The Legend of Zelda: The Dreamwaker

Chapter 5: Nightmare War

Thesounds of the town got me back to reality as Asler walked beside me.He walked silently, and it was getting to me, so I wanted to talk tohim about what happened to the town during Ganondorf's reign.

"Um Asler, I was wondering what happened here during the Ganondorf's reign."

"It wasn't pleasant." Asler answered, "When Ganondorf obtained the Triforce of Power, the wave of dark energy not only covered Hyrule,but also the surrounding countries. While I cannot say what happened to the other places, Dreamside stood ready as the dream realm shattered into this world."

Aslerpaused for a moment, then continued.

"We called it the Nightmare War. For seven years, Nightmares poured out from the fractures of the dream. It was a never-ending assault with the fears of the world taking form, almost making any resistance non-existent. The dream realm was so fractured that even the fear inT he Hero of Time's Heart came into existence in the Water Temple,despite having the Triforce of Courage strengthening him. Lucky forus, The Sage of Dreams, Rem, along with her Pillars, chosen Champions that were awakened to help her keep the dream world stable. With their help, they sealed up the fractures & put a stop to the nightmare assault. Once the dark energy stopped, we all dropped to the ground in exhaustion. It was then Rem & the Pillars stayed at Dreamside to help with the reconstruction & made this location the focal point to keep Nightmares at bay. Also, she set up the system to bring in others from the surrounding lands so that they could ease the fears in their minds."

As he explained what happened, I felt a sense of dread & guilt as it was my actions that started the war. If I could send myself back in time to stop myself, then none of this would have happened. It was just like what my subconscious self showed me. I just cause pain to anyone near & far. Suddenly, a thought came to mind. I wondered what Link was doing now after I sent him back. With this situation here and now with me, I wished I never sent him back in time. I know he would go above & beyond to make sure I was back together again. While pondering, I noticed Asler looking back at me.

"Are you ok, Princess? You look lost in thought."

"I was remembering my actions back then." I replied "If I did not tell Link to go through the Door of Time, Ganondorf or those Nightmares would not have overwhelmed everyone for seven years. It was just as my Subconscious Self said, I just bring pain to those around me."

I fell to my knees and cried

"You couldn't have known what would happen," Asler answered as he kneeled to me. "Don't dwindle in the past. It cannot be changed.You adjusted to the situation and did what you thought was right."

As Asler calmed me down, we overheard two citizens talking on the other side of the road.

"We will wake them one day," one citizen tried to say "We just have to wait for the right time"

"They are still there, never to wake from their dream!" The other person yelled back, "If you want to keep that dream alive, you better start sleeping in the Cold Below!"

At the mention of that phrase, Asler stood up and stormed over to one of them, "WE DO NOT MENTION THAT PLACE HERE, DRAKE. We are doing everything we can to get them home."

"And how long is it going to take Asler?" Drake answered "Until the oceans flood the world? They are lost, we will never get them back!"

Then Drake stammered away, still in an angry mood.

"Ugh...."Asler said as he turned back to me, "Sorry you had to witness that,Princess. That man was Drake. He was one of those who fought on the front line during the war. During the War, those Nightmares don't kill people, rather, they would pull them into a deep sleep that they have a really hard time awake. The place where the spirit sleep is been known as the Cold Below."

"Will the Dreamwaker be the key to saving them all?" I asked.

"In theory, yes." Asler explained, "The Dreamwaker can indeed awaken those stuck in their nightmares. If the Dreamwaker is used at it sfull power, which was only used only once by the Goddess, it can awaken all living beings in the dream and fully reset the world back to square one. It is the last option, as the one who uses it at full power could be the only one that is still dreaming and could be stuck there for a good while. Since the Goddess used at full power, she could escape the dream, though She did not tell anyone who was still in the dream that helped her escape."

"Well,what Rem told me on the way into the city." I replied "Goddesses' have their secrets that they keep tight-lipped from their followers.Though I wish that were not the case."

 "Well hopefully that info will come to light," Asler said as he pointed to the central tower of the town. "We are here, let's go meet up with Rem and her Pillars."