abraxaslogs | INTRO LOG #2

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INTRO LOG #2

Intro Log #2

It has been two months now since the initial group of summonings first took place. Castle Thorne, or at least the part above ground, is buzzing with a vibrant air of hope following the 'success' at the Singularity. Eager smiles and excited chattering are to be found in nearly every corner of the castle and surrounding town. The honored guests may find grateful looks turned their way more often than not. A new and brighter day seems to be dawning on the kingdom.

In the dungeons it's a different story entirely. The mood is somber and uneasy. The prisoner taken for trial has yet to return, and no word has come regarding her or her fate. There has been no mention of any further trials as of yet and guards seem to have little patience for unruly behavior or even conversation. Some seem to not even look at or acknowledge the prisoners at all.

[ Feel free to continue threads from the TDM here or start your own! As cell and room assignments will be short-lived due to this month's event, you're free to assume whichever cellmates and roommates you like instead of officially signing up as long as there are ICly no more than four people in a cell or room at once. ]

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"Any favorites yet?"

Nero has been traveling and so only ever grabs what is left in the cities that have been utterly destroyed by One and him. It usually is some produce but occasionally, he finds a meal that isn't rotten or covered in unmentionable things.

So, he gets it! Eating a real meal is a real and honest treat.

And he plops himself down next to his tiny cousin so that he can look over the plate to see what he might go to grab from the buffet, himself.

"Is food scarce where you are?"

"This is from Goron!" Link immediately gushes, apparently thrilled Nero asked, because he normally isn't half as animated unless he's perfecting a new move out on the training grounds. He is holding out a meat skewer that is covered in a nuclear red curry powder, offering it for Nero to try.

He also has a half-dozen other 'favorites' on his plate. Meat, veg, fruit, fish... nothing has been spared.

"Oh, there's plenty of food," Link surmises, looking thoughtful. There were certain parts of the wilderness that were plenty barren, but he'd never had a hard time finding something. "But I usually have to catch it first."

"Goron?" He repeats the word back at him, before looking to the meat skewer that is being handed in his direction. Sniffing the air, he can already tell that it is going to be hot and spicy.

However, he still takes the offered food. Anything to remain on good terms with his tiny cousin, because he has to keep convincing him to not use his magic. At least until he figures out how to get the fuck out of the country.

"A survivalist, huh? Did the other elves just leave you out in the woods to fend for yourself because you overslept?"

Fortunately, Link is a simple man, and that makes him exceedingly easy to get along with. Break bread with him, don't be outwardly nefarious. The smaller elf nods like 'Goron' is completely self-explanatory, his mouth full of something else.

"Kind of. It took 100 years, and there weren't many Hyruleans left who remembered."

He doesn't say what took 100 years. It's still strange to admit outright that he died... he can't linger on his failures when there is still so much left to accomplish.

God, I fucking hate your people.

It seems like where Link is from that the Hyruleans -- new fun word for elf -- seems to have forgotten how to take care of themselves. Furthermore, it stems from them losing a war 100 years ago, which they apparently blame their children for having lost. He feels his eyes roll up into his skull as he can't imagine how much a race can fuck up so bad.

Some bitches need to get their shit together. But it does seem very much like the old guard to force the younger generation to carry their sins and fix things for them instead of fix it themselves.

Nero lets out a long, agonized sigh as he takes a bite of the meat instead of saying any of these disparaging thoughts. He likes Link, for the most part. He thinks Link is a good kid that will listen to him. That means he won't have to suffer any backlash from the kid using magic. Those people suck and seem like they should die. Do you want me to kill them?

He chews thoughtfully, and forgoes saying that, too. Because, well, it doesn't seem like they are going to be able to return home. And yes, that is the only reason he doesn't offer it. "Well, you get to have people take care of you now. Isn't that nice? You finally get to relax and be pampered." Elbowing him in the side, he asks, "But really, what are you hoping to accomplish here?"

Nero may not be totally off-target in his opinion of the inherent absurdity of pinning the fate of the entire world onto the shoulders of two teenagers, but he won't be hearing an agreement from Link any time soon. He only wonders what brought on that long, exaggerated sigh of contempt while chewing on a peace of bread.

Words like 'relaxing' and 'pampering' only bring about an owlish blink from him. Why would he want to do that, when every moment he doesn't spend getting stronger is time wasted?

