songerein | { nightmare bleed: world fragments }

Entry tags:

{ nightmare bleed: world fragments }

NIGHTMARE BLEED: WORLD FRAGMENTS

Details on everything can be found here. As a reminder, events double as our TDMs and information can be found here. Any outside characters participating in the log are canonly logged as appearing in Songerein in June and will remain in Songerein from the IC date of June 14th. TDM only characters can only thread within this log. Anyone who apps in and is accepted will have their character count June as their first time in the game without any disruption, so all content will carry over. Those who do not apply will disappear which should not seem too unusual, however players in game can choose to retcon and pretend a character was never there to begin with if it would be easier; or even think their presence was just a dream.

IMPORTANT! All outside characters MUST have "TDM" in their subject line, even if you might not app. This will help people differentiate those who are already in the game and those who are not.

TDM threads are required for samples. Refer to the Game Info for general information and feel free to toss any questions here. Reserves will open June 24th and Applications will open on July 1st. Our application cycles are bi-monthly so the next cycle after won't be until September.

TDM Toplevel Link Directory (click to view)

Satan | Obey Me!

We will request any thread submissions for certain prompts during AC and TDM threads will count. For more information, refer to the Game Notes.

I. CORRUPTION

COMMENTS

I. CORRUPTION

It all begins when there is a call for help by the local tapirs. Ever since the final battle against the Story Eater last summer, some tapirs that over indulged themselves on the nostilium never recovered and in fact disappeared somewhere. It turns out they drifted to other worlds, and while they were able to do so already, the amount of nostilium has affected the tethers connecting worlds to Songerein and the dream realm as a whole, causing something of a "nightmare feedback." More dangerously, these tapirs are insatiable, seeking nightmares to feed on and are deliberately corrupting dreams to turn into nightmares.

This nightmare feedback through the tethers means while the original worlds are not seeing much of an effect—yet—Songerein and the rest of the dream realm is. Bits and pieces of these worlds are appearing in Songerein and need to be sealed before it's too late.

A. Safe Place. While most of Songerein is covered with patches of different worlds bleeding in, there is one place that's managed to escape: Dragefjell, the floating island home to the dragons. The massive dreamcatcher found within the strange castle that had been discovered last year immediately released a bright, white light and created a powerful barrier protecting it from the nostilium spreading throughout the world. Along with support from the dragons' own magic, they are quick to offer aid to those suffering below, flying down to grab anyone they could to bring them back to the island.

🩹 Medical aid. Those who suffer any physical injuries will be treated both through traditional and magical means. There are many dragons who specialize in healing magic that will be able to provide greater healing, but they are reserving these abilities for those grievously injured.
♨️ Purifying Springs. The hot springs are available to help purify those who have been affected by nostilium. Although not as strong as the pods, it still helps those who are on the "low" to "medium" scale. Some are even bottling the water so that it can be converted into some kind of spray to try and help purify areas affected.
🐉 Dragon Transport. After the initial flurry of rescues, more efficient means to transport larger groups are constructed. Gondolas carried by the dragons are made and volunteers can assist in finding and bringing people on board. Assistance is also request to help protect the dragons as the days pass so that they do not succumb to the growing effects of nostilium.

B. Corrupted Tapirs: These tapirs have changed entirely, the excess nostilium turning them into unrecognizable shadowy figures that will take on the form of one's worst nightmare to try and instigate more fear and terror. They continue to seek out nostilium out of anyone, sleeping or awake, and will appear outside of dreams to do just that.

🕊️ Purification. Many will try to purify the tapirs, but they must be subdued first. Once the corrupted tapir is down, pure dreamotion can be channeled into them to try and purify the effects of the nostilium. Other methods that have been discovered can also be used to try and reduce the corruption.
🛏️ Orkili Pods. The Orkilins will have brought their purification pods from the city to try and help purify not only anyone who has succumbed to the rampant nostilium, but also for the tapirs. If they can be subdued enough, they can be tossed into the pod to try and help purify them. However, if they still have too much the pod will overload and break.
💀 Eradication. Some tapirs are so far gone there is no saving them. They must be completely destroyed by using any offensive attack type dreamotion possible. Special "bombs" constructed from pure dreamotion can be made and used against them. Although extreme, it may be kinder to put them out of their misery, and those that are destroyed will whisper words of gratitude before disappearing…

C. Nightmare Battles. With both worlds bleeding into Songerein and the spike of nostilium spreading everywhere, noctaere and other nightmarish creatures from these bleeds are running rampant. They are aggressive with two different types. One type will just feed on pure destruction and will try to attack and destroy anything in its way. The other will try to invoke more fear and nightmares so they can feed off the nostilium and grow stronger that way. They need to be handled regardless and dreamotion is key.

🌚 Noctaere. Rather than be killed, those who overwhelmed by these creatures will be corrupted and turn into noctaere themselves. How weak or powerful the corruption is will be up to players. Note: It is possible to save the effects for next month for our second part, or even have the effects last into the next month. Anyone who turns into a noctaere and continues into July willy (hopefully) be saved in July.
👤 Slenderman. He's baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack. And he is angrier than ever. Like before, the Slenderman will prove to be a formidable foe, utilizing its ~~noodle~~ tendril like appendages to trap and capture anyone who has the misfortune to cross its path. Those who are caught will remain trapped inside it in a dark abyss-like cage but can be rescued by those who are able to simply make any cuts to reveal the person inside. Those within can try to escape using dreamotion, but the longer they are captive, the weaker they become as their energy is drained.
👥 The Unknown. The Unknown from the Mirror World has returned, but for some strange reason it is trying to capture noctaere and nightmares in a grotesque, black mirror. However, those who are captured will find themselves in a strange place where all the nostilium is extracted to create a "nightmare version" of themselves. They are then pulled back out of the mirror and returned to normal free of most of the nostilium that once afflicted them, and after the Unknown stares at them it will disappear for its next target. While some may think it is helping, those who actually go through the experience are left feeling strange and wary. After all…what will happen to that nightmare copy that was created? Should people help the Unknown? Or stop it?

