if i die tomorrow - permanent hiatus

faith

     Sadie and I were moving faster than I could have ever hoped. In two days we had crossed the border into the Akkala region. The first of the distinctive blood-leafed trees swayed just at the edge of my vision, and I had to hold back the rush of helpless euphoria at the sight of my goal, so close at hand. 

     The timer ticked on. The trip to the Spring of Courage had resulted in utter failure. Although I had assured Sadie that it wasn't her fault, that one visit to one Spring was hardly going to amount to anything substantial, I couldn't help but feel my heart turn to stone and sink into my stomach.

     I shook out another two painkillers and downed them, savouring with savage pleasure the feeling of fabricated joy blossoming in my crumpling body. At least these pills kept away the agony festering in the broken pieces that once was a capable figure.

     "Rest." Sadie tugged on my arms. "You've been going non-stop for days on end now, and who knows how long beforehand. Rest!"

     I shrugged her off. I needed to get as close to the Spring of Power as possible tonight, then set camp. 

     She tugged again, a note of desperation creeping into her tones. "Link. You're dying. Please."

     As if she cared. I jerked my head, irritated. 

     I couldn't stop. If I stopped, I would never be able to keep going again. 

     Death would be salvation at this point.

     Yet another night caught up to my frantic footsteps. I shook off the twisting shadows stalking my every movement and walked faster, my heart hammering in my chest.

     We were close. It was okay. We could set camp for today.

     I was more worn than I cared to admit. Sadie's mouth was a grim line as she stood beside me, trying to hide how hard she was breathing. 

     She looked remarkably like Zelda in that split second, her face set with determination, even a hint of vicious satisfaction. Then it was gone, the fragile wisp blown away by the ruthless winds of reality and I was left to gather the last of my self-restraint to stop myself from breaking right there and then.

     We were racing the sun, swimming against the very currents of time. We were scrambling for every grain of sand trickling through the hourglass, fighting the endless cycle of day and night.

     And at the end of the day, when inevitable dusk wrapped its soft arms around my barely functional body, soothed the relentless unrest stirring at my soul just to stir it up again when morning came, we end up accomplishing nothing, and losing everything. At the end of the day, it just marked another step closer to the ultimate demise waiting for us at the end of this pointless wild chase.

     What was the point? There was no way I could awaken her power before the deadline. 

     If I had saved Zelda, like I was supposed to, everything would be different. I was sure of it!

     Maybe then Sadie would be free to live her life. And instead of her, I would have the rightful owner of the Triforce standing by me. Everything would be right. Correct. Complete.

     Nothing was right. All I had on my side was a normal girl, completely out of touch with her power, less than a week to crack every puzzle thrown in my direction, and failure upon failure haunting my every desperate step towards Hyrule's doom.

     Fighting a yawn, I took out my battered book and blocked out every other thing lurking behind the shadows in my world. 

     "Who brings a textbook with them on a quest?"