"I have to get back. The Princess is waiting for me," the smaller elf blurts, as if he's read Nero's mind. "The Singularity has to be the way."

Foolishly optimistic? Maybe, but these are the conclusions he's reached based on the limited information available to him in Thorne - and what little he knows of the Calamity back in Hyrule. They simply must be linked, somehow.

"Princess? What princess? Your elves have princesses? Is she pretty?"

He props his chin on top of his hand. Nero opens and closes his mouth as he decides not to also ask if Link is hoping to get into the royal family. His lips press together into a thin line as he takes a second to compose himself. The elf closes his eyes as he thinks of what a wasted opportunity to give up such a good joke. I'll hold onto it.

With all the nobles and other such governments around, he believes that he'll be able to make his joke eventually. Ah, fuck, I hope I don't forget it by then.

"It doesn't have to be the way. This may be the life that we have until we die." Nero wants to destroy his own world; he wants to return to One and continue their slaughter. But he also knows when to give up on stupid ideas and think of the reality of the situation. Returning might never be possible. In a way, that also put a black eye on Thorne 'cause Nero didn't get a chance to see the end of One's misbegotten journey for redemption.

"If that's the case, what are you going to do? Like I said before, we're going to outlive most of the people here. So you gotta think of the long-term." Of course, his long-term is -- "I hope we can destroy this world and watch everything fucking burn to the ground." That might take a couple centuries, but hey, he's patient.

"Princess Zelda is beautiful," Link answers with conviction in his eyes. There is no hesitation or embarrassment in saying it, less a confession and more like he's simply stating a widely-known fact. "And wise, and kind. She has the loveliest voice I've ever heard."

These days, it's that voice that stands out to him the most, far more real to him than any of his haphazardly pieced together recollections. She believes in him even though he failed her, and Link can't think of a kinder soul. He misses her guidance desperately... he can't help but think she would know what to do in this situation, or else endeavor tirelessly to find out.

Of course he doesn't want to hear that they may never get back home, or even entertain the thought. That would only mean he's let her down again. Hylia wouldn't have chosen a failure as Hyrule's hero, surely. That's impossible.

"The goddess led me here for some purpose," Link says, his jaw tightening. His eyes are downcast, but brimming with determination. He doesn't look interested in questioning or testing this faith. "I will fulfill it."

But those long ears pique when Nero confesses he'd like to watch the world burn. Determination is replaced with a look of surprise in the other elf's direction. Link has never heard anyone speak like that before - not even the Yiga Clan has ever been so frank.

...is that the solution? Is destroying this world the way to stop the Calamity on Hyrule?

"Why? What will become of you if everything burns?" Link asks carefully.

"You sound like you got quite a sweetheart!" Nero lets out a sharp laugh at how he talks about Zelda. His elbow comes out to lightly nudge Link in the side a few times. "I hope that she pines for you and that you successfully stole her heart before you were summoned."

He chuckles a bit more. There were more not-safe-for-ears comments that he could make about what he hopes, but he again decides that doesn't need to be said. One would be very proud of Nero for knowing when he should be vulgar and when he shouldn't.

The elf gives him a bemused expression at the comment that the goddess lead him to this world for a purpose. He blows a huff of air out of the corner of his mouth. Honestly, the only "goddesses" that he knows are the Intoners and they are thankfully long since dead.

"It might not be my place to say, but there's no reason to carry on just fulfilling someone else's wishes and desires."

Nero thinks that sort of mentality is bullshit, anyway. Living for someone else; doing for someone else; attempting to change the world for someone else; it's all bullshit. Because the person that they're attempting to do everything for isn't even around to see it, right? Because the person that they're sacrificing so much for won't fully acknowledge all the sacrifices that they've done. If they acknowledge them, they have to acknowledge that they forced someone to give up their life for them. And only a few bastards are capable of doing that with real sincerity. But even then -- would it be worth it?

"Because the world is going to end." He moves onto the next topic -- the important question about his wishes. Honestly, he hates the idea of sneaking around and people not knowing what he's really about; he hates the idea of some grand reveal where he tells them that they've been wrong about him the entire time. Get the fuck out of his face with that!

So, Nero believes he can get along with his little cousin and not hide who he is. If he can't, well, that would be unfortunate for the both of them.