D. World Fragments. Technically any canon could be found somewhere in Songerein, especially since the NPCs that live in Reverein are also from different worlds, but in Reverein and surrounding areas specifically, it will be mainly current canons represented in game and any guest character canons participating in the event. While players can create specific toplevels, we also request small blurbs to be added to our Canon World Fragments directory thread so that other players can reference and include them in their own threads. There is the option to include a link to your toplevel as well. For those who need a refresher on how this portion works:

🌎 World Fragment. A fragment of their world will appear somewhere around Reverein. It's most likely in the town, but it could be out in the Wildlands. The fragments will be no bigger than a 2-block square. These fragments can be a specific place or a mashed up amalgamation of places to represent that world, and it can include nightmare versions of people and creatures. While they mostly stay within the fragment area, some may escape to add to the havoc and chaos.
🧎 Conductor. To seal world fragment and contain its spread, natives from that world can serve as "conductors" and absorb the nostilium in the area into themselves. This does mean they run the risk of turning noctaere, but they can be assisted by others to help keep them purified. They also have the risk of falling into a coma-like sleep while still absorbing the nostilium.
🫙 Nostilium Absorbers. The Orkilins will deploy numerous containment devices to help try and absorb nostilium so that it's not just the individual. These devices can work directly on the fragment area or on the conductor to try and help keep them stable. However, these are not strong enough to work on their own and will need to be constantly changed out, especially if they are damaged.
📚 Fairytale Fragments. Because Songerein had such deep ties to the fairy tale realm, it is not surprising that there are nightmare fragments of fairy tales scattered among the different worlds. These bleeds will be as if someone took inspiration from the Grimm brothers and then made it more goth horror. Any fairytale, myth, legend, folklore, and story can be stumbled upon and will need to be purified like any other place. Some may even encounter the original heroes or villains of the story trying to serve as conductors to seal the fragment.

I. CORRUPTION

COMMENTS

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Zelda lets out a gasp as Satan shifts into what she knows must be his demon form. His true form. She remembers how she used to ask about it, how he always seemed reluctant to show it to her. Zelda never really understood why, although she guessed it might have something to do with the fear and hate most people held for demons.

(If she had met him now, rather than in her youth, after all the strife and suffering the Demon King Ganondorf wreaked upon Hyrule... would Zelda also have reacted with fear when he told her what he was? From the way her gut twists at the thought, she suspects she would have.... And knowing that makes her feel even worse.)

For all her fear of the monstrous Demon King, no such feeling stirs in her breast at the sight of Satan. Is it because he still looks so much like himself, save curling horns and a long black tail? Or is it because it's Satan, and Zelda has (bravely, foolishly) never feared him.

It's his transformation that unfreezes her from where she's been standing since he appeared. She takes a cautious step towards him, surprise and disbelief both fading from her face. ]

I thought I would never see you again.

[ She hugs the book against her chest. It's heavy in her arms, but it's also still warm to the touch. ]

After you disappeared, I tried to summon you back. Over and over again. I tried everything. Then there was the Story Eater, and my seal on Calamity Ganon began to fail, and I woke to Hyrule. [ She shakes her head. ] I was still within the seal and it was still intact. I slept again, I think. Those years are all a blur. [ She touches one hand to her forehead in concentration. ] Sixty in total, I think, give or take. One hundred years I held the seal, and some forty of those before I first arrived here.

[ For those doing the math, there are still five to ten years unaccounted for. ]

[ Satan takes note of Zelda's gasp, of the way she is seeing him like this for what he realizes must be the first time. While he was by no means ashamed of this form, there was a difference between shifting into it because he wanted to versus shifting into it because an emotion had gone beyond the threshold he was used to. An emotion so unfamiliar to him that he's not even confident he can name it clearly. Guilt, perhaps? He thinks that might be it. Guilt, mixed in with the shock of having spectacularly failed at coming back to her in a timely manner.

He watches her hug the book he'd given her to her chest as she walks him through her timeline of events. As he listens, he tries to will his demon form to dissipate, but it persists despite his best efforts.

As far as he can tell, it seems like Zelda may have returned home for some time, but... did it really matter? Whether it was 60 years in this world, or 60 years back in Hyrule, did it matter when all that time had passed and he failed to come to her side even once until now? ]

Then... after all this time, and after everything you've been through... did you want to see me again? I know you summoned me as I requested, but...

[ He's hesitant to hear her answer, but it's a question that he feels must be asked. If it were him, how would he feel...? If it had been Zelda who woke up first and abandoned him for decades--centuries, to make it even for his longer lifespan? He's not sure. He supposes he'd feel angry and betrayed, no matter how logical of an explanation there might have been. So, it wouldn't surprise him if that is how Zelda felt. He can only hope that Zelda is feeling exceptionally forgiving ]

[ Zelda's brows furrow together and disbelief floods back into her expression. Once, she did feel angry and betrayed, heartbroken that he left her when he so ardently promised he wouldn't. But anger can't burn forever (at least, not for Zelda), so it eventually smoldered and died, leaving behind only the aching sadness that she would never see him again.

And now she's finally seeing him again, after all this time, a wish she had long since given up on finally being fulfilled-- and he questions whether she genuinely wants to? ]

Why wouldn't I?

[ It's a rhetorical question and it's clear in her tone that she doesn't want an answer.

She takes a step closer to him, and then another, steadily closing the distance between them until she's only an arm's length away. He's still taller than her, so she still has to lift her chin in order to look up at him. ]

All these years gone, do you truly think I would not wish to see you again? [ She fixes him with her gaze, searching his face for some explanation as to why he would think something so foolish. ] Satan, I-- I tried for weeks, for months, to call you back to me. When I returned here last year, I sought you out in hopes that you had been brought back too, even though I know that isn't how this world works. How can you think I would not want to see you again?

[ The more she speaks, the more heated her tone becomes. A few angry little tears prick the corners of her eyes. How can he look at her and doubt how ardently she wanted to see him again? ]

[ "Why wouldn't I?" The relief he feels upon hearing those words is evident upon his face, but it's not enough to allow him to shift out of his demon form. He can see now for certain that she is definitely taller than before, not that he was looking for further proof of how much time had passed for Zelda.

For a long moment, Satan is silent as he searches for the appropriate words with which to respond. Are there appropriate words? He doubts so very much, but still, he searches for them, a 180 from how he typically was around Zelda prior to the point where he just wouldn't shut up sometimes.

She'd tried for all the time to summon him. She could have given up, but she persisted. Honestly, he shouldn't be surprised. That's just how Zelda is, stubborn to a fault, a trait of hers that Satan has always been quite fond of. Despite her increasingly heated tone, he seems more comfortable with that than with his previous uncertainty of whether she summoned him just to tell him to get lost. Uncertainty which he now feels very foolish for feeling in the first place. He should have known better.

He also realizes that, aside from Zelda, there is only one other person he knows for certain would go to such great lengths for him--and it's not even the other person with whom he has a pact. Not that he doubts that they would try to summon him, but rather, they would get so preoccupied with other things that they'd forget about him.

