Breath of the Twili Imp (WIP Preview)

   Scouring the very edges of Hyrule led Zelda to this moment. The crumbling towers and weather-worn steps leading up the hill matched the rumors that had been spreading around the region. Ever since she stumbled upon a strange book in the castle library, the princess had gained a fascination for a race of people that had long separated themselves from the land. The legends told of their strange ways and magic that had brought great turmoil between them and the rest of the people of Hyrule. As Zelda walked through what remained of the ruins, she couldn’t help feeling sorry for the ones known as the Twili.

   Zelda’s somber mood was put on hold as she caught a glimpse of something sparkling in her peripheral vision. Noticing a set of unknown runes, she started off running towards it with her boots clacking against the weathered stone. Getting down on her knees to examine the writing, she paid little mind to the scuff marks made against her black pants. Brushing against the structure littered her blue and white, long-sleeved shirt with dirt, but it was worth as she caught a glimpse of the glowing markings beneath. Pulling away the stray strands of blonde hair that had fallen in front of her face in the excitement, her fascination with the writing delayed her recollection that she wasn’t alone.

   The sound of someone clearing his throat got her attention away from the writing. Turning around, she was met with concerned look of Link. His blue tunic and dirty blonde hair flittered in the wind, his attention focused solely on protecting the princess from harm.

   “You have nothing to worry about,” Zelda said as she stood up and brushed off some of the dirt. “The people that made these ruins are long passed. I doubt that any surviving security measures will be much trouble to us.”

   Link tapped his fingers against his arms and frowned.

   “I’ll be careful, I promise,” Zelda replied in her best attempt to quell his fears. “Let me just have a few more moments with the ruins and then we can head back to the castle.”

   After a few moments of silence, Link gave a begrudging nod to send the princess off to explore the ruins.

   Knowing she had an invisible timer above her head, Zelda tried to pick out a handful of spots to spend what few precious moments she had. Her gaze finally settled on the most intact structure of the ruins, although that wasn’t saying much. As she drew closer, she began to wonder if the stone cube had only survived the ages out of virtue of its simplistic nature. Walking around the block to examine the various glyphs and writings, she came up with a hunch that there was more to it that it appeared.

   Squatting down, Zelda slid her hand along the sides until she found a series of bumps in a circular pattern. Grasping one of the protrusions, a light tug got it to slide to the center of the formation. Spurred by her sense of discovery, she repeated the action with the rest of the pattern to create a cluster in the center. Upon inserting the final bump into the tight circle, she was rewarded with the sound of stones grinding against each other.

   The box began to shift, the princess’s fascination with the moving parts making her almost completely unaware to Link dragging her several feet back form the square. The cube extended its height into a pillar twice Zelda’s size before it began to split down the middle. Watching the structure fold open like a blooming flower, Zelda set her sights on the black chest marked with glowing, blue markings that revealed itself. As soon as the structures stopped moving, Zelda freed herself from Link’s protective grasp and ran towards the chest.

   Link let out a grunt to try and stop her advance.

   “After I’ve come this far, you can’t expect me to stop now,” she replied, kneeling down to work open the chest’s hatch.

   Lifting up the lid, Zelda was simultaneously intrigued yet frustrated to find yet another container inside. Picking up the pure black vase, she ignored Link’s pleas to put it back down as she lifted off the top. Peeking inside, she saw what looked like a pile of black dirt that had the faint glow of the chest it came from. Just as she pondered putting back the container, a strong gust picked up several specks of the strange substance and blew it in her face.

   Coughing and stumbling about led to Zelda accidentally smashing the pot on the ground. The dirt inside took the initiative from there to surround her as it drifted up to the sky. Forcing herself through the coughing fit, she watched the specks float about like tiny insects. Watching the last of them rise higher into the sky until they disappeared from view left her with questions that were soon put to the wayside by a warm sensation spreading through her body.