"Look, we're in an entire new reality, new place... and shit's just the same as it always is. Whether we are here or not, people are going to kill each other. People are going to ruin each other's lives. Misery is going to build up by these actions and the world is going to break down under it."

He picks up a piece of bread to take a bite out of it. "The Singularity is just going to speed things along. And ... we are going to be blamed for what comes next whether we like it or not. We might as well be the ones to take responsibility for what comes to pass. No, not we might as well... we should. If no one else is willing to say that they did it, we should."

His eyes clothes. "Nothing will become of me. I'll probably die before I see the end. I'm immortal but I'm not invulnerable. Someone might end up stopping me. But what of it? Will that really save anything? Will killing one person really stop anything? It won't... and things will spiral again to destruction sooner or later."

What would Link live for if not for someone else? For Hylia, for Hyrule... for the Princess. For the Champions who gladly sacrificed their lives in the fight against the end of their world. Link knows no other way, not in his past life and certainly not in this one, where anything and anyone that ever meant something to him as an individual has been lost to time, gone for over a century, or else to his own broken memory. All he has are the spirits of his fallen allies and the voice of the goddess to guide him.

...here, he doesn't even have that. He hasn't heard Mipha, or Revali, or even Zelda in his heart since he arrived. Nowhere can he pray to Hylia and be heard. This world is different, Link can feel it.

He just doesn't know what that means, just yet.

Link is silent for a long time while he listens, and for some time after, his brows drawn close together in an expression somewhere between puzzlement and something deeply troubled. He wants to say why he knows that Nero is wrong. He wants to, but he can't. He doesn't know. In fact... Nero is right. The cycle will continue just as it always has on Hyrule, even if Link succeeds. In another 10,000 years, a new Chosen Hero and another descendent of Hylia will rise to fight the Calamity, just as they did 10,000 years before him.

That isn't a destiny that Link wants to fight, however. Every day he reminds himself that no matter how he suffers, this is a great honor.

"I do take responsibility," Link finally says, after another moment taken to remind himself of this. "I was chosen for this role. Princess Zelda lives or dies by my actions, and all of Hyrule needs her if we are to survive."

Which is why he is going to continue to believe that something about the Singularity matters to what he must accomplish back home.

Link has broken off a piece of bread, but he has yet to eat it. He's taken to staring into its nooks and crannies as if there might be an answer in there. It's nice to have endless, easily obtained food... but he's starting to miss the wild. "I wonder... if Calamity Ganon were capable of rational thought, if it would think as you do."

"Bit fucked up that they're putting so much on a seventeen year old. What? No other soldier or warrior is able to do it?"

He tugs on the bottom of his ear. Nero might not have the capacity of being readily sympathetic or empathic to people, but he can tell when someone is given the short of end of a stick.

"By your actions? What about everyone else's? Is everyone else helpless to keep her safe? What about their responsibility to make sure that she doesn't die?" It seems like they're making Link out to be some scapegoat or last ditch effort, but that's kind of troubling to think about since well, he wonders if the teenager has really thought about how fucked his situation is.

More bread is torn off; more of it is shoved into his gob as he happily eats despite the topic that they have landed on. Nero pauses as he listens to the comment that is made about him. Calamity Ganon? He blinks owlishly. "Eh? Who... what is Calamity Ganon? What a cool name!"

"... there are no warriors left among the Hylians," Link answers after a pause, looking up to Nero again. It seems as if there should be a sense of gravity in those words, but he speaks them plainly. It's just the truth, from what he's seen: garrisons left in ruins, travelers armed with rusted, scavenged swords. The Rito were proud enough to maintain their tradition of archery, and the Zora maintained a small guard for their kingdom, but Hylians? Scattered. Tucked away into reclusive villages, as if hiding from the prophesy that still hangs over their heads. Slowly but surely forgetting.

So, really... it makes perfect sense why Link has never entertained the questions Nero is asking. In his mind, there really isn't anyone else. It's been proven.

Of course, Nero's praise for Ganon only earns him a series of rapid blinks. He may as well have just told a human that 'Satan, Prince of Darkness' is an awesome name. (Though, perhaps Nero would likely agree with that sentiment as well.) Not that it's surprising to him that Nero wouldn't know - most have forgotten the details.