Finally, he finds his voice again. ]

Listen, Zelda, sometimes I'm... I'm an idiot. An idiot who asks questions I should already know the answer to.

[ All that searching, and that's what he blurts out. As true as it might be, it wasn't exactly the words he'd been looking for. Oh well. He certainly can't take them back now. ]

Pretending for a moment what I just said was a little more eloquent, I... I didn't want to make assumptions. You'd be well within your rights to tell me you never wanted to see my face again, so... I guess I needed to hear out loud that it wasn't true.

[ Which isn't a very good excuse, he reasons, as he takes another breath. ]

I should be telling you thank you first and foremost, so... thank you, Zelda. And secondly, I know it hasn't been as long for me as it has been for you, but... can I hug you?

[ Satan admitting that he's an idiot is not among the responses Zelda was expecting from him, and it catches her so off guard that her frustration abruptly evaporates.

Ah, she'd forgotten how foolish he could be. Most prominent in her memories are the ways she always looked up to him for how intelligent and talented he is. Memories of his eccentricities, his losses in composure, have lain dormant in the back of her mind until now.

Zelda's expression softens into something thoughtful and amused as she listens to him. She still can't imagine why she wouldn't want to see him. Even if he had returned before she woke to Hyrule, back when she was still so angry at him, she still would've wanted to see him-- to see him so that she could pour out all the hurt and angry feelings he left her with and demand him take more care to keep his promises in the future before ultimately forgiving him.

She hears ask if he can hug her and she lets out an amused little snort. So foolish. Wordlessly, Zelda sets down the book and steps up close to Satan, curling her arms around his back and pulling him into an embrace. ]

I've missed you terribly... you idiot.

[ Satan makes his best effort to discern the meaning of Zelda's expression when he readily admits he was an idiot. She seems... less angry, and possibly surprised, as if hearing him admit such a thing was unusual for him. Well... perhaps it was. Still, as much as he loathes to admit it, he recognizes he can be wrong--that he was wrong--and that expecting Zelda to suddenly treat him as if he were a troublesome pest ranks pretty highly up there on Satan's list of mistakes.

When she snorts at him in amusement at his question, Satan takes care to mind his tongue, to not angrily blurt out that she shouldn't laugh at him. He manages to overcome his kneejerk reaction, if only because it made him so happy to hear the sound to begin with. ]

I've missed you, too... and I'm so glad to be back.

[ Elated when she moves toward him, Satan wraps his arms tightly around her in turn, lifting her off the ground for a few moments as he squeezes her. It hasn't been so long for him, certainly not the decades it's been for Zelda, but he's missed her all the same. He leans his cheek against the top of her head before finally putting her down and letting his hands fall away from her.

Despite his mood leveling out, his demon form remains. He would be able to disperse it now if needed, but in truth he's already forgotten he'd changed forms to begin with. ]

When you're ready, I hope you'll share with me what I've missed. I'll listen to everything, no matter how big or small. Whatever you're willing to share.

[ Zelda lets out a yelp as she suddenly feels herself lifted up off the ground, but her surprise is momentary and amusement quickly takes its place. Laughter slips from her lips for the first time in months and she tightens her hold on Satan, leaning in against his chest. How incredible, how impossible, that, after all these months of loss after loss, it is him who returns to her, the one she was all but certain she would never see again. For the first time in ages, it feels like the god of dreams is finally smiling upon her.

He sets her down again and Zelda takes a single step away so she can kneel down and pick up the book. Laying in the grass is not the ideal place for such a valuable item, but a few moments won't do it much harm. And fortunately for Satan, having her hands full with the book means Zelda won't be able to reach out to touch his horns or tail (despite how she really wants to.) ]

It is a very long story. [ But the look in her eyes says she really wants to share it. ] But I do so want to share it with you. Would you care to walk with me for a bit? It is too dangerous to go home right now, but Dragefjell is very beautiful in the evenings.

[ Truthfully, Satan's not sure Zelda even needs that book anymore. It's a tradition for demons to give the person they're making a pact with an item to help summon them, but typically that's because humans don't have much magical power. Zelda, of course, was never human to start with and was capable of using magic even when they first met. Now, though, her power has blossomed into something so much stronger, and she wields it with much more confidence than she did prior to his disappearance. The difference is like night and day.

He also finds that as much as he once treasured that book, he doesn't even feel the need to ask for it back. It was his gift to her, and he's happier knowing the book has been well taken care of by Zelda all this time. His realization of this makes him wonder if such a sentiment is normal. ]

I would be delighted to. And... I hope you haven't forgotten how long some of the messages we would write back and forth could be. You must have noticed by now that I rather like long stories.

[ He doesn't suspect Zelda would be interested in getting a closer look at either his horns or tail, so he's too naïve to be grateful. Still, perhaps it's for the best. While his horns are smooth, both his horns and tails are draconic in nature and cool to the touch. His tail is especially sharp, which is why he prefers to keep it safely coiled around his leg... and to prevent himself from tripping over it because it's hopelessly long, longer than the length of his legs. ]

I won't even ask you to start from the beginning. Whatever comes to mind first.

[ Zelda laughs quietly. Oh yes, she remembers how long the messages she and Satan exchanged could become, how her wrist would ache for days afterward. Thank goodness he agreed to walk with her; speaking to him about everything that has transpired in his absence will be far easier than penning it.

The beginning would be the most logical place start, of course, but the experiences she wishes to share are so tangled up in a web of time travel and time discrepancies that it will be easier to start with what Zelda considers the heart of it all-- the seal. ]

Do you remember what I once told you about my kingdom?--About the Calamity that befell it and the seal with which I halted its destruction?

[ Zelda knows she once shared everything about her fate with him, but whether he remembers it all is something else entirely. She does not know how much time has passed for Satan, but given that he is an immortal being, it could easily be anywhere between a month and a millennium for all the difference it would reflect on him. ]

[ Despite how heavily he leans on writing in order to give himself time to think and appropriately put his thoughts into meaningful words, he would never turn down the opportunity to walk and talk with her. Even if she asked him to walk with her when the real, actual sun was at its highest point in the sky, he would do it... grumpily, of course. This thought makes him realize that he really needs to get out of the habit of thinking of the sun as some unusual oddity, especially now that he's back here. ]

I do. The edges of the memories of my time here are a bit blurry, as I suppose is normal when waking from a dream, but I believe our conversations are as clear as crystal to me.

[ A beat passes, and he adds: ]

I think it was also around that time when you went into more detail about the Calamity that you also taught me about Vah Ruta, for instance.

