[open] fear’s only a choice

[skyglider]

Who: Link [OPEN]
Which: Interactive dream (with a passive dream option)
Where: ~it was all a dream~
What: Link sure is having some feelings about home right now
Warnings: some dark themes and big freakin monsters in prompt 2


i. it seems i have lost my way

a. [The sun shines down on you, warm in a gentle sort of way, but the more you move, the more you begin to feel a prickle of sweat beginning to bead. You remember some advice, though you don’t really remember getting it. One hand at a time. Find a place for your foot, and then a place for your hand. Make sure it’s sturdy. Your pace is slow, but manageable, and you know for certain that if you fall, there’s a gentle slope waiting to catch you not far below.

You are climbing a mountain, and you are nearly at the top. Your companion is already there, though you can’t see him anymore over the last few feet of rock. You take a moment to breathe, find another handhold, and— rattle! A few rocks come loose, clattering down the slope. Suddenly, your handhold doesn’t seem nearly as secure as it did before, but just as you start to worry that the rock beneath your fingers is going to fall, a hand reaches down for you. Finally, you see your climbing companion again: Link leans over the edge, extending his hand to help you up.]

Here. I’ve got you.

[Satori Mountain is beautiful, with its pink-blossomed tree and the small pond beneath it…but not nearly as beautiful as the view when you look outward from the mountaintop. Almost all of Hyrule stretches out before the foot of the mountain: towns, stables, ruins, and in the distance, another range of mountains. It’s picturesque and peaceful, marred only by the dark swirling shape that surrounds the castle in the distance.]

b. [On Satori Mountain or in other locations around Hyrule, you might find oddities to explore and investigate. Stumps with the shape of a leaf imprinted on them, a lone rock in a suspicious place, a red pinwheel that looks notoriously out of place, or even a weird bullseye balloon hovering in the air. There seem to be no limits to the tricks of the Koroks, and Link seems particularly determined to find their hiding spots. You’re more than welcome to join him in finding these puzzles, or any others.]

c. [Later in the evening, Link can be found outside of a town, hunkering down by a fire and a cookpot. Nothing’s on the menu just yet; for now, he seems content just to sit and watch the stars begin to light up the night sky. If you approach, he first gives you a momentary analyzing look, and then offers a nod in greeting.]

Care to join me?

[The breeze begins to turn chilly for the night; might not be a bad time to sit by the fire.]

ii. i’m being shadowed by my past

[The sky is dark, a a blackness that feels oppressive and all-encompassing. Clouds slink murkily across the sky overhead and an overlarge moon begins to rise, blood-red, casting red light across the land. Those who were here for Princess Zelda’s blood moon dream may recognize the effect, but the rest of the dream is quite different.

Link stands alone on the red-tinged field of ruins in front of Hyrule Castle, watching a dark, miasmic shape circle its highest turrets.

He’s not the tallest to begin with, but this monstrous form dwarfs him even further. For a moment, he almost seems to feel that, hanging back, clutching the Master Sword as it glows an ethereal blue. He takes a few deep breaths, steadying himself. Then, he steps forward, and the standstill is broken; the creature circling Hyrule Castle lets out a terrifying, earth-shaking roar, charging downward until it looms just overhead. The effect is menacing; Calamity Ganon is large from a distance, but up close like this, it’s utterly enormous, blotting out the blood moon above. Creatures begin to appear out of the darkness in overwhelming numbers. Link backpedals by a few steps, turning and locking eyes with you, unfortunate dream-sharer. His eyes are wide; is it surprise at your presence or apprehension at the foe in front of him? It’s impossible to say.]

You’re not supposed to be here.

[Or, if you’re not in a fighting mood, this dream can also be viewed as a passive recording, ending abruptly as the monsters and Calamity Ganon begin to swarm and outnumber Link.]

Comments

[skyglider]

[It's a familiar dream, unwelcome though it is; not frequent enough to be recurring but all the same, familiar enough that he knows how it goes. And seeing an armored figure --so familiar, at that-- shakes him out of the familiarity. This...this is an unexpected twist. It's not how the dream usually goes. He's supposed to face this alone, he's supposed to--

Let us witness it.

For a moment, Link does not move. He knows this is how it's meant to be. He knows this is how it must be. And yet...there is a part of him that does not want to face this alone. That is, perhaps, afraid of what the outcome of this fight could be. But that part of him is not big enough or vocal enough for him to protest. So he tries to swallow his fear and his trepidation, clutching the Master Sword and plunging forward into the dream, same as he always does.

Calamity Ganon menaces the skies and then turns its attention to him, the lone Hylian daring to face him. It descends from the castle, almost the size of the castle itself, unleashing a mighty, glass-shattering roar across the ruins of Castle Town. Dark, toxic pools of malice begin to collect and coagulate, spreading slowly outward from the castle, and as always in this dream, Link doesn't see it. Doesn't see anything but the massive, tusked scourge.

