“Yes…?”

“Rauru.. w-where is she?” Link asked, not wanting to reveal any more about himself than absolutely necessary, nor even explaining his own question due to his anxiety. “I know not of who you speak, and I certainly do not know you…” Rauru replied, slightly bewildered. “How do you know my name, might I ask?”

“The warrior of this village!” Link exclaimed, breaking from his ambiguity. “I know she has gone into the dungeon and is in great danger! Take me to her or your village will perish!” Links eyes burned with desperation and truthfulness.

“...Who are you?” Rauru asked once again. “I cannot answer any pleas until you give me a name!” Link regained his composure, looking straight into Rauru’s eyes.

“I am Link, from the land of Hyrule-“

“Hyrule…It has been many moons since I’ve heard of that place..” Rauru looked to be reflecting upon what he had just said deeply.

“Listen to me. I am not of the Hurali, if that is what you initially feared; but I do assure you that if you do not take me to that girl in the dungeon we all will die. I cannot tell you exactly who I am, for I fear I may alter the history of your very life!”

“Who are you for me to confide my trust in? I really must be on my way-”

“I am Link, the Hero of Time!” Link gave up on his secrecy. “You sent me here, she sent me here! I have come from the future to save her, and the Triforce! Now, will you help me, Rauru?! We have no time left!” Link’s entire body shook with his inner drive to save the girl. His eyes glistened with desperation. The Raven’s Song was as loud in his thoughts as he could bear.

Rauru stopped for a moment, staring as stupidly at Link as a moblin at the blade of a sword rushing towards its neck. Though he didn’t know the boy, or have any reason to trust him, the passion in Link’s eyes, in his voice... something within Rauru gave in to the boy’s drive, joined it. He gave up on questioning the boy, suddenly driven to be Link’s ally. It was unlike him to do so, but Rauru felt as though some higher order had already made the decicion for him.

“She went into the dungeon two days ago. I’m going there now, and I can only pray I’ll get there before Garof. I know more about the dungeon than I did when I sent her. She is in mortal danger. We shall travel there together, but we must be swift!” Rauru motioned toward the rising moon.

Link hardly had the patience to thank Rauru before he set straight to action. “How far is this dungeon?” he asked, fearing the answer.

“It’s half a day’s journey by foot, through a vaguely marked path in the desert,” Rauru replied dismally.

“Is there any way we could go by horse?” Link asked, his resourcefulness as a warrior and adventurer kicking in full swing.

“I’m way ahead of you, my boy.” Rauru walked on, a little faster than before, yet never breaking his moderate stride. “Do not rush, Link,” Rauru cautioned. “We want to leave this village as unnoticed as possible.” Link thought to ask about the girl’s friend, the one Rauru had mentioned in the Sacred Realm. He might have been of help, if Rauru knew where to find him, but it was much too late to locate him.

Rauru, despite his build, was a surprisingly graceful rider. They’d made the trip in only three hours through the deep sand at a trot, and cantered the level areas. Though they only exchanged minimal conversation, their minds raced with fear for the girl's safety, and for Sahaar's army.

They came to the end of the path, of which Link been able to discern for the whole trip, but which Rauru followed intently. Rauru dismounted and left his horse by the huge marble wall that faced them. They'd reached the dungeon.

One would think that such a place would be difficult to enter, yet there wasn’t even a locked door -- merely a gaping hole of a doorway. As Link looked into the doorway, however, he was suddenly filled with unease. The hole’s darkness seeped into his soul and filled him with unimaginable terror. He knew not what lay inside the dungeon, only suspected that it was of an evil far more powerful than any he’d met up with, or ever would.

Link had never felt such fear in his life -even when he had faced Ganondorf so many moons ago- as he felt now from the invisible aura of the black, gaping hole in the face of the beautiful marble slab. Such contrast it presented; the hole was an ugly epitome of evil against the shining, exquisite marble. Yet he knew that was why he’d come so far: to face the evil.

Link noticed Rauru regarding him warily. He shook his head to clear his mind, closed his eyes, and stepped into the doorway. Rauru followed, seemingly unaffected by the darkness as Link had so terribly been.

As Link opened his eyes once again, he saw the reflection of himself and Rauru in a mirror, directly ahead of him. Link turned, only to see yet another reflection. As he staggered in a complete circle he could see nothing but countless reflections of himself. It was then that he realized he no longer found Rauru’s reflection among the hundreds of himself.

“Rauru!” Link called out, shivering. Only the echoes of his own reflections answered him, as if he were trapped in his own mind. Every déja vu he’d felt was represented by an image of himself, some of a younger Link, and some of the man he was to become. Link closed his eyes to settle the panic that threatened to consume him. He felt dizzy as he did so, as if the floor was tilting from beneath him. Link’s eyes shot wide open. The floor was quickly tilting to the left! He grabbed desperately for a handhold, his reflections reaching back in mock fear, laughing as Link lost his footing and began to slide. He anticipated hitting a mirror, but instead he kept sliding, until the floor disappeared completely. His own reflected faces faded away, still grinning.

He was now free falling, and gaining speed. He'd had phobia of falling ever since his first plunge into the depths of the Deku Tree, not five years ago. That had been the beginning of his first adventure, his first nightmare. He was again falling into the unknown of an adventure that could very well lead to his death.

With every terrifying second, his heart moved further into his throat. Link knew he would not survive the landing of such a fall, if he ever did land. He’d been falling for at least ten seconds.

As he closed his eyes braced for the end, a faint voice called his name. It was Rauru! Link desperately yelled back into the darkness, knowing he’d been falling far too long. He was either going to hit the ground any second, or just keep on falling forever.

Rauru’s voice became clearer to Link, and he realized that he wasn’t hearing Rauru physically, but in his mind. He suspected that he was imagining it, but his deeper subconscious knew never to doubt Rauru’s power.

“This temple is about what’s in your mind, Link. It will only consist of your most horrifying thoughts if you anticipate them. You must be strong in your will. There is no dungeon.” Link blinked slowly, not quite suddenly hit by the revelation. His heart still raced in his throat, but he knew he wasn’t falling.

“There is no dungeon,” Link repeated to himself, slowly realizing the meaning of the words. No wonder Rauru didn’t notice the darkness of the doorway to the temple, Link thought to himself. Rauru, though still a young sage, was more powerful in mind than Link could ever imagine.

He could hear the Raven’s Song again, in his subconscious. He knew then that he could not defeat the power of the dungeon alone; he needed the help of the girl. He visualized her again, in perfect clarity. She was somewhere in the dungeon, not as she had been in his dream, but sitting alone in the dark. Though Link had no way of verifying his vision, something inside him simply knew.

Link blinked a few times, definitely on solid ground. The sensation of falling left him completely. He heard a noise behind him, and whirled around quickly. He nearly tripped over a skull behind him. As Link’s eyes adjusted to the darkness, he could see a pair of eyes staring directly at him, and immediately felt a cool blade slide skillfully and swiftly to his throat.

Next..