[ Satan remembers he had been nudging Zelda back then to share with him a lighthearted dream she once had in an effort to cheer her up. However, he leaves it there. Satan had looked through the directory in his Journal to determine whether or not Zelda was here when he sent her that message. Satan doesn't know how long it's been, whether it's been a few days or a few years, but he'll leave it to Zelda to bring it up when she's ready. ]

Vah Ruta? [ Zelda's brows furrow as she carefully looks back through her older memories of Songerein. The broad strokes of those years are easy enough to remember, but the finer details of past conversations are fuzzy and require more concentration on her part to recall.

But it does come back to her after a minute: one of those long journal conversations with Satan, this one in the middle of the night. He was helping her get her mind off a nightmare by asking her about her pleasant dreams and she shared one involving Link and Vah Ruta. ]

Goodness, I had forgotten all about that. [ The lines in her forehead remain, but her lips pull into something of a smile. To think that he remembers such a small detail from all those years ago. ]

When we first met, and throughout the years you were here, my real body slumbered within the seal I had trapped myself and Calamity Ganon within. [ Zelda tucks a strand of short hair behind her ear. Another little difference: her ears are pierced now. ] By my estimate, I had held the seal for thirty or forty years by that point. I cannot recall too clearly; I was rarely lucid within the seal until the final years.

I dearly loved this place back then. Songerein gave me an escape from the duty I had struggled my entire life to perform. I don't think I had ever been happier in Hyrule than I was here.

[ And here is where her smile fades. ] It was not long after you disappeared that we launched an attack against the Story Eater in order to defeat and imprison it once and for all. That was three... no, four months later. That battle... Well, you have seen the state of Reverein, have you not? The Story Eater's assault was much like this-- it tore apart barriers between worlds and plucked the worst nightmares from each of them, all to destroy us.

We managed to defeat it and imprison it within a book, but our struggles did not end there. Songerein was terribly damaged in the process and not all of the nightmares dispersed. [ She shakes her head. ] To this day, I do not fully understand how it happened, but somehow, fragments of Hyrule began to bleed into Songerein. All of the sudden, I felt my seal weakening. It shouldn't have --Link insisted that I maintained the seal for an entire century-- but still, Calamity Ganon's Malice seeped into this world.

[ Zelda pauses her story for a moment, tightening her hold on the book. She has never forgotten the depths of the fear she felt back then, her own helplessness to stop the Malice from advancing on the world she had come to love. The warmth of the dreamotion that radiates from the book soothes her, grounds her, and she manages to continue. ]

I do not know what happened after that. I... slept, I think. Or awoke, to be more accurate. Somehow, I woke from Songerein and returned to my real body within the seal. It was still intact, thankfully. And just as Link said, I held the seal for one hundred years before he woke from the Shrine of Resurrection and saved us. After all of that time, Link was able to defeat Calamity Ganon and save Hyrule.

[ Here she pauses again, just to give Satan time to make sense of everything she said. It's a lot of information to take in. But where defeating Calamity Ganon may seem like the end of her story, it is only the beginning of a new one. ]

Edited 2024-06-22 21:28 (UTC)

[ For a moment, he fears he's incorrect, that the memory he recalls of that night is somehow wrong. After all, how does one really know if they can remember everything with clarity? And so, when she does seem to remember, relief shines through his expression.

He listens to her explanation of her time in the seal, and it's all too easy for him to relate to that particular experience. After all, while it wasn't for anything good, he did exist within Lucifer for quite some time. He can remember those fragmented memories, the flittering of awareness, just existing. Satan wonders how those decades in the seal felt for her, if they truly felt like decades, or if the time passed much quicker than that for her.

Then she speaks of the Story Eater and its aftermath, and of how the Malice from Calamity Ganon seeped into this world. It feels to Satan as if Zelda is speaking as though she were solely responsible for it happening.

When she pauses, Satan takes a moment to collect his thoughts before he begins to speak. ]

I'm sure that just as this place is able to pluck people from the same worlds from different points in time that it wouldn't be so unusual to be able to pluck people from alternate timelines. It could have simply picked a point in time where the seal was at its weakest, or from an alternate timeline all together. Although obviously that thought is from an outsider's perspective looking in.

[ Obviously he wasn't there. But it makes sense to him, given how he knows for certain that alternate, branching points of a timeline exist. How difficult would it be to pull in the Malice from a timeline where things didn't work out? Not very, he guesses. ]

But it sounds like that chapter ended happily, and I'm grateful for that. I remember how heavily your duty weighed on your shoulders, and so I'm glad that you and Link were able to overcome that challenge together.

[ Zelda nods along with Satan's speculation. He echoes theories similar to her own; that it was not her seal weakening, but the one held by the version of herself in Link's time. The Zelda of his time had been holding the seal for a century at that point. Considering how the princess could feel Calamity Ganon regaining its strength within her own seal, she could only imagine how much stronger it had become after one hundred years. A great gulf of time separated princess and knight in Hyrule, but not while they were together in Songerein. It is not too much of a stretch to imagine that this had repercussions on Hyrule in some way.

Her expression softens again as she listens to Satan, the lines in her forehead fading. Yes, that terrible chapter in her life has finally closed, the one that defined her youth and adolescence, which often felt so all encompassing that she couldn't imagine a life after the Calamity. ]

We did. He--we--finally saved Hyrule.

[ Zelda lowers her chin to rest it on the top of the book, her expression filling with affection. ]

I have never told anyone but Link this, but after the battle was over and we were recuperating in Kakariko Village, I was terrified thinking about what would come next. One hundred years locked away with Calamity Ganon and I was frightened of something so small as meeting my own subjects. [ She laughs quietly against the book. ] It was silly, but imagine it-- waking up after one hundred years to a place that looks so familiar and yet so different from how you remembered it. Even the people I knew from before who were still alive looked completely different.

And everyone who had been born and grew up in that ruined Hyrule... how was I to face them? [ Her expression sobers. ] Yes, I had halted the spread of the Calamity, but I was the reason it happened at all. If everyone in Hyrule hated me for my failure, it would have been deserved. That was how I felt, at least.

But the time came when I was well enough to receive visitors and they... they didn't. They greeted me with such kindness and love, in spite of everything. [ That affection returns, as do a few joyful tears in the corners of her eyes. ]

In time, Link and I began to travel Hyrule. I tried to release him from his service as my knight. He had fulfilled his duty beyond any and all measure; he deserved to live the life he wanted. But he remained at my side all the same.

