Forgive me | Legend of Zelda FF | ENG

10 ~ Great Hyrule Forest

I just pressed again to make sure that the Master Sword was completely in the socket, when a bright beam of light bathed the sword in a strange light.
Protectively, I held my hands in front of my face so as not to be blinded as I watched the light diminish further and further and the Master Sword was now almost normally stuck in the stone again.

I cautiously took a step toward the pedestal to see where the light had come from, when suddenly the earth shook and I fell to the ground; unable to keep my balance.

Startled, my eyes locked onto the Master Sword as the sword creepingly took on a black hue. Slowly, a menacing black crept up the sword blade as it already reached the hilt of the sword.
"What?!" escaped me, aghast, as now the hilt of the master sword was also enveloped in a deep, ominous black.

I tried to stand up, to somehow make contact with the Great Deku Tree, when the earth rumbled once again beneath my feet and I rolled ungently to the side.
"These are no ordinary earthquakes...", I stated through clenched teeth as I tried to somehow pick myself back up.

I was looking for a foothold on one of the large stones at the edge of the pedestal platform when something unexpected happened; I witnessed the blade of the Master Sword now turning a bloody red.

I screamed for the Deku Tree, something was wrong with the sword, but it was all too late; the blood-soaked liquid sprayed out of the base of the sword and covered the entire pedestal platform frantically.

Hastily, I supported myself from the ground with both hands and distanced myself from the Master Sword in a panic, not taking my eyes off it for a second.
It was still spraying blood from the pedestal and was now staining the earth around the platform as well, when I suddenly saw the nearby flowers begin to dry up as soon as the liquid touched them.

Startled, I watched as the bloody mass ruined the three delicate Silent Princesses around the pedestal platform.

I couldn't believe what I was seeing, but I knew I had to get out of here. The liquid coming out of the Master Sword was still spreading rapidly, and when it reached the roots of the Deku Tree, I could only watch as the Great Deku Tree began to wither rather quickly.

"Princess, you are our last hope!" the Deku Tree called out to me as he fell silent forever, his rooty face still drawn from his very last call for help.

I looked in the direction of the Deku Tree with wide-open eyes and full of fear. It couldn't be, he couldn't be dead! The Deku Tree had watched over the forest and the entire land for thousands of generations, it couldn't just dry up and die now!

I was so upset and didn't know what to do as I saw the red liquid coming closer and closer and just ran; simply away, out of the forest.
I took one last wistful look in the direction of the Deku Tree as I just kept running; running and hoping that I would be spared.

I was heading down the path I had come from when I heard something fall to the ground behind me at small intervals; as I risked a quick glance over my shoulder I could see that from the center of the forest the trees were beginning to wither and then topple over.

I quickly looked ahead again and then ran a little faster; under no circumstances did I want to be hit by a tree, nor touched by this liquid. Who knew what this blood-like liquid would do to a Hylian when it was already killing plants and even the Deku Tree?

I shook myself briefly as various scenarios played out in my mind of Hylians withering away or being miserably drained of life.

That could never happen; never could I allow the land to perish.

I glanced over my shoulder once more, as I could now see a column of black air rising from the center of the forest all the way into the clouds.

"This can't be true...", I whispered to myself as I already looked ahead again and ran a little faster.
I had to look to get out of here as quickly as possible so I wouldn't run the risk of dying here too; I was the last hope, even the Deku Tree had confirmed that.

I had to realize that no one could save the land anymore; only I was left, possibly the Champions, but if this mass from the forest spread even further, then I could no longer count on the help of the Champions, because... yes, because they would die.

Briefly, I took one deep breath and exhaled.
The most important thing was to keep a clear head now; it wouldn't do anyone any good if I lost my mind now.

My goal now was to run to the castle to face the Calamity myself. The fear that the bloody mass would reach the Shrine of Resurrection was hard to put into words, but I was already very sure that Ganon had his fingers in the pie; why else would the Master Sword turn black? Why would it spray blood?

Link had once told me that he could sense the Master Sword; that he could absorb the emotions and demand.
I had always been fascinated by it, until the last time I couldn't even hear the sword's voice.

But all this time, Link had always assured me that the Master Sword's condition was aligned with him; that his strength was reflected in the sword; as well as his weaknesses.
But since Link was lying injured in the Shrine of Resurrection, the Master Sword was supposed to regenerate just like him now....

I looked back again into the forest, which was now shrouded in deep darkness.
I had to hurry so that I could still get to Hyrule Castle in time before the whole land sank into darkness.

"That was my last mistake," I brought out through clenched teeth as I unerringly made my way towards the castle. "Not again will I allow myself such a defeat."

But it was not to come to that; I glanced over my shoulder again as I ran a little faster. Because what I saw, that was just shocking. I could see how the liquid from the forest was now spreading further, emerging from the edge of the forest and making its way across the entire land.

I tried to flee from it, but it seemed to be useless, because the speed with which the mass was now spreading had increased many times over; I could now see the land being taken over by the liquid and the landscape being razed to the ground.

My heart was torn at the sight; this, the land on which I stood, belonged to my family. We are the royal family of Hyrule, and my job was to protect the land and all its inhabitants at all costs.

I exhaled heavily and looked around again when all I saw was a wave of the black liquid coming towards me.

I immediately ran back towards the castle; I absolutely had to get there and put an end to the disaster so that everyone could live in peace again. It was bad enough that I could not undo what had happened....

My feet carried me on, always in the direction of the castle, when suddenly I felt something icy cold on my feet, which made me freeze.

I couldn't keep running, it felt like the cold was entering my body through my feet and freezing me from the inside out.
Shivering, I wrapped my arms around my body, hoping to get some warmth, but that's when I started to freeze and I could see my skin turning pale.

I could only feel the black-red liquid washing along my legs and the cold spreading through my body as I blacked out and fell uncontrollably to the ground.