A Couple of Trials (ZeLink)

Chapter 12: A Simple Test Ride

Link sat at the dining room table, staring at the silver trident that hung on the wall. He brought his hand to his chin, rubbing his jawline before leaning back in his chair. He stared up at the ceiling, subconsciously counting the lit candles that hung from the wooden beams. After a moment of silence, he closed his eyes, allowing his thoughts to flow down a river of tranquility.

"Do you feel at ease?"

Link's eyes snapped open as the river waters in his mind began to vibrate with anxiety. He stood and looked around trying to locate the source of the familiar voice before his eyes landed on the being standing behind him. She was of shorter stature, with an elongated torso and stubby legs. Instead of skin of any tone, she had scales that shone a gleaming red sheen. Blue and yellow fins decorated her torso and arms, along with elegantly crafted silver jewels along her wrists, neck, and fin-like ears. To capitalize on her aquatic features, a large tail traveled down from the back of her head down to her ankles, where it gently swayed at every motion. With sparkling, yet fretful amber eyes, she looked into Link's azure irises.

"You promised me that you would take care of yourself," she said in her usual soft tone. "Are you doing that?"

"I-I..." Link stuttered, taking a step back. The aquatic woman took a step forward.

"You promised me you would..." she said, getting closer as Link watched.

"M-Mipha, I-" he began, trying to find the words to explain, yet, a touch on his shoulder stopped him.

Link's neck snapped around, coming face-to-face with the cracked white mask with the blood-red painted upside-down eye. His brow furrowed in anger, yet, the Yiga's words echoed in his mind.

Can't find the words to answer her, Champion?

The grip on his shoulder increased to a painful level.

Feeling a little... guilty?

The Yiga disappeared in a puff of white smoke. Coughing, Link waved the white cloud away as his eyes began to water. He repeatedly blinked, trying to clear them as he tried to find his way through the smoke, yet it only continued to expand. Soon, the world he was in was white and foggy.

"Link? Please, tell me what's wrong. I'll heal you..."

"Mipha?" Link asked, squinting through the fog with still watery eyes to get a glimpse of her. "Are you okay? Mi-"

His eyes grew wide with horror. He had finally located her through the fog, but something was different. He had only taken his eyes off her for a second, yet now her eyes had become lifeless, he scales had become dull, and most notably, her stomach had begun to bleed. He watched as a stream splattered onto the floor, staining the foggy clouds that surrounded them. While his irritated eyes grew increasingly red, he couldn't close them as his breathing became heavy. The Zora tilted girl tilted her head in confusion.

"Link, you haven't told me what's wrong..." she said in a voice full of compassion. "Oh! Maybe you can't? If that's the case, then I'll simply do my best to heal anything and everything."

Suddenly her decrepit body began to float as she brought a hand to her chest. It began to glow an otherworldly blue until her figure had become nothing but a faint blue light, a form that represented a power Link knew all too well. Crystal clear bubbles began to swirl around Link's body, yet the pain in his eyes and shoulder from earlier hadn't retreated. In fact, they seemed to grow more intense. Suddenly, the bubbles began to darken, turning into a mesh of purple and pink as they swirled faster around him, closing in on his body. It felt as though the vortex was sucking the air out of his lungs. He closed his eyes in pain before all was nothing but compression.