At first, we traveled to survey the current state of the kingdom, to determine how best to begin to rebuild after the Calamity. For some reason, I expected to see a Hyrule whose devestation was still fresh and burning. I knew how much time had passed, but I couldn't fully comprehend it before I began to travel. Hyrule had already begun to recover while I was inside the seal. The wreckage of villages destroyed by the Calamity were overgrown with nature. New communities flourished on the fringes of the kingdom, safely beyond the reach of the Guardians. Hyrule did not need me to rebuild it the way I expected to.

To be completely honest, I don't think it needs me at all. The people of Hyrule are so strong... so much stronger than me. They will live and flourish whether I am there beside them or not.

[ And here Zelda's expression falters once more, because she has reached the part of her story she is loathe to tell Satan. She does not want to tell him about the Light Dragon, about the mortal sacrifice she must make to ensure that her people can continue living and flourishing as they have been for the four years she was able to live among them. With how much Link and Sheik have been hurt by this knowledge, the princess has been hesitant to tell anyone else. Does she dare tell Satan, when he has just arrived, that she is doomed to die when she leaves? Or does she lie by omission and risk the dream world outing her secret to him? Link's dream did. Secrets are never safe for long in Songerein. ]

[ Satan very nearly takes a breath to correct her when it seems like she's not taking ownership of her fair share of success. He doubts very much that Hyrule could have been saved with only one of them, and so he's glad that Zelda uses "we." Perhaps Zelda wasn't the one wielding the sword, but her role was still significant -- he doesn't need to have been there to know that.

He listens to her share her story, the way she calls her very understandable fear "silly," how she takes complete responsibility for the Calamity even happening at all. He listens to her speak with warmth and love for her people, of how how she travelled across the land, fully prepared to help in whatever way she could, as has always been her way.

It isn't that she's changed, Satan decides. Rather, Zelda has grown, found her confidence. He considers adding becoming more mature to that list, too, but he's always found her fairly mature. ]

Zelda....

[ He reaches for her, to gently rest his hand on her shoulder if she'll allow it. ]

You've always been so duty-bound. It's...

[ The way Zelda speaks of her people is almost motherly, as if they've all "grown up" and no longer need her. He wonders if that's how she really feels. But her words also strike him as if she's somehow given up, and that -- that can't be right. It's more likely that she's reached an unhappy understanding, instead. ]

It's admirable. The love you have for your people, the way you've always spoken about them with such concern... it's not very common. Though I disagree that they're stronger than you, and I don't mean whether they could maintain a seal for a century. The people of Hyrule... could they have truly recovered without you? Do you really think they don't need you by their side?

[ Given everything she's said, he is absolutely positive that without her, the Malice would have simply overtaken everything and there would be no Hyrule, no people left to "live and flourish." Maybe he's overthinking things, overcomplicating what she meant -- but he noticed how her expression faltered. ]

[ Zelda stills when she feels Satan's hand on her shoulder. All at once, any resolve she had to lie to him about her fate simply drains right out of her. This isn't some silly little thing like her title; she can't hide the Light Dragon from him. He is her dearest friend, the one she has bound her very soul to.

(Will the draconification transformation unmake their soul pact? It will unmake everything else that is 'Zelda.') ]

Something terrible is happening in Hyrule again.

[ Zelda clutches the book tighter against her chest, letting the ambient warmth of its dreamotion ground her. ]

Below the ruins of Hyrule Castle, Link and I found a body... the shriveled remains of monster once known as the Demon King. He waged a terrible war against Hyrule during the era of her founding and it was only through the sacrifice of Hyrule's first king that he was stopped. The two of them were frozen in time for eons until Link and I found them, and it was our intrusion into that space that broke the king's seal. Link and I were separated, and I... I found myself sent back in time to that very era.

[ On the surface, it sounds like a ludicrous story. A vengeful mummy trapped in stasis underneath the castle for eons. A princess traveling back in time completely by accident. But Zelda is dead serious as she speaks and it's clear from her tone that she's having a hard time telling this story.

She hates this. She hates this so much. Satan has only just returned-- Zelda never thought she would see him again! She expected to go to her death with only her old memories of him. And yet somehow, somehow, through the fickleness that is this dream world, he is finally here again and she has to ruin their reunion by telling him how she is doomed when she wakes.

Every since Link left, everything has been starting to unravel. Zelda thought she was ready, that she could say goodbye to him when Songerein parted them, happy for the time they had together. But she couldn't and she isn't. It hurts, just as Somnus said it would hurt, and she hates that just as much as she hates losing Link-- and just as much as she hates that she has to tell Satan about the fate she thought she was prepared for.

Zelda shrugs off his hand, turning on the ball of her foot and rushing into him. Her forehead collides roughly against his chest and she just stands there, unwilling to look up or move away or anything. She doesn't want to tell him any of this. She doesn't want to hurt him. She doesn't want to hurt anyone anymore with the Light Dragon. ]

Satan, please... Don't be angry with me.

[ It's clear from her tone that she still has more to tell... ]

[ While unusual, Zelda's story is far from ludicrous to him. He watches her face carefully, seeing how it seems she is beginning to struggle to share her story, but has been pushing through so far. Satan also takes immediate note of how her world has a Demon King of its own, and of how he waged what was most certainly a needless, reckless war because of course he would.

He can see that she's upset, but he can't quite figure out the why of it. Aside from Hyrule facing yet another danger, he doesn't think anything she's mentioned so far is anything worse than the Calamity itself.

When Zelda shrugs off his hand, he's taken aback for a moment. It was the first thing he could think of that might comfort her, and he wonders if Zelda has suddenly changed her mind. The fearful thought is short-lived, completely dissipating just a few moments later. ]

Zelda....

[ It would be funny at another time, perhaps, that Zelda has just asked the Avatar of Wrath to not be angry with her. Honestly, in this moment, there's nothing he can think of that Zelda could say or do that would make him angry with her. Just make him angry? Absolutely. Make him angry with her? He's not so imaginative. In all the time he's known her, she's had quite the opposite effect on him.

He loosely wraps one arm around her waist, his hand resting on the small of her back as he tugs her into a hug. Satan's other hand reaches to rest between her shoulder blades. He doesn't make her look at him, and his hold on her is loose enough that she could step away if she wanted. But, he hopes that this is able to provide at least some comfort to her. ]

I won't know how I'll feel until you say it, and so I don't want to make that promise. As the Avatar of Wrath, I'm... always... technically... angry. But it's never been directed at you, so... I feel fairly confident I won't be angry with you, no matter what it is.

[ She knows she's asking the impossible of him; no one could reasonably be expected to uphold a promise like this, but especially not the Avatar of Wrath. And although Zelda has seen barely more than superficial irritation from him, a rare outburst here and there, she does not doubt his capacity for anger. If anything, the fact that she saw so little of it during their time together is a testament to the depths of Satan's self control.

