1412 words

Dripping sounds echo through the empty hallway. It's daytime — in the distance, I can hear the happy bustling noises of the busy square. None of it stops when I emerge, being surrounded by the voices, but I hear some talk about me.

"Is that blood?" "Geez, that must hurt," "What in Hylia's name happened?" "He's here really often, huh?" and many others that I tune out. I really don't care. If anyone has a problem, they can go fuck themselves, for all I care — that's how it's been for a long time to me.

I sign into the Sheikah slate: "Vah Ruta teleportation access" and instantly the lightnessness sweeps me off my feet, and I'm gone in a flash. Or I assume it's a flash. I can't really tell.

My feet touch down inside Vah Ruta, and the monk speaks again.

"I see you've retur—'' he stops as I raise my middle finger to the air, tongue out. With that, I walk in, finding the first terminal easily. I can hear the monk, in the back of my mind, mumbling things, but I tune him out. As I said — I don't care.

I'm here to complete that bitch trial, and I will.

After five minutes, the darkness I've become accustomed to starts to fade, and suddenly, a burst of light scorches my retinas.

"WHAT THE HELL!??" I yell, squinting. Ah, it hurts! It hurts more than my hands! I open my eyes, reluctant to see the flash of light again, and the interior of Ruta comes into view, but without colour. Hey, colour vision is overrated.

I can see! I can SEE!

I guess it's reverse of the original trial.

Thanks to this happy event, I knock off two more terminals in ten minutes. Still no sign if that asshole Waterblight, but I can hear it, festering, waiting for me to stumble or pause. But I keep going, powered my determination alone (like most days for me lol) as I tap each terminal.

That bitch monk finally speaks up.

"How?! This trial... it was meant to be impossible," he says, shocked. "Especially with your state... you're bleeding out,"

"You think I care?" I say. "A'ight, I did this part. I'm out," I step towards the elevator, and the second my foot leaves the interior of the Divine Beast, a weight is pressed on my head.

I'm blind again.

"Link, you piece of sHIT" I groan, yet again having my mind distracted from my studies. "Get out of my fuCKING BRAIN"—

—I try to turn my attention back to my book to no avail. Why? Why me? How come I can't just be normal and, like, not have a crush on 1) someone who isn't of my race, and 2) someone of the same gender as me? Why? Why?

I sigh and finally let my thoughts drift, while still trying to steer them in a more innocent direction. I probably should feel bad for yelling, but that's not really the reason for my stress. I can't help but think how if I was Mipha, I could've healed him—no, if I was Mipha, he wouldn't've done that in the first place.

Mipha and Link were closer than him and I are, in my opinion at least — when he came over, they'd never argue. I think the only time I heard them have a heated argument was in his older years, closer to his silent age.

"Link!" She yelled, and I peeked through the door.

"What?!" He screamed back. Their faces were very close, almost touching.

"Stop doing this! Stop! It's not okay!"

"Fuck off! I can do what I want!" Her hands were blue with healing magic, his were red, liquid dripping quickly onto the smooth tiled floor.

"Don't curse at me!" She made a move to grab his hand, but he backed up. He wasn't much taller or bigger than her, but Link could easily deck her in a fight of any kind; I acknowledge that sad fact. The blood on his hands drips faster with his angry pulse.

"You know what, bitch," he lowers his voice, "I can do whatever the fuck I want. You're not my mother."

"Well that's no reason for you not to listen to me," she crosses her arms, then inhales deeply. "Just... please? Look at yourself."

They pause for a long moment. I've never seen her mad like this — never, not even at Muzu's idiocy. Never has she raised her voice, much less at Link, her best friend. I feel scared, seeing this side of her. What if it comes out again?

Link sighs and looks down at his fingers. "Farore, Din, and Nayru..."

"Farore, Din and Nayru," I mumble, shaking my head. This is stupid. All of this is stupid. I haven't even left my room today and yet I feel claustrophobic of the noisy crowd outside, claustrophobic of all the noise inside my head. I turn back to my book, not really trying to study but more looking for a distraction from the rush of thoughts and memories overtaking my brain.

They're all about Mipha, and how life would be SO MUCH BETTER if I were her or if she were here still. Mipha. I miss her, but at the same time I'm glad all the pressure is gone.

"Someday, you'll grow up to be like your sister!" Nope. HA, YOU THOUGHT SO? There were many variations of that sentence, the worst one being "Why can't you be more like Mipha?" That one sentence, repeated so many times to me. I can't goof off? I can't be different? Mipha can love a Hylian, of course, but I can't speak my opinion?

I sigh, returning to my reading.

Vah Medoh. Getting up here was a pain; the Sheikah slate wouldn't work for some reason, but I asked Teba to help and he happily agreed.

"You sure you're okay, kiddo?" He says one last time, eyeing me — well, more my hands.

"I told you, I'm fine," I reply, blinking in the sunlight. I might just come up here more often after this whole trial thing to admire the beauty. I watch him jump off the Beast and glide back down to Rito Village to join his family. I'm trying to be happy for him — he's healed, and his family is happy and whole. But I can't.

The monk speaks. "I see you've come for the second part."

"Screw off," I say, looking around for him. He's nowhere in sight! How is he talking to me?

My hands are still bleeding from the first round, but I cut them again to make sure I had the same circumstances as in Vah Ruta. I remember clearly where all the terminals are, and knock off the first one easily. This is eerie. There's no noise except for the whirring of engines. How Revali shot this thing from up here is impossible to imagine. I focus on getting the next terminal. It's in a weird place, one where I need to... hold the paraglider. A'ight then. I tilt Medoh, and jump, unfurling the cloth above me.

Fuck. My hands are slipping, and my heart starts beating faster, resulting in more and more blood, and my fingers are slipping one by one—

I fall. Inches from my goal, and I fall.

The wind whips my hair around my face as I plummet down from the Divine Beast. I try to remember Revali's instructions...

"If you ever fall off, remember. Squat. Pray. Leap. AAAAAAAAH! Touchdown."

"That... that spells SPLAT..."

"Fuck yeah it does. If you ever fall off Medoh, that's you. Nothing you can do."

Well that doesn't really help. I'm falling back-first, and I can't see the ground below me, but I feel it coming fast, and I close my eyes. I don't want to see Medoh shrinking in the distance above me. I get a few life-saving ideas, but I dismiss them. I'm tired. This won't look like a suicide.

I inhale deeply. Maybe this won't hurt.

I feel the crack as I hit the ground, my arms and legs twisting at off angles, and I can't breathe. I'm alive, but I can't breathe. I see the trees above me — my eyes opened on impact. I try to move, but I'm completely paralyzed. Nothing.