by N Felts
let you pass. Try to sound confident,” she adds, unsure if Rift is up to the challenge. Long before he even gets within speaking distance, the red-headed Kokiri already has a halting palm raised in Rift’s direction.
“What do you want?” He asks, his cocked head and unfriendly grimace painting him to be the type who doesn’t shy away from a fight.
“Can I get through?” Rift asks, failing miserably at Mai’s advice.
“I don’t know, can you?” The boy fires back, crossing his arms.
“I don’t want any trouble, I just need to get through here,” Rift admits, desperate to avoid any confrontation.
“For what? You don’t even have a fairy. What are you, a human?” The boy asks, squinting at the dark visage beneath the black hood. Unsure how to answer, Rift is ready to walk away when a girl’s voice catches his attention.
“Let him through, Mido,” the blonde from the shop says, her zombie-like voice matching her crazed glare well. Shocked by her sudden appearance, Rift manages not to overreact too badly. Her eyes remain fixated on Rift’s shrouded face as she talks.
“Why should I? And since when do I take orders from you, Fado?” Mido asks, though his weakened demeanor is far from appalled.
“I said let him through,” she quickly demands, her tone gaining some base for just a moment. “He’s different. He reminds me of someone,” she half-mumbles, slowly drifting closer to the boy in dark clothing.
“You don’t mean,” Mido starts, losing his voice when Fado’s eyes latch onto him for the first time. Clearing his throat, he continues, “alright, but he doesn’t look like he can defend himself. It’s dangerous in there you know,” he concludes, glancing back to Rift.
“I’ll be fine,” Rift quickly mutters, eager to get away from the creepy blonde. Passing through the gap leads to a twisting hallway of earth as the pair of Kokiri watch him depart.
“Listen, I know it’s dangerous ahead, but I’ll help you, alright?” Mai assures, not wanting him to lose his nerve.
“Okay,” Rift apprehensively nods, only now wondering what he’s gotten himself into. The green corridor splits into two paths, and Mai instructs him to turn right, the recently cleared path revealing a hungry Deku Baba. Much larger than the one that attempted to eat him last night, it’s rows of razor sharp teeth drip with greenish nectar. It’s large, bluish head bobs atop its flexing stem, ready for its prey to venture too close.
“Get ready, we’re going to dodge past him,” Mai declares, hoping to get Rift’s adrenaline pumping.
“What? A-are you crazy? That thing will eat me,” he stammers, already shying away from the predator. Scooping its head to and fro along the ground, the fanged foliage seems to be limbering up to catch the coming meal more easily.
“No it won’t. You’re faster than it is. You’ve got to trust me,” Mai attempts to assure.
“There’s no way, I mean look at it,” he points out, the carnivorous lips seeming to smile at Rift’s indecisive nature. A large tongue slaps against the drooling interior of the plant’s mouth knocking bits of small woodland creatures out from between its teeth.
“Please? I promise we can do this. We’ve come this far together,” Mai pleads, sounding as comforting as she’s able.
“How? How can I get past?”
“Okay, you’ll walk strait toward it, and when I say left or right, I want you to dive in that direction. I can tell which way he’s going to attack before he tries it.”
“You’re sure?” He asks, obviously not convinced.
“Of course, have I led you the wrong way yet?”
“No, I guess not,” he has to admit, recalling how she’s guided him all this way. Comforted him. Saved his life.
“Come on, let’s do this,” she exclaims, sounding motivated as ever. Several apprehensive breaths later, Rift advances forward. The plant’s head warbles, like a snake being hypnotized by a flute. Before he even thinks he’s close enough to be attacked, Rift hears Mai shout, “left!” Diving to his left, Rift nimbly avoids the snapping jaws as they lunge forward. Tucking into a ball and rolling back to his feet, Rift sprints past the plant, angrily snapping its jaws as its prey escapes.
“You were right!” Rift exclaims, glancing back and breathing excitedly.
“See? Stick with me kid and we’ll be alright,” she teases, happy with their progress.
“Is that where we’re going?” He asks, finally noticing the gargantuan tree at the center of a vast clearing. Circling the massive plant, he finds deep recessions in the trunk which resemble a face, the large arch entrance appearing to be a mouth frozen in a sad yawn.