But his words do little to ease her worries and his arms around her only make her curl in closer against him. She feels guilty for both seeking and accepting his comfort, just as she has felt with Sheik lately. Why did it suddenly become so hard to rely on her friends to ease her burdens? She feels like she did when she was a teenager, trying to shoulder every terrible thing all on her own so that no one else needed to suffer. These are her burdens, duties no one but Zelda can perform. She should not allow others to be hurt by them.

But try as she might, she can't bring herself to draw back from everyone, to make herself an island like she did before the Calamity. Years with Link have changed her. Years with Riju, Sidon, Yunobo, and Teba have changed her. She can't bear her struggles alone anymore and she can't bear to see the look of betrayal that comes from her friends when she tries.

Zelda remains where she is against Satan, clinging to the book like it holds her very life between its pages. In a way, it kind of does-- the warm glow of the affectionate dreamotion energy that saturates it is fueled in part by her heart, by the bond she shares with Satan.

She can do this. She can tell him. She has to tell him. ]

The only way to defeat the Demon King is the Master Sword. But when Link faced him beneath the castle, he somehow shattered the sacred blade with his magic. But even if it had remained whole, it was barely capable of even scratching him.

[ Zelda has not lifted her head from Satan's chest, so her words may be somewhat muffled, but with her as close as she is, it shouldn't be too hard to make out. ]

The situation is... dire, I cannot deny. All is not lost, but...

[ Again she hesitates. She takes a moment to pull in a steadying breath. ]

When bathed in sacred light, the blade is capable not only of repairing itself, but absorbing that light to grow even stronger. It can become strong enough to defeat the Demon King, but it will require centuries, millennia... Far beyond what I can provide in my lifetime.

And so I have found a way to extend my lifetime-- to free myself from the shackles of time, to be more precise-- but the process... the process will strip away everything I am and remake me into an immortal being, a dragon. The change is absolute... and it is permanent.

[ By the time Zelda manages to get those words out, she's shaking. Her mind is racing frantically as she tries to anticipate Satan's reactions and prepare counterarguments to them all. And then there are all the things she has learned about the Light Dragon that go against Mineru's warning of the absoluteness of the transformation-- the memories, Zelda's memories, the dragon still carries; its fervent dedication to protecting the sword on its brow from any who would seek to claim it; Link's promise that he will bring Zelda home.

But none of those thoughts come out yet. She just waits, trembling with fear to discover just how badly she may have hurt her dearest friend with this terrible fate. ]

[ Satan listens to her words in silence, not daring to interrupt her. He's afraid if he does, she may not be able to finish her thoughts. So instead, he holds her close to him, and when she finally reaches what must be the conclusion--or at least, what he hopes is the conclusion--he remains silent for the briefest of moments. ]

I'm not angry.

[ His voice is soft, and although he still needs a few moments to get his thoughts together, he wants to at least tell her that in order to settle one fear.

Regardless of whether Zelda believes him, he is telling the truth. Hearing what she's told him doesn't make him angry, although he can see why she was afraid he might be. If he were to be angry, it certainly wouldn't be directed at her. Rather, he would focus that anger at Zelda's situation, at how such a kind soul has been tasked again and again with responsibilities that so few people would be able to meet.

But that's just how it works, isn't it? Why would a selfish, heartless person be tasked with taking on such burdens? If there are worlds out there who task saving of the world to such individuals, well... those worlds probably aren't around anymore. ]

I...

[ He doesn't know how he feels, which in fairness does irritate him. Moments like this have become a rarity these days for him, but--it's too many emotions to sort through. He'll sort through them later. ]

Like I said... you've always been duty-bound. And so, if that's the only way for you to save Hyrule... I know you'll do it. I could ask you not to, but that would be selfish of me, and you'd do it anyway. Besides, I'm sure you'd already made up your mind about it before I came back here.

[ He hugs her a bit tighter, but he can't tell if it's for her or for him. The change is absolute... and it is permanent. Those words hang over his head like a faint echo. How does she know that? How can she be so certain? There are so many things in this universe that have been thought of as impossible at one point or another. His own existence was supposedly an impossibility, and yet... ]

I obviously don't want you to. However... I think my time would be better spent challenging just how absolute and permanent it really is. Perhaps it's naïve of me to think that, but... I would never he happy with myself if I sat idly by and just let it happen. Even if I'm unsuccessful, and there really is no way to turn you back... I have to at least try to think of something.

[ How long has Zelda truly lived, he wonders. Between the Seal for the Calamity, and this... at the end of that long millennium, how many years will she have lived? Hardly even two decades, it seems. And if there truly is no other way, and she goes through with it, she won't even be Zelda anymore. And then, if there's no way to reverse it once her duty is complete.... Satan knows she'll follow through, that no amount of arguing would convince her. And even if he could somehow convince her, he doesn't think she'd be happy running away from the responsibility. ]

But I won't stop you. As much as I'd like to... I can't. I...

[ It's tragic. Her responsibilities as the Princess of Hyrule are tragic. Even if he were to somehow, miraculously, find a solution... how would he even apply it? She'll wake up someday, return home... save Hyrule... again... and be lost. ]

I'm sorry. I... I don't... know how I feel... but I'm not angry.

[ Zelda is quiet for a long time, listening to Satan and simply allowing herself to be held. Her shaking has not stilled, but the way he tightens his hold on her makes her feel safe. Safe from a world that feels like its crumbling away right at her feet. Safe from a fate she thought she had accepted. Safe from hurting anyone else with the sacrifice she has to make.

As she listens to him, her eyes fill with tears and she begins to cry quietly against him. No heart wrenching sobs --the princess hasn't had the strength to cry that hard in weeks-- but muffled little whimpers and a few damp spots on his shirt where she buries her face against him. She wants to hug him again, but her arms are full with the book and she also wants to keep holding it to feel its warmth, so the best she can manage is to lean all of her weight against Satan.

At first, Zelda isn't sure if she really believes Satan when he insisted that he isn't angry. Perhaps not at the moment, but surely once the shock of her revelation wears off, he will be. It's not fair that, after an entire century sacrificed for the sake of Hyrule, that Zelda must do so again, and do so with the entirety of her being. Sheik was furious about the injustice of it all when he found out-- and probably still is. The Light Dragon has been a wedge between them for some time, the elephant in the room when conversation accidentally turns in its direction. And after how far Zelda had come with the creature, manifesting it in her dreams and at the Flower Festival, trying to find peace with it... With the loss of Link, it feels like all of that progress went with him, and the princess is back at the beginning, like the day she first returned to Songerein and tried to escape by swallowing her secret stone.

