So long, goodbye

The Wind does blow

His time with the rest of the chain has been nothing but enjoyable. It's like a big, chaotic family. Despite his joy in being included in such a wonderful group, a deep, lingering sadness stays rooted in his chest, burrowed deep in his heart. The knowledge of what's bound to come stays in the back of his mind, no matter what he does. It gets harder and harder to keep smiling and reassuring everyone he's fine, especially since with each passing day that becomes more and more of a lie. He doesn't know how to tell them, how they'll react, if they'll treat him differently...

How does one tell his family he's not exactly alive?

There's no easy way to say it, so he decided he simply won't. But even that seems cruel, he can feel his days are numbered. Ghosts can only last so long, no amount of heroic acts and kindness will change the fact that nothing lasts forever. How much longer will he last? He feels weaker by the day and it won't be long before they all find out. Zelda took this news horribly, as did Sidon, Teba, Yunobo and Riju. And that was just telling them he was a ghost! He can never forget the looks on their faces when he told them he was fading away.

Sometimes, if he stares at his hands long enough, he can almost see them fading away, if only for a second. It gets harder to hide his condition and hold his solidity as days go by.

Zelda is constantly sending him letters, making sure he hasn't vanished yet. He appreciates the sentiment, and keeps her updated, letting her know if he feels any worse or better. He doesn't know what will happen if he fades away while out here. Sure, he'll be with his brothers, but he wishes Zelda will be there to wish him farewell. Perhaps the fading will wait until he returns to his hyrule? It would pain him to leave his friends without even saying goodbye.

Deep down he knows, there's no happy ending to this no matter what happens. He's not ready to leave this world, he doesn't think he ever will be. Not with his friends and family still out there, wanting to be with him. He wants to enjoy life as a normal hylian, not as some strange ghost with equally as strange magical properties.

Wild let's out a small sigh and stands up. It's six in the evening, he'll need to start dinner soon. But he can't right now, not when he feels so incredibly weak. He has been keeping up this form all day, and he's exhausted. He needs a breather.

"I'm going to patrol camp, just to be safe." He tells the others, not giving anyone a chance to protest before he stalks off into the dark of the surrounding forest.

He speed walks straight, admiring the surrounding scenery to distract himself from the burning feeling his his chest. He keeps walking until he finds a little clearing. It's not very wide, there's a fallen tree and some flowers. It's far enough away from camp as well. He lets his magic fade, and he feels himself un-solidify, revealing his true form. A ghostly green envelopes him, and small flames flicker to life. He lets out a sigh of relief as his soul unclenches.
He slowly lowers himself to the ground, though he seems to be floating slightly above the grass.

The wind blows, but the flowers and grass flow right through. He looks up to the orange sky where the sun sets slowly behind the trees. Not a cloud can be seen on this lovely day. A smile creeps up on his face.

Facing reality is hard. Wild doesn't want to face it ever. Hylia was never truly kind to him, was she? Sure, she gave gifts to enhance his health or stamina, but she did nothing to bring his true body back. Was there even anything she could do to help him? He doesn't know the answer.

He stopped praying to Hylia after the defeat of the calamity, as he felt bad about him being able to speak to Hylia, but not Zelda. That was around when he realized he was fading, so he hasn't exactly gone to her for guidance. Maybe next time they're in his hyrule he'll stop by a goddess statue and ask for guidance. He wonders what Legend would think of that, perhaps he'd tell him to ask her why she gave him so many adventures, or maybe tell her how he hated her. Guess he'll find out when that happens.