Ever since he was young and coming to understand that the world was an unjust place, Lance had been a planner. He did his best to anticipate most engagements with other people and to create step-by-step mental guides on how to go about his usual day.

Was it exhausting? Absolutely.

Did it ease some of his daily anxiety about just existing in this world? Marginally. The trade-off was not equivalent, but fears aren’t abated so simply.

How was that relevant? Well, Lance had a million mental ideations on how today might go (consistently updated with all new information and minor upsets), but none of them went like this.

None of them featured an incomprehensible man who lived in the woods where people go to never appear again looking at him like that. Bael had extended his left arm down to him with a wry smile hiding layers of mischief and calculation. He accepted the gesture with an oof as Bael startled him with how strong his lithe body was.

With them both finally meeting while standing at full height, Lance was surprised how much larger he was than him. In height and body mass he was coming ahead, and yet he was the one who felt frightened by the magnitude of Bael’s innate presence.

The lilac fairy fluttered up into his face, distracting Lance from his observations and causing his head to jerk upwards. The orb was startlingly close to his eyes, so much so he could see faint lines of a silhouette within the light that resembled a small human. His eyes twinkled at this mystical sight.

“I don’t know B, he looks a little too...dumb to be aware,” the fairy piped up with an airy feminine voice. Lance just blinked, not certain what you should do when a supernatural creature calls you stupid without provocation.

Bael clicked his tongue as he used the end of his spear to nudge Lance into twisting his body around. He obliged, but felt very self-conscious about the whole experience.

“Looks like you weren’t hurt in your little tumble. I should probably apologize for that, it was for your own good had the circumstances been different.”

Lance just shook his head, though he couldn’t say why he wanted to disagree with him. Was it a fascination with this person? He wanted to understand who he was and why it seemed like he knew more about Lance’s experiences than he did.

“I- well-, can you explain any of this stuff you’re talking about?” Lance finally requested even as Bael had turned around with a beckoning wave to follow behind him.

“I can,” Bael answered. There was then an extended silence between them.

“Um, will you explain it then?”

“Shh,” Bael hushed him sharply while pressing his index finger to his mouth.

Lance clamped up immediately and contented himself with doggedly following along without uttering a peep.

Hours passed (or was it days?) and Lance couldn’t make heads or tails of where he was being led to. He began to panic that his willingness to follow a perfect stranger deeper into a dark forest might not have been his most brilliant decision.

“Oh what if he’s going to eat me? I don’t know that he wasn’t involved with that “thing” that tried to kill me. There’s no way I can overpower him in a fight he’ll kick my ass. Maybe if I…?”

He furiously shook his head as his cheeks turned rosy red at the indecent thought that came to mind. That was not happening, he would rather just be killed and eaten. The alternative would just make him die of embarrassment.

All of sudden Bael stopped in place and the very distracted Lance was caught unawares. Like colliding with a rock wall he was bounced backwards when his chest collided with Bael’s back. He let out an undignified yelp and jumped back in surprise. Luckily for his self-conscious the shorter man paid him no heed.

What Lance saw next he’s not quite sure he could ever properly explain if he lived to tell this story to anyone. Bael lifted his spear and held it aloft pointing forward and felt around the empty air with the sharp tip. He watched in fascination at whatever ritual he was performing until it looked like his spear snagged on the air. The air began to tear revealing a shimmering light that lay hidden in between the layers of reality.

Slicing through the air like fabric, Bael tore this hole open large enough to match himself in height. Pulling the spear away he used his slender and dexterous fingers to peel open the two sides of the tear. After doing so Lance could catch a glimpse of what looked to be a forest settlement beyond the sparkling mist that rolled out of the opening.

Bael glanced back, head tilting up to look at Lance’s face then down to his feet. “You’re a tall fellow, I can’t quite make it bigger than this. Watch your head,” he said with a soft whisper and eyes reflecting the dancing lights of the portal.

Lance stood perfectly still until he noticed that it seemed like Bael wanted him to step in first. His worrisome self said this was a terrible idea, but his curious side was ready to take the leap into the unknown. Stepping forward he ducked his head and felt his body slip into the rip of reality while coming undone in the process.