“Not exactly,” Mai smirks, clearly hiding something. “See that spot over there where the grass is blue?” Searching his surroundings, Rift locates the area she is referring to. Far to the right of the clearing’s entrance, the lush, green field is marred by a small patch of odd, dark-blue grass.
“Yeah, what about it?”
“Step on it. You’ll see.” Proceeding across the grassy field, Rift steps on the oddly shaped patch of grass without a second thought. Suddenly, gravity grabs hold of his gut as his foot dives through the earth as if it isn’t there. Falling forward, he reaches out his hands, but they too push through the ground like an illusion. As his hood falls off his head, he drops into the imperceptible hole, and gravity is immediately turned upside down. Down becomes up and up becomes down when he finds his footing upon the dark blue grass on the other side. Reacting slowly, his senses find he is standing in an entirely new setting. A massive, decrepit temple stands in the distance, replacing the old tree and green landscape with a profoundly different atmosphere. The droning noise of wildlife is much harsher in this dim world, the entire environment seeming to have a darker tint upon it. A small archway of stone is wrapped in an embrace of dark vines, leading to a bridge spanning toward the temple. Below is a disgusting swampland, the pools of water slowly churning as the whirlpool endlessly drains through some unseen cracks at the lake’s bed.
“Where are we?” Rift asks after taking in his surroundings.
“The Dark Forest Temple,” Mai informs. “A secret place where my special armor is hidden. We’re going to retrieve it, and we’ll be much stronger once we have it.”
“How did I get here?” He ponders out loud, turning to find the small patch of vibrant green he traversed surrounded by the dark blue flora of this bizarre world.
“A very long time ago, when my sisters created this world, I wept for the poor creatures that would have to live here. I couldn’t help it. My sisters wouldn’t listen to me, and afterward, they trapped me in the Triforce in order to keep me from mending their mistakes. They were too proud to heed my warnings,” she continues with a sad sort of nostalgia. “Anyway, the places where my tears fell became portals to alternate dimensions like this one. My armor is hidden here, so only someone of my choosing can find them.”
“Wow,” he mumbles, the revelations leaving him in a speechless stupor.
“I know. It’s a lot to take in. I’m trying not to overwhelm you, so I’ll just give you a piece at a time. Right now, we need to get to that temple.”
“Okay,” Rift agrees, feeling a little more confident.
“I’ll always be here to help. Do you trust me?”
“Yes,” he nods, with more certainty. With only a voice to perceive, he cannot sense the contentment bordering on glee that Mai radiates upon hearing the response. Without a second thought, Rift jogs beneath the archway and onto the crumbling bridge. The pillars holding the slabs of stone aloft appear to be ready to collapse at any moment, their spongy, cream-colored texture showing obvious signs of imminent failure. Large sections have already fallen, forcing Rift to carefully maneuver forward. Hopping over a small gap, he is taken by surprise when the pillar below gives way, the large slab of stone suddenly plummeting toward the bleak, green water below.
“Here!” Mai shouts, a translucent hand eme
rging into the open air. The forearm fades into nothingness before ever reaching the elbow, though the limb is much more visible than the first time Mai saved him. The triangle beneath Rift’s makeshift glove glows much brighter as he reaches for the ghostly grasp. Grabbing hold, the soft grip quickly swings Rift back upward with some effort. Obtaining just enough momentum to grab hold of the ledge, he scrambles upward, his heart rate gradually returning to normal while he resides on his hands and knees.
“How’d you do that?” He asks, pushing off the stone to rest upright on his knees.
“I told you I’ll help,” Mai giggles.
“Yeah, but,” Rift starts, his head beginning to ache as he fails to understand Mai’s abilities. “Thank you,” he finally blurts out after shaking his thoughts free.
“Anytime,” she chirps, a sincere sort of joy taking over her tone every time Rift shows even the smallest amount of gratitude. “Let’s keep going.” Continuing forward, Rift finally arrives at the end of the line, a huge section of the bridge missing just before the door to the temple. Feeling defeated, his body language shows the state of his spirit.
“Now what?” He asks, knowing he cannot possibly make the jump.
“We can make it. Do you trust me?” She asks, needing the constant reassurance.
“Y-yeah,” he confirms, feeling guilty for his defeatist attitude. Taking a few steps back, he expels a deep breath