asleep, I peeked open my eyes. Aiko was sleeping by the stream. I crept up to her, trying not to scare her and wake up the boys.

“Hey…Aiiko…” I whispered, poking her face repeatedly. “Waaake up…”

“…No…I don't want to eat the worms…oh lords, please no!” She murmured.

I stared at her for a minute, and then glared mischievously. She was having a dream about when we were little, and me and Lee always dared her to eat worms when we played truth or dare.

Chuckling to myself, I poked her more. “You're dreaming you dumb ass.”

“Huh?” She rubbed her eyes. “Oh…thank the gods that was a dream.” She spoke, glaring at me sideways.

“Shhh! don't wake them up.” I pointed to the guys. “I wanted to go by ourselves for this task, to show Zelda we can do it without them. They shouldn't have to be bothered with our job, anyways.”

“I was thinking the same thing, but are you sure this is really a good idea? What do you think they'll do when they wake up and don't see us here?”

I grinned. “We'll get it before they wake up. We have the whole night. See, our first medallion is the Earth Element. This is in Kokiri woods! All we have to do is get Kazu and Jin to use their senses to find the location of the temple, and we go in, beat up whatever gets in our way, grab the stone, and come back. Simple.” I explained, grinning.

“Well, we did grow up there; we should be able to handle it ourselves, right?” Aiko added, enthusiastically. “Yeah, let's show them…they shouldn't underestimate us.”

We grabbed our weapons, and headed south towards Kokiri. This was our moment to shine.