For the briefest of moments his corporeal form lost its defined shape and his soul was slipping between the world he knew and into this one. As soon as it began it was over resulting in Lance staring at an awesome sight.

The structures of this village were simple with very small homes made of nothing more than what the forest would provide. Fairies floated in and around the space without a care in the world, some chasing each other in play while others allowed themselves to be carried by the gentle breeze. The woods beyond the tear were illuminated with an otherworldly light that radiated down from the crowns of the trees creating a picturesque image that Lance couldn’t help but stare at.

Soon Bael and the fairy joined him in this space, and he immediately sealed the opening shut in a manner he couldn’t begin to comprehend. The mysterious man walked past him only offering a look that beckoned him to follow along. Lance obliged without sparing a moment for doubt or fear. He was completely enchanted.

They took a short jaunt through this quaint settlement which allowed Lance plenty of time to “ooh” and “ahh” as his head turned from side to side taking it all in. Fairies weren’t the only inhabitants here as far as he could tell as he caught glimpses of imps with flesh the color of night. It appeared Bael was leading him to one of the small buildings here, pulling open the drapery that acted as a door. He turned back to look at Lance expectantly which caused his feet to lock into place.

“Just go you stupid human,” the little fairy flew up to his head and smashed its small body into the side of his face. He didn’t feel particularly threatened by this small creature, fairies were never known back home to be something feared. What was always feared was the wrath of their masters, usually a Great Fairy. In the case of these wild forest fairies, Lance got the sense that Bael was kind of the master here, and he was most definitely frightened by him.

He stepped into the modest home filled with simple wooden furnishings. A corner for eating at a table, a hearth in the center of the room, and at the back was a small bed and assorted possessions on the floor. Many of them resembled wooden carvings of animals, and in a way it reminded Lance of the bedroom of a child.

“Sit,” Bael ordered with a finger pointed to the single chair at the table while he walked over to the back area leaving the spear next to his bed. Lance anxiously obliged.

Bael came back and took a seat at the hearth beginning to stoke a fire in the center. It was eerily silent in the room as Lance waited to know what was going on. The fairy continued floating near him as if it was asserting that Lance could not dare leave with it standing in the way.

“Do you remember the night you and your pack came here to the woods? And what happened to you?” Bael asked in such a gentle manner, as if he were just inquiring about the weather tomorrow and not at all life changing questions.

“I don’t remember a lot,” Lance admitted sheepishly. “I remember this...shadowy creature crouching on my chest. Then I remember you. After that I- I died,” he finished with a lump in his throat.

Bael just nodded in a knowing way. “That’s about as much as I would expect you to remember. You didn’t actually die then, that night. It’s not an experience any living being should understand so you don’t know what happened, but you were hurled back in time.”

Lance’s jaw dropped into an expression of stupor. This entire time he had the sense that this was what was happening, but to just have it confirmed by this person so simply like Bael was just explaining a grade school concept was too much. He never turned back to look at Lance, only sat in silence as the weight of everything settled in.

“It’s actually happened twice, this shift in time. I’m not aware of what happened the second time, I’m actually hoping that’s something you can fill in for me,” he said as he then turned back to meet Lance’s face with his determined one. This meant he wanted that explanation now.

“I woke up today from another dream of dying. I was assaulted by monsters in the shadow market.” It felt weird to describe these horrific experiences so plainly, but since they manifested to him like dreams there was a certain amount of disconnect from these events.

“So I was right then. You are the catalyst for what’s going on,” Bael spoke to himself with distant eyes.

“You haven’t explained to me yet why you remember all of this so vividly,” Lance chimed in an annoyed tone. Bael looked up at him with a frightening look, like he wanted to tell Lance he had no business questioning him in that manner He acquiesced despite that.

“I’m sure you look at me and assume I’m a human, just like you. I’m not, so don’t compare our capabilities,” Bael said with strong emphasis on the second part.

Lance’s brows furrowed. Clearly he could tell that he wasn’t a normal person, he wasn’t that stupid. “I’ve not met any deku, gorons, or zora that know what’s going on either (nor had he asked any, but he wouldn’t say that). So that explanation is flimsy,” he declared finally.

