Requiem of a lost Soul Chapter One

Chapter 1 – A saddened Heart

Her melody has lost long, long ago its life. Its fire. Its feelings. But still she was playing it. Sitting there, all alone in the middle of a forest where no one dared to enter it. Even her friends didn't try it anymore after their first and only time. They got lost and she was so filled up with worry and sadness that she lead them back out, back to the village they belonged to.

It was such a tragedy, such a hurtful thing to sit there, alone. Playing a melody she created for her and her closest friends, so that everybody would be happy. But in the end she was left behind. Day in day out. Even her best friend didn't visit her anymore. The time passed, and the last time she saw him was as he had saved her, in a body so grown and strong. In the temple where she found her already decided destiny as a sage. His sparkling eyes were filled with mud, or so it seemed. He had seen and experienced so much pain in his young years and she wondered how his poor heart was still able to beat so strongly.

And he was crying.

He was crying and begging her not to leave him.

But she had to. She had to go. It was her task as a sage.

They didn't live in the same world. She was bound to the forest temple for all eternity.
And he…he was bound to age. To save this world, to go on. To grow up without her.

He was a hero and she was a sage.

She knew he wouldn't come back anymore. It was clear. They weren't meant to see each other again. But she missed him dearly. He was her best friend. Her everything. But she wasn't able to stay in this world. Only after much practice she was able leave the temple and play all alone in the sacred meadow.  In 'his' world. Her song, her little ocarina was all she had left. Even the horror kids wouldn't come closer. Maybe it scared them that she was nearly all the time in the dark temple.

But in truth it wasn't so dark.

After all the darkness and monsters left, it was a beautiful and mysterious place. The corridors which were formed in such an unnatural way were so much fun to run through. And the little park in there was breathtaking after she cleaned it up. The only bad thing was that she was lonely. No one would come with whom she could share this beautiful place, the secret passages. Her wonderful melody. With a sad sigh, she stopped her breath. The empty tune ended and got carried away with the wind. She didn't have enough strength to continue for today.

Silently the girl hugged her legs close to her chest. How many years had passed? She couldn't remember. How were the other children doing? She hoped they were fine. Had the deku sprout grown much? She had no idea. Was her best friend feeling fine?

She didn't know.

It was so sad, she thought. She was so sad. But she didn't want to cry. She wanted to be strong. She had to stay strong, so that the evil could never return and hurt this golden land she never got to see. She had no contact to the other sages, because they only met each other if there was danger threatening. But right now, the land Hyrule was at peace it seemed. Everyone was happy, so why couldn't she be happy, too?

Why couldn't she be happy, too…

A little melody filled with dreams…
…send the heaven down to earth.

"Fuck." His breath was short and burnt in his insides. "Stupid Zoras."

A dark figure heaved its body out of the water and let himself fall onto the muddy ground. His left leg was fading like a candle which someone tried to blow out. A black substance was leaking out of the huge wound which decorated his thigh. Cuts covered his face and arms. The dark tunic he wore was filled with holes and slashes, which seemed to restore itself all alone magically. And so soon would the night end. And if the sun would rise, his end would be near. With bloody red eyes he glared towards the high trees which didn't give enough safety for him.

Where the heck was he?

Trees, bushes, grass – everything in his sight was green. A forest, why did this pond end here? His eyes rolled backwards into his head as he tried to use his wounded leg. Just why did it hurt? Every pain he felt was so dull up until now. He never really felt anything. But this stupid Zora had to be such a drag and turn his spear from right to left as it had bored right into his leg. Playing with his non existing nerves. He had no other way as to run. They were way too many, and he didn't feel like smashing there annoying fish faces.

With an annoyed sigh he heaved himself towards a big tree. He had to rest for a bit and then he would search shelter before the sun rises. Until then, he closed his eyes, he would just rest.

A shadow hides beneath a stone…
…in hope to escape the golden glow.

She gasped as her feet carried her away. Down the many steps and through the huge labyrinth, which was now so empty because no monster, no big guardian stayed here after the evil had left this land. She felt something. She sensed a presence, so strong and weird at the same time. She swore it felt familiar but still it was different. The small girl couldn't put her finger on it; she didn't dare to bring her hopes up. But it was such a long time ago since she felt how a presence got so much close to her temple. She was desperate to see a face, which was not her own reflection in a mirror.

With her small hands she pushed the big metal gate open, ignored the deafening squeak it gave from itself and stumbled into the direction of the huge entryway which led into the Lost Woods. Saria took a deep breath and kept all her concentration so her body, her form wouldn't vanish suddenly and take her back to the temple. The little girl was never so far away from her home that it scared her a bit. But the thought of seeing someone after such a long time was so tempting, she just had to go.