After nearly a century of waiting, finally he is here, facing off against the menace one on one. Alone, he takes a decisive leap, plunging his sword into the darkness. The rest of him quickly follows.]

[luciing]

[ As Link vanishes into the miasma, Somnus stands just beyond the threshold. Like this, he holds his position as a sentinel.

But of course, he can't "witness" anything if darkness obscures whatever struggle occurs within. After a few minutes of waiting, he marches into the miasma. ]

[skyglider]

[It's a familiar dream, for Link -- one that has haunted him since before arriving in Reverein. He faces off against Calamity Ganon, his sword shining, clashing with the creature as it looms over him, larger than life and terrifying.

Some part of him wonders where Princess Zelda is, in all this. Shouldn't he be able to sense her? Her voice, her power...? But within the dream, she is absent.

The malice creeps ever closer, small yellow eyes appearing within it as it inches closer to Link's feet. As Somnus enters, it pauses for only a moment, and then continues advancing relentlessly. It nears Somnus, as well, advancing upon his feet in a slow, strangely gelatinous way, like an odd combination of a jellyfish and a stream of lava.]

[luciing]

[ Whether the malice is only a manifestation of Link's dream or twisted, in part, by nightmare energy, Somnus takes no chances. He steps away from its advance, which, given his height, puts him back about a meter.

As it happens, he recalls that the "cure" for this so-called malice is Zelda's power, and if Link's current nightmare is based on Hyrule's reality (or rather, what Somnus' assumption of it is), then Link will not win this battle without her. However, this is also a dream. So, perhaps, drawing strength from the idea of her being safe will be enough. ]

Steady yourself, O knight. [ Somnus steps to the side of the advancing malice, brushing excess ooze off the heel of his sabaton upon the ground. Stones rattle with the weight of his steps as he strides over, joining Link. ]

And manifest valor from the future you envision.

[skyglider]

[Somnus is a strange presence in this dream; unfamiliar, intimidating, seeming to watch Link's actions with the same expectation and anticipation as the entire kingdom of Hyrule. For a long time, Link felt that gaze heavily upon his shoulders, a weight, a burden, a legacy to live up to. In Reverein, with time to reflect upon his quest and his failings...he has wondered whether it is a legacy he is capable of living up to, in the end. What if he cannot? What if he falls, just as the Champions did on that fateful day?

Somnus's words remind him that these are fears he does not have the luxury of dwelling upon.

Steady yourself. This a familiar moment, in the course of the dream: the moment when fear threatens to overwhelm him, when the malice senses his weakness. Now, too, the process begins, and Link swallows a lump in his throat. He takes in a deep, shaking breath. He tries to convince himself that he can do this. The malice begins to advance slowly, methodically, creeping up the leg of his boot, winding its way around his body slowly, then all at once surging forward to swallow him up. He tries to take a breath, suffocating on the gelatinous substance, gagging as it tries to force its way into his mouth, his eyes, his ears...

Manifest valor from the future you envision.

For just a moment, he sees it: a golden light. A smile, a tear-stained face. Hands reaching out, an embrace, and above all else, a heart-wrenching feeling of joy, of relief... The malice freezes for an instant, neither advancing nor retreating. Then it emits a high-pitched sound, like a shriek, and recoils, pulling away from Link and from the Master Sword, which has begun to glow faintly, pulsing like a heartbeat. At the same time, the monstrous shadow of Calamity Ganon above begins to shrink, becoming more manageable, more tangible: a creature to fight, rather than a concept to terrorize. Princess Zelda's golden light holds the creature in place and staves off all but a few of the braver bokoblins and moblins, who begin their final advance,

Courage need not be remembered...for it is never forgotten.

There it is, the sound of Princess Zelda's voice, radiating from some unknown source. The same voice that finally woke him from the Shrine of Resurrection. The voice that has guided him in everything he's done, every choice made, every battle fought... She's right, of course. His strength had ebbed due to his time in the Shrine, his memories had been lost to time, but courage was always the thing he relied upon most of all. Steady yourself. Find your courage. The courage he had allowed himself to second-guess after his failings one hundred years ago.

Find it he does. He spares only a moment for a glance in Somnus's direction, giving a grateful and determined nod, a recognition of his presence here. Then he charges forward with legendary blade in hand. Thus begins his final stand against Calamity Ganon. Perhaps it's only a dream, but if he can best his nightmares, then certainly...he must be able to best his waking enemies too.]

[luciing]

[ It seems that Somnus' words are just what is needed to encourage the warrior further.

...Or, perhaps that's not entirely accurate. Perhaps this young swordsman had what he needed all along, and Somnus' words had only been a reminder. Knights carry weapons and shields of all sorts, but it's only if they wield an arsenal of valiance and hope that they persist.

He recognizes the golden light, as well as her voice. He makes note of how she sounds far more assured and calm in this dream than he has ever known her to be, as if she, too, has faith in the youth that fights for her freedom.

This is a battle Somnus intends to witness until the end, regardless of the outcome. ]