Bael huffed a short laugh. “What I mean is that I’m not mortal like you, like those races are. The fairies are very strongly attuned to the world at large, and we notice what is happening regardless.”

“So you’re just a really big fairy? That can’t fly?” Lance was having a hard time believing any of this because this was unlike anything he had heard of in his life. Fairies were also known to be primarily female, so to see this person who was a healthy mix of masculine and androgyny claim to be one was just too far-fetched.

“I don’t owe you an explanation,” Bael gritted through his teeth. Lance’s eyes widened, worrying he was tip toeing closer to a third death.

“Why am I here, exactly?” Lance asked finally in an attempt to break the silence growing between them and change the subject.

Bael snorted again, but allowed himself to calm down once more. “If you can’t tell already, you’re the catalyst for this. Your dying winds back the hands of time. You’ve also died twice in the span of three days, don’t you find that odd?”

“I mean, when you put it like that it does,” Lance admitted with a tinge of embarrassment.

“Clearly as one of the few who is aware of what’s happening and capable of preventing it I need to keep an eye on you. I wasn’t sure if you were aware before, you actually caught me on my way to Clock Town to see if you remembered me. I appreciate you saving me the trip.”

“So what? You want me to just stay here with you now? Until when?”

That just wasn’t going to happen. Lance had things in his life happening now for once. Sure the things he had going on were scaring him shitless, but he couldn’t just run away from his problems and hideout here with this guy who terrified him almost as much.

“Of course not, I have to figure out why this is happening. I can’t be your babysitter for the rest of time,” Bael scoffed as he answered. Lance found this man increasingly annoying to deal with.

“What religion do the people of Clock Town practice?” Bael asked him out of the blue. This was so out of place to him that Lance paused to process what was said in case he misunderstood.

“We don’t really have a proper religion I guess? I know in Ikana there are remnants of ancient churches kept up for historical purposes, but the religion was lost to time. The Giants are guardians we acknowledge, but I wouldn’t say anyone worships them. Why?”

“So the old gods are just as forgotten as I imagined them to be. Right, well, I ask because it’s related to what’s happening. I think,” Bael spoke aloud with uncertainty.

Lance paused, waiting for him to continue. Bael looked at him expecting him to say something else, but gave up and just continued.

“Before the Giants, when the Ikana Kingdom existed, there was a pantheon of gods that were worshiped. They were not benevolent protectors like the Giants, who stepped in after the fact to protect Termina. No these were, dare I say, evil gods,” Bael explained.

“That’s just a myth, isn’t it? We know the Giants are real, but no one has ever seen another being at the level of a deity,” Lance questioned growing uncertain in what he knew.

“Generally most followers never get physical proof of the things they worshiped, and this was no different. I however can confirm they do exist because I have met one.”

Lance looked at Bael like he had just sprouted a second head, which honestly is something else he wouldn’t be surprised he could do. Bael smirked knowingly, getting pleasure from shocking him in this way.

“Yeah, there’s a reason the Woods of Mystery, Lost Woods, Forest of Many Names, whatever you want to call it, has the capability to keep you trapped here forever. It’s where things are kept that cannot just simply die. I’ve met one of these ‘lost ones’.”

A chill ran up Lance’s spine at the explanation. An instinctive response in his brain said that this was all just a crock of lies and Bael just got a thrill out of toying with people before devouring them. However, something about the name ‘lost one’ struck a chord in his mind that he couldn’t ignore.

“Was that shadow from the night I-,” he paused, unable to describe it in any more detail. “Was that a ‘lost one’?”

“It was.”

Unfortunately Bael didn’t seem keen to expand anymore on the subject and Lance did not dare to push it for fear of his retaliation.

“What is it you’re going to do then?” Lance finally asked not knowing where else to go in this conversation that went almost entirely over his head.

“We’re going to be paying visits to the places where the old gods used to be enshrined. Their corpses have been defiled before so I’m told, so they must still be there,” Bael announces as he quickly stands and dusts himself off.

“You’re coming with me because if something happens to you I’m back at square one and I do loathe repeating myself,” he snarled with a touch of malice.

“Ah.”

So Lance was dead weight to him it seemed, and not at all here to be helpful to this cause. On the one hand he did not want this to be his responsibility; he already felt like he was way too involved in this as it is. Another part of him despised being seen as useless and his being most useful was to be quiet and play along with what other people wanted.