But as Zelda listens to Satan start to sort through his feelings, what she hears from him is... well, it almost sounds like hope. Perhaps not exactly. Perhaps it's a bit more like stubbornness, a refusal to accept the world as it is and a determination change it as he sees fit.

It's a feeling Zelda knows well, actually. One that she has... forgotten, it seems. This is the feeling drove her throughout her adolescence, that pushed her to challenge the prophecy that said the only way to defeat Calamity Ganon was the princess's sacred power. It's a feeling she prides herself upon as a scientist.

...Hylia, she has missed Satan. She has missed him so much that her heart actually aches with the realization.

It takes awhile for Zelda to find her words and a few long minutes of silence languish after Satan finishes speaking. After everything she has already shared, the emotional peaks and valleys of this long conversation, she feels tired and wrung out. But telling it all to him and hearing him reject the fate she feels is carved in stone eases something inside her. Something that has been hurting since Link left. Something that has felt lost and hopeless. Something that had given up. Satan's words are a spark in her heart, just like they always were when she was young. ]

Thank you. [ For not being angry. For listening. For holding her. For being here.

And these words come out a choked sob (apparently, she did have one left): ] I missed you so much, Satan.

[ He leans forward so he can rest his cheek against the top of Zelda's head as he holds her close. It's hard to ignore the fact that at some point, he'll never be able to hold her like this again, or even speak with her again. Someday, this world, his world, her world... someday, they will be without Zelda.

A solution occurs to him, but he realizes just as quickly at least two problems with his idea.

The first is that the cycle of life and death must work different between worlds. Just because he could shave off his own life to give to her, even without a pact, doesn't mean it would work in her world. There are probably no Reapers, and without Reapers there are no Reaper Caves where the candles of human, demon, and angel lives are stored. It would be so simple for Satan to take his own candle and melt the wax over Zelda's if that were the case. He's seen it done -- he knows for a fact it can be done... if candles of life exist in her world. Which is unlikely at best.

The second problem is that even if he were to find an actual solution, applying it here doesn't mean it will carry over to her when she awakens and returns home someday. Even if he used dreamotion to transfer one or two thousand years of life to Zelda... it could all melt away the moment she awakens. The same goes for any other solution he can come up with: there's no guarantee it will stick, or that Zelda will remember.

So he supposes the real obstacle... is finding a way to Zelda's world, in the right timeline. Which is... far more daunting than he would like to admit. He had hoped that if he would be the first to wake that he would have found a way to do it, but... here he is... not a single step closer to that goal. ]

I feel like I should be thanking you. You could have kept me in the dark, but you didn't. And I'm sure... this has been hanging over your head for a while. So... thank you... for telling me.

[ If she had opted to never tell him and he found out later, Satan realizes he would have been angry at her. Not for very long, he's sure, because he knows that anger would eventually fizzle into hurt. For her to keep something so serious from him, so important, it would have been a betrayal of his trust. He realizes that now. So, he's immensely grateful that she was able to tell him, even if it was difficult for her. Especially because it was difficult for her. And as devastated as he is, he would rather Zelda trust him with this knowledge and allow him this devastation than to allow him to live in blissful ignorance. ]

I'll support you no matter what. I hope you know that. But I still... I'm going to think of solutions, and I know I'm not the only one who will be trying. One of us may find something. An alternative.

[ He can only imagine how much in denial he must sound to Zelda right now. Maybe he is. Maybe there is nothing that can be done. But he won't just sit idly by. He can share a thousand years or more of his own life with Zelda, and he would do so without hesitation. He would be willing to do it even in this world, even if the consequences were real, just for the hope that it may work. He'll... figure something out... somehow. ]

[ She steals a few more moments against him while her tears dry, listening to him. She can't just lean against him like this all night, much as it calms her, so she finally forces herself to push back from him and take a step away. When she lifts her gaze, he'll see that her eyes are red from crying, but her expression is something softer. Something calm, midway between sadness and contentedness. Something peaceful. ]

You sound like Link.

[ Not like denial at all. Resolute. Unyielding. ]

Link... returned to Hyrule. Five or six weeks ago, I believe. [ Time has blurred together. ] Somehow, he knew it was his time to go. The way he spoke, it was as though he had decided on his own that he would return and no force in this or any other world would stop him. [ She smiles just slightly. ] And he did. Even the god of dreams could not keep him shackled here.

[ Zelda shifts the book in her arms. Honestly, she's starting to get sore from carrying it around. But she will persevere. She always does. ]

But before he left, he made a promise to me. He told me that he would find a way to bring me home.

[ She almost leaves it there, but then it occurs to her that Satan wouldn't know what she's implying. ]

Before he and I were pulled back to this world last year, he was still in Hyrule and he saw it--her--the creature I will become. She circles the skies of Hyrule, guarding the Master Sword as it grows strong in her light.

I don't know what he means to do, but you're right: you won't be the only one trying.

[ When Satan feels her step away, it takes all the strength he has to allow her to do so. He still hasn't fully defined his emotions, but seeing Zelda's face now, calmer and more peaceful than it must have been while she was crying into his chest, it settles his heart. A little.

Then Zelda tells him that Link is gone, the main cause for concern is how recent his departure was. He had pored over the directory, taking in every name as he had looked line by line for Zelda's name. However, what does surprise him is that Link left willingly. Satan had known it was supposedly possible, but had never known anyone who actually did it, who succeeded in willingly leaving this place. ]

Because you're so beloved by many, Zelda. You are a bright and shining light in the lives of those you've touched. Your soul is absolutely radiant in its kindness. How could any of us just allow fate to run its course without trying to avert it...?

[ He truly understands now just how lucky he is that Zelda is even here. Despite all the connections she must have made here, Satan can only imagine she would have tried to follow him, if not for him than to at least return to take up her responsibility as the Light Dragon. If not right away, then shortly after. If she did, and if she'd been successful, Satan realizes he would have found himself here without her. ]

Listen.

[ He finds himself needing to reach up to brush away a few small beads of tears that dared to brim his eyes. He isn't ashamed of them, but this isn't the time for his tears. It's not as if he's only just learning of beings with shorter lifespans than him. He's known. He's always known. But, knowing that if there's no way to avert things that Zelda will completely lose her identity... he can't bear to think about it right now. So he won't. ]

If that book is getting too heavy for you...

[ He noticed the way she shifted it in her arms. In fairness, it's a ridiculously thick book. ]

I can carry you. And the book, technically. Wherever you want to go.

