The violet color that had only tinted the sky earlier was beginning to overtake the other shades of the Hylian skies. Link urged Epona to gallop faster, hoping to warn the Zora and Gerudo communities in time before whatever ominous energy invading the kingdom could possibly prevent him from doing so. He had left Princess Zelda under the tight security of the castle guards and was hurrying to investigate this new threat.
The skies continued to darken, and Link could feel Epona pick up the pace. A low, but timid whinny from the animal told all to its rider; Link pet her sweating neck to calm her.
"You're not the only one who's jumpy…" his voice was soft and comforting, but the nervous gaze never left the horse's eyes.
The colored atmosphere darkened, likening to night time, but still retaining its unnerving hue. Clouds rolled in rapidly, threatening to open floodgates of rain upon the land. It became so dark that neither Link nor Epona were able to see very far in front of them.
A bolt of lightening split the sky, striking the ground right in front of Epona. Terrified, the horse reared back and whinnied loudly, throwing Link to the ground hard. Recovering from initial shock, the Hero of Time silently thanked the goddesses that none of his limbs had been broken by the fall.
The shrill, sharp sound of laughter echoed above him. Link rolled to his feet and drew his sword, glancing about for the source of the sound. Something orange caught his eye, and he looked up to see a fox grinning smugly at him. Behind the fox were four other shadowy creatures that Link was unable to see clearly except for their mocking grins.
"You must be Link…" Keaton's grin widened to show his sharp fangs. "Or do you prefer the title 'Hero of Time' to your real name?"
"I am," Link glared. "and who are you that you've come looking for me?"
Keaton raised the back of his paw to his forehead in mock anguish while the fellows behind him snickered.
"Woe is me!" Keaton feigned. "Even you, who wore my mask, have forgotten me!"
Keaton's words triggered recognition in the hero's mind, and Link felt his hand go to his pack to withdraw an all-too-familiar mask when he suddenly paused it, realizing that he no longer carried it on his person.
"Would I be wrong to say that you are Keaton, the Fox Spirit of Chaos?" Link locked eyes with the creature.
Keaton clapped his paws boredly. The fox's body language indicated a lack of amusement, but the unfading grin told otherwise.
"No, you would be right on that matter." Keaton perked his ears up momentarily.
"That's not possible!" Link forced a shocked gasp to remain unheard. "You and the other Spirits of Chaos were sealed in the Void of the Sacred Realm-"
"True," Keaton's tone turned somewhat poetic. "We were sealed in the Void all those centuries ago simply for being that which we are, a rather undeserving fate I'd say. But you see, for every door into the Void, there is a hole leading out of it and into the land of Hyrule."
"No…" Link's mind raced with the dreaded possibilities Keaton's words could hold. If they had managed to escape from the Void, then it was more than possible for Gannondorf to do the same!
"Ah, yes,…" Keaton continued. "There was another fellow in there that wanted out as well… knew you rather well… I think his name was Gannondorf."
The thought of Gannon escaping along with these troublemakers made Link's stomach churn anxiously. The Gerudo king had been difficult enough to subdue, nevermind combined with the Spirits of Chaos! Link could already feel the stinging wounds and aching bruises that would eventually result from his efforts. A trickle of sweat dripped from his face and hit the ground with hardly a splash.
Keaton could see the shifting expressions crossing the hero's face and mused upon it.
"Oh, don't worry about him, boy." the fox waved at the air as though the mention of Gannondorf was as meaningless as a passing insect. "He's still in there, as far as we know, but he'll get out as soon as he makes the hole bigger. Nothing to worry about, really."
"And what do YOU intend to do in the meantime?" Link demanded.
"Us?" Keaton brought his hand to his chest, obviously feigning innocence. "Why, do what we have always done, what comes naturally to us!"
"Send the world into chaos!" Link seethed.
"Isn't it wonderful?" Keaton snickered. "From chaos the world came, and to chaos it shall return. Who knows? It might even be an improvement… in fact I'm pretty sure it is an improvement."
"Somehow, I doubt that!" the Hylian poised himself defensively.
"I don't care if you doubt it or not," Keaton's smile turned sarcastically sinister. "In chaos, nothing and everything matters, as you are about to find out!"