Striding over with a confident ease no typical person was capable of, Bael grabbed his arm and pulled him up with a smirk. Lance, try as he might to resist, was roughly pulled upwards by his startling strength despite his stature. The fairy floated back over to her companion as well, having no more need to watch him closely.

“Given your people are more isolationist than ever you’ve probably never ventured much further south than this, hm?” Bael asked without expecting any kind of answer from him. “I’m going to start by investigating the ruins of Woodfall.”

Lance allowed himself to be dragged along despite the smoldering knot of disdain billowing in his core. He was no longer keen to any of this since he was a passive participant in it nor was he allowed to negotiate for his side of matters. The only thing he wanted was to help his mother, he couldn't care less about all this extra nonsense.

As Bael led him outside his home, Lance began to put up a degree of resistance to being dragged around. The other didn’t even so much as look at him before roughly tugging him forward again. He had no interest in the qualms of a human who at the end of the day he was only trying to protect.

Just as he was about to open his mouth in protest, a soul shaking howl reverberated through the air slicing right through his very being. All the life here also paused in response to this disturbance before returning to normal and ignoring what had just transpired. Lance gasped in shock, and as soon as he heard it, it was gone again.

Bael ignored the sound. He didn’t turn around to face its direction or slack at all in pulling Lance where he wanted him to go. Lance might have mistaken it but it felt like the muscles of Bael’s hand tightened on his arm. It seemed wiser to wait until they were out of this suffocating forest before speaking up again.

They left the hidden village and wandered through the forest once more. This trip was noticeably a lot more brief leading them to be out of the woods within an hour. Lance chalked it up to just part of the experience with the Woods of Mystery.

Once they appeared from the dense trees the sight of Lance’s horse was the first thing they noticed. When the beast spotted its master the animal began to walk over nickering pleasantly.

Bael dropped his arm and walked over to the horse with a childlike gleam in his eyes. He gently extended his hand out to its nose letting the creature become familiar with his scent.

Lance couldn’t help but grin in amusement at Bael’s excitement to see the horse. Horses were extremely common in human societies, but he supposed it wouldn’t be something common to see when living your entire life in a forest.

“He’s not shy, you know. He’s a city animal, so he’s been used to strangers since he was a colt,” Lance explained as he stepped over to pat the animal on the neck.

“What’s his name?” Bael asked while letting his hands dive into the thick hair of the mane. His eyes lit up at the sensation.

“Ah, well,” Lance coughed to clear his throat nervously. “He doesn’t have one. I’m bad at names, and since he’s mine he never got a name.”

Bael looked at Lance as if he had just punched him in the gut and brought him great offense. “What is even the point of belonging to a human if you can’t even be loved enough to receive a name?” He raised his voice as he stepped around the animal to get in Lance’s face.

Lance held up his own hands with palms splayed and backed up slightly. He really didn’t know how to handle Bael’s strong reactive emotions that changed by the minute. Bael gave up on scolding Lance and turned back to the horse instead.

“I’ll give you a name then. You’re a beautiful dark red bay and your eyes shine with understanding. You’ve put up with an ungrateful master for many years but you love him anyway, that much I can tell. A powerful name would suit you.”

While Bael spoke to the horse in loving tones Lance couldn’t help the twinge of jealousy that made itself home at the base of his throat. It was irrational, he knew that, but he had just sat through this man making him feel useless and like a burden then turned around to talk to his horse with only kind words. Unbelievable!

“Oberon. Oberon shall be your name,” Bael said with an accomplished smile nuzzling his nose against the horse’s snout.

“Any complaints, master?” He added with a sarcastic voice, eyes flashing an overconfident look.

Lance’s nostrils flared and the corners of his mouth turned down into a frown. “It’s fine, I guess.” With no valid complaints he just remained in dejected silence. He wouldn’t dare admit that he thought it was actually a good name.

The feelings of ire came sharp and hot. Roiling in his stomach he felt some of the most intense heated emotions he ever felt in his young life. His fists curled at his side until his fingernails started digging into his flesh threatening to draw blood.

Lance was coming to despise the man who swore to save his life.