[ He knows she may very well turn him down because it's probably a silly suggestion, but he wants a little more time to feel her realness, to remind himself that Zelda going through with her duty isn't due to happen tonight, or tomorrow. That there's time. Not enough time, but... some time.

He has to stop himself from apologizing for asking. This attachment to other people... it's difficult. How do people manage this regularly? ]

[ In lighter circumstances, Satan's compliments would have brought a vibrant blush to Zelda's cheeks. She has never been good at accepting compliments and such open affection would have surely left her flustered. But tonight, tired and emotional as she is, she has only strength left to smile. To smile, shining radiant and loving just as he says, with all the warmth of the sun. The princess is loved far more than she will ever realize.

It is fortunate for Satan that he arrived in Songerein when he did; much earlier and he would have found Zelda in a sleep coma, trying to escape back to Hyrule just like Link did. Only two short weeks have passed since she woke up still in Reverein. That the two of them are able to reunite like this is more miraculous than he may realize.

Zelda looks hesitant to accept Satan's offer to carry her... but only because she doesn't want to impose on him. Has he not done enough for her tonight? Just being here again, walking with her, listening to her story, holding her through her tears, and still supporting her in making a choice he certainly does not agree with. How does he have anything left to give?

But she does want to be carried. It's not just the book that's heavy. Everything is heavy, weighing on her slender shoulders, and in these past weeks she has felt crushed underneath it all. ]

I would like that.

[ She's not ready to part from him tonight either. There is still much to be done, still a terrible nightmare crisis gripping Reverein down below, but just a little more time with Satan is not too much to ask. ]

If we continue down this path, there is a natural hotsprings not too far from here. [ She points in the direction, where the gravel path they've been following leads to a grove of trees that surround a small hotsprings. ] It would be nice to sit there for a little while. Maybe you can tell me of the life you have been living since last we met.

[ Satan is surprised with the ease that she allows it. He had already prepared a remark should she have turned him down along the lines of fine, then we can continue walking together as we were. ]

Then I'm happy to do so.

[ And it's true. The smallest smile tugs at the corner of his mouth as he moves closer to her. He wraps one arm around her back and his other arm behind her knees, then effortlessly lifts her up. He finds her quite petite, which is lucky for him because for all his natural inclination with magic, he's not nearly as physically strong as some of his brothers.

His gaze follows the direction in which she points before he gives a nod and carries her off toward the grove of trees. Petite though she may be, having her in his arms and really, truly feeling her the weight and warmth of Zelda is reassuring. ]

I'm almost embarrassed to admit any of it. Really, I... there's not much to say.

[ He had so desperately hoped he wouldn't have forgotten his time here once he woke up. But he did, more or less, with the memory of it distant and fuzzy. It would pop into his head now and then, but not once had he been able to grasp it.

Compared to what Zelda has been through, his life has been almost comically easy. In fact, he was the one who had caused problems. ]

I can probably summarize it before we get there.

[ Not that it's a real challenge, but he certainly didn't live through decades as she seemed to. ]

Putting it succinctly... I've spent the last few weeks trying to figure out what happened to one of my brothers. His name is Simeon. Me and my brothers noticed something was wrong with him, like he might be in danger, but Simeon wasn't fessing up.

In an effort to get the information out of him, I prepared a potion. The potion was... technically fine, but I made the mistake of leaving it alone with my brothers who can't do basic math. In the end, though, we were successful in finding out what the Celestial Realm did to Simeon. Apparently, they can just... strip away someone's angelhood. Simeon isn't a demon like us, though. He's just... human now. No magic or angelic blessings, just... an average human.

He's still our brother. He always will be. But... to think that the Celestial Realm can just... do that to someone. I shouldn't be surprised. The Celestial Realm wanted to destroy my sister's soul for extending the life of a human she loved. They cast my brothers from the Celestial Realm for protecting her. Of course they would eventually strip Simeon of what he is at his core over him not explicitly taking the Celestial Realm's side during the war.

[ Satan was more or less right. They've arrived at the hot springs, and there's not much else of note to share with Zelda. Instead of making her stand all over again, he kneels on a flat surface near the steamy water and sits down with her in his lap. At least this way, if she'd rather sit on her own, it won't take up as much energy to slide off beside him as it would to stand up. ]

After that, I... well... I think I told you I have a pact with one other person. The same human that has a pact with the six of my brothers. They just... vanished one day. Not ran-away-vanished but... no-longer-exists-in-the-timeline vanished.

[ It's oddly suspicious that Satan has made pacts with all of two people, and both she and them are doomed to fates where they just... no longer exist. Regardless, he hasn't had time to process that, either. At least with Zelda, he feels he can try to do something, but how do you rescue someone who just stopped existing in the same timeline? ]

Speaking of... Mammon is here, too. It's just the two of us as far as I can tell. But other than that... the only other thing of note is that ever since I've arrived here, the memories of the first year of my life are fresh in my mind. They're not particularly good memories, so I prefer not to think of them. I honestly wish they would just go away.

Either way, though... not much time passed for me. It's only been maybe a few weeks, but here it's been far... far longer.

[ Zelda leans in against Satan's shoulder as he carries her. The warmth and solidness of him is calming, steadying, which helps fight against the overwhelming feeling of surrealness she still hasn't been able to shake. It's been so many years that seeing him again feels more like a dream than the dream world itself does right now.

He says that he doesn't have much to say, and yet the things he tells Zelda are troubling. Someone who has been stripped of a part of himself and sentenced to mortality-- likely in punishment for something, she suspects. And another person, the mortal reborn with his sister's soul, has somehow vanished entirely. Both of these events are incredibly alarming and Zelda is surprised that Satan doesn't seem to be more on-edge about the disappearance of this human. (Maybe it's easier to cope with because he's not alone. He and Mammon have always seemed quite close.)

When he sits, Zelda does not move from his lap (although she does find a dry place within arms' reach where she can place the book). She is aware that she never used to let herself be this close to Satan in the past. The young princess was always so hyperconscious of closeness and she dared not make someone uncomfortable by intruding on their personal space. But her years in Hyrule have made her more at ease with people (in no small part thanks to her friendship with Sidon). ]

Weeks? [ That gets Zelda to lift her head and she looks up at Satan in surprise. ] That is all the time that has passed for you?

[ Those are quite a lot of things to have happened to him in only a few weeks! Listening to him, she assumed that at least a year had passed for him. (He did mentioned at the start of his story how much time had passed, but that fact didn't really sink in until he said it again.) ]

But even in this realm, it has been... [ She has to count the months manually, because her own memories are bloated with an extra sixty five years. ] ...roughly one and a half years since you left.

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