Keaton snapped his fingers, and in a flash, the other Spirits cackled and sped off in all directions, leaving only the sly fox behind. In the distance, Link could the ominous sound of thunder rolling in, but knew all too well that there would be no rain from this storm.
"I don't see how a Gerudo king could possibly lose to a child like you," Keaton spoke boredly, admiring his claws. "but I intend to prove that NO ONE can stand up to the powers of Chaos!"
"NO!" Link managed to utter before Keaton, too, disappeared in the distance. Looking around, the hero could feel the very essence of evil in the air about him.
Epona had long since deserted him, too terrified by the thunder to remain by his side. Perhaps it would be better for him to travel on foot, as one person would seem far less suspicious than one on horseback. Sheathing his blade, he headed for Hyrule Castle.
As he neared the gates, two men came running past him. One was chasing the other, yelling and screaming.
"YOU FILTHY BASTARD! I KNOW IT WAS YOU THAT STOLE IT!" the chaser hollered.
"LIAR! YOU STOLE IT FROM ME!!!" the other bellowed.
The two men ran off, continuing to curse and occasionally exchange blows with one another. Link could only stare at them, curious as to how things had progressed to such a level. Normally, the people of Hyrule had good tempers and skill enough to resolve their conflicts peacefully, so why were these two any different?
More yelling and crying could be heard within the castle, and Link hurried to investigate it. He had to dodge an incoming chair that was hurdling in his direction. When he finally got a good glance at the market square, his heart skipped a beat and his stomach lurched uneasily.
Everywhere Link looked, there were people venting their anger on one another. Most of what was being screeched were accusations of theft, the fingers of blame being pointed at every chest except their own. One lady accused another of stealing her Cuckoo, only to have that other woman retort that her favorite ribbon was missing on her account. Several children were pulling on a sack full of candy, each claiming that it was theirs, then tumbling to the ground as the bag burst and scattered its contents.
A boy, no older than Link himself, peeked wearily out of a door before making a mad dash through the open area towards the gates with something in his hands. The hero had had enough of this madness and quickly tackled the boy from behind. They tumbled into a heap, the contents of the boy's arms slipping from his grasp and onto the ground in front of them.
"What do you think you're doing!?" the boy exclaimed.
"I was about to ask you the same thing!" Link replied.
"Hey, I'm just trying to keep my sanity, ok? That way I won't wind up like everyone else in this crazy town!" Link collected the amulet while still holding the young man tightly. The thief struggled momentarily, but soon gave up; Link's years of battling powerful monsters had given him a few muscles to put to good use.
"If you're trying to keep you're sanity, then how come no one else is?" the hero glared the captive down firmly. "Just what the hell is going on around here?"
"I don't know!" the captive started to panic. "One minute, everyone was watching the sky changing colors, and the next, they've all gone nuts!"
"Then how come you're not affected?"
"I don't know!"
"You have to know something!"
"I don't! I swear it!"
Link let go of the boy and held up the amulet for a quick, closer look.
"What's this for then?"
"It's a peace amulet." the boy explained. "It's basically got a spell in it for preventing magic-induced chaos. Whoever wears it won't wind up like the rest of the idiots around here!"
"So how have you lasted this long?"
"I've got a strong mind, that's why! But even the strong minds have their limits, so I'm not taking any… CHANCES!"
The young man lunged at Link, grasping for the amulet, but the hero simply sidestepped him and let him fall ungracefully to the ground. The boy simply gritted his teeth and fumed.
"So you did know something!"
"I know what the amulet does and that there's some kind of chaos spell cast all over the place. As for who cast it, I don't have a clue."
Link stared at his reflection on the amulet's surface as though studying it. After a moment of thoughtful silence, he turned back to the thief.
"Do you know where I can get one of these… the honest way!"
"Well, uh, I heard that a weird medicine lady in Kakariko might have some, but they're really expensive!"
"Here," Link tossed the gem to the boy. "Keep it for now, but return it when all of this is over."
And with that, Link hurried out of the castle gates towards Kakariko. Behind him, he vaguely made out the boy asking how he knew that this madness would end. The hero shook his head and continued on.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is chapter 2. Where would you like to go next?
