A Demon's Love

Chapter 1

Link awoke in the morning, bolting upright, gasping and caked with sweat. "Another nightmare... The twelfth one this month..." he mumbled to himself. He stumbled out of bed, still shaky from the frightful dream he had seen moments ago. Zelda was waiting for him outside his bedroom door, as she was every morning. "Morning Link!" she said cheerfully, smiling warmly at him. Her smile vanished when she saw how frail he looked. "Another nightmare, huh?" Link nodded in response. "I'm so sorry this is happening to you. Can you tell me what the nightmares are about?" Every nightmare, the Surface is flooded with fearsome beasts from another world, and becomes a lifeless wasteland in which only the beasts themselves can survive in. The kikwis, mogmas, parella, and gorons, who once had peaceful lives are forced to fight or die. The dreams are like a long passage through tortured, endless suffering. Link hasn't told Zelda, or anyone really, any details about them. The last thing he would want is to spike fear in anyone and cause a ruckus. The Skyloftians do like to spread rumors after all.... Link looked to his friend, who had her face in a mask of worry. "Don't worry about it, Zel. I'm fine. Just bad dream is all. Nothing important." He began walking up to the bath. Zelda followed him persistently. "That's what you say every time I ask. I'm really worried about you, Link. You know you can tell me anything... I just want to help." Link stood in the doorway to the bath and gave Zelda a reassuring smile. "Everything's fine, I swear. Now I need to get dressed and ready, ok?" Zelda sighed, feeling defeat. "All right. If you're sure you're alright...." She turned and walked away slowly. Link walked into the bath, undressed, and slipped into the steamy, hot water. He feels bad about pushing Zelda away like that, but he'd rather push her away than start a panic. After all that happened with the Demise problem, everyone would surely freak out at the possibility of those events repeating. Link sighed wearily. He hasn't had any decent sleep for the past few nights thanks to these horrible nightmares. He sank down in the tub until the water was up to his chin. The steam really helped clear his mind, thankfully. He closed his eyes slowly, drifting off into a restful slumber.

Link looked around him slowly. He was standing in Faron Woods. "Another dream...? Great...." he said to himself in disappointment. He waited for the land around him to turn to that world of suffering it always morphs into. A calm breeze blew some leaves out of the trees. They drifted through the breeze, fluttering past Link, looking almost like butterflies. Link waited, and waited, but his surroundings had yet to change. He ventured forth slowly, through the trees, starting to smile to himself. For once, he could enjoy a simple, normal dream. It's been so long! His pace increased in speed, giggling as he ran. He felt like his heart was soaring! The pure joy he felt from the peacefulness of his dream was almost too much for him to withstand. He closed his eyes as he ran, enjoying that cool breeze whispering softly through the trees. This moment was so perfect, Link almost wished he'd never wake up! "Woahhhh!! .... Oof!!!" The next thing Link knew, he had his face planted into the dirt. He had tripped over something...??? He wiped the dirt from his face and tunic, turning to see what he had tripped on. It was a sign made of stone. The stone had little words engraved into it. Link recognized that writing as an ancient language the early Skyloftians had used. He tried his best to translate the message. "It's..... coming... It's coming???" After uttering the words of the stone, everything went into an absolute darkness. Link couldn't see anything through the pitch black. He heard laughter echo throughout the area. It was a joyous laughter that filled the silence. It brought Link a sense of familiarity. "Where have I heard that voice?" He wondered as he began to awaken from his slumber.