However what exactly her deep blue eyes captured sent shivers down her spine. Next to the pond which led to a place she didn't know, laid a dark figure against a tree. The moon was shining softly through the leafs and she noticed his black clothes which resembled the attire of someone she knew so well. His skin was grey-white like ash and his hair moved so softly together with the wind that it couldn't be natural.

His face…her mind stopped, broke and put itself together again. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. A young man, a look alike, a Link. But his aura was dark and his appearance so distrustful. Behind all her common sense, her inner alarm she couldn't run away. She watched him, looked closely at his face, neck, chest, legs. And there, she realized on one of his leg was a gaping wound, a few strains of smoke left his unnatural black blood and vanished in the air. As if he was a weak candle fading slowly in a storm.

Her lips quivered and her dark blue eyes searched for something in her surroundings which she didn't even know herself. Her mind felt how her power was pulling at her nerves, urging her to return to the temple. Where she belonged to. But she wasn't able to leave this mirror image behind. The dark copy of the young man who she cared for…a real [or fake?] living being she met since who knows long. Slowly, as if she was trying to get closer to a scared animal she tiptoed towards the stranger – having big problems to find a good solution as to how she should carrying him. But to her surprise he was light. For a moment the Kokiri was childish enough to think she was very strong, but her sensible mind told her it had to be him. He weighted nothing. He was like a feather. A black feather.

With her small arms she heaved him over her back. Noticing how his breath was cold against her neck. It was obvious that this could end in a bad way. A stranger, a man clothed in black, a doppelganger of her beloved friend.  But he was hurt. He was in pain and she would never turn her back to someone who was in need for help. Slowly and carefully she carried the stranger back to her safe temple. Not once wondering why he never opened his eyes, even as she was stumbling over her own two feet. Her heart gave a squeeze, pressing all the soaked tears away and filling it up with a sparkle of hope. Maybe loneliness wouldn't claw at her guts anymore like a hungry cat.

A lonely cat would prefer to starve…
…if in exchange her meal would stay by her side.

It was weird, she thought. The little girl walked with a wooden bowl filled with water across the room. She placed the liquid beside the stranger on the ground, who still hadn't reacted in any way. The Kokiri had brought him to the main room, where the elevator found its place in the middle of everything.

His body leaned itself against a post made of stone. He was in a sitting position, his head hung low, so that his black hair covered his closed eyes completely. Saria blinked at his form slowly. The torches were shining softly in the background, drawing on the walls a playful painting which moved lightly to a secret rhythm. Every step, every object in this room threw a shadow onto the ground. Expect the stranger, the girl noted. In wonder she searched for the pale black shadow which he should create, but there was nothing. As if he didn't existed, as if he wasn't capable of having his own faithful follower.

The green haired Kokiri furrowed her brow in confusion but dismissed it softly. She had already bandaged his wounds, even if she was sure the wounds were a lot smaller than she noticed them for the first time. And she wasn't sure if it was just magic, that this thin smoke still leaked through her makeshift bandage out.

Suddenly a yawn left her small lips. The night would soon end; the sunrise was only a few hours away. Saria grabbed a blanket and covered the black haired man with the brown cloth carefully. Who knows if a man with no shadow could freeze? But she herself declined the offer of her own body to finally catch enough rest. The dreamtime was no peaceful time for her and her mind feared every hour she would have to busy herself with sleep.

Nightmares were like a nasty parasite, devouring her hopes and greatest fears night for night. Instead she left the unknown visitor alone and made her way towards the entrance of the temple. Stopping right in front of the broken steps, its individual pieces laid around next to trees and in the grass. But thanks to creeper and vines which were over growing the big gap between temple and ground it wasn't such a difficult task anymore to reach the other place. She sat down and watched the tree stump where she had always played her song, at times where her life was so simple.

So innocent. But somehow that side of her seemed to have vanished together with her beloved friend. Her childish mind got pushed away from the knowledge of the sage. The games hide and seek and tag couldn't be played with her all alone. Even her fairy had disappeared as the temple got attacked. The green haired girl could only hope that she flew away, and nothing bad happened to her. Slowly she could hear her voice humming a silent melody, trying to keep herself awake so that no nightmares could catch her.

But she knew already that this wasn't possible and it was just a question of when her mind wouldn't stay awake anymore and the restless dreams would cage her up in their dusty prison. Looking up to the stars she wondered if there was a possibility that some lonely soul was out there looking up into the sky as well.
To forget its saddened heart, too.