"Calamity Ganon is the manifestation of pure malice and a force of corruption. The prophesy says Ganon is continually reborn over the millennia to bring the Calamity to Hyrule."

"Isn't that their own fault, then?"

He tilts his head the opposite way as he looks down at Link. It seems to him to be a little fucked up that they let themselves fall to ruin then expect a princess and seventeen-year-old to solve all of their problems. If they fail, and Nero is certain they will, they have scapegoats to blame for the failure rather than attempt to change at all.

Whether a person lives for someone else, whether someone expects someone else to live for them, it really is all shit. Even in the world that a nice kid that Link comes from, it seems like the world is just as rotten as any other. Nero would say that's unfortunate if he actually had any hopes that there was a nice, sweet world somewhere.

He lifts his eyebrows to the way that Link blinks at him. The elf chuckles a little as Link explains what Ganon is. "Is that so?" A beat follows. "What an unfortunate life. I'd personally hate to be reborn all the time just to wreck shit that's already busted."

Destroying things because he wants to do it and destroying things because he's made to do it are two different things, and he would much rather it be the former over the latter. Free will, etc. etc. etc.

Link has never heard anyone express any measure of sympathy for Ganon. Likely, if he still had all of his memories from a time when he'd lived and breathed this prophesy since he was just a toddler with a tiny wooden sword, he might have physically recoiled to hear it. Instead, he just regards Nero with the kind of wary, yet careful, incredulity that one reserves for the friendly neighborhood lunatic.

"Unfortunate?" Link echoes. He finally takes the time to tear off another piece of his bread, and chews in a mildly uncomfortable silence, his brows drawn together. He hasn't put much time or effort into thinking about why Calamity Ganon returns to bring ruin to Hyrule, over and over again. That point of view wasn't exactly recorded in the old songs of the prophesy that Kass shared with him.

It occurs to him:

"You think Ganon doesn't have a choice."

"I don't." Nero gives a small nod to Link, smiling in a pleased way that the young elf understood his meaning so quick. Not that he was hiding what he meant at all, but it's nice to have his point gotten.

"As amazing as a name that he has is... he's the manifestation of all those things, yeah? You even said if he had rational thought that he might think like me." He points to his own face, smiling even wider. "It seems to me like your Ganon doesn't have a choice in destroying your world."

The situation with Link and Princess Zelda is a fucked one. But both of them have their wits about them. They could stop trying to save the world and let it all burn; their duties and their obligations will be finished. The goddess and the world did nothing to make things easier for them, but instead asked them to wipe their asses.

"Your goddess and your world really hate you and your people. I can't even imagine why that is, but it's a sorry thing to hear about, little cousin."

Perhaps Link caught on so quickly because he... understands, in a sense. There was surely a point in his past where Link chose to become a knight, where set himself on the path to wielding the Master Sword. But he, the Link that woke up alone in the middle of the woods, did not make that choice. He merely woke up to it.

It is fortunate that he was destined to become the hero, then. Ganon is unlucky indeed to have been reborn with hatred and a lust for power in his heart instead of courage, as Link was.

"That is sad..." Link admits, strange as it is to say. But he says it for Calamity Ganon, not for his goddess. Hylia couldn't possibly hate her people. Yes, she had made Zelda wait for her divine power for reasons that Link couldn't possibly know or understand, but -

"- but we'd all be dead now if the goddess didn't wish to help us." Link shakes his head, hoping he can somehow shake off the ickiness of feeling passingly sorry for a swirling miasma of evil.

"And anyway, I don't have a choice either. I have to kill him," he adds, casually.

"Your lot is already limping along as it is."

He waves his hand, dismissing the goodness that the goddess gave to them. Whatever it is, it isn't enough to make up for letting her people rot. He can't imagine it was done out of love and can only imagine it was done out of hatred. Though, again, he isn't sure why it is that she hates them so much. It's about the same as the Gods of his world; they hate humanity and constantly trying to drive the race to extinction.

"You're right about that... you don't have a choice. You're here." Nero decides to offer that to Link as something for him to mull on. Of course, he doesn't think that it will be accepted; it already has been dismissed a few times already.

He props his chin on top of his hand yet again as he looks his tiny cousin over.

"Still, I feel like he's finally going to be able to be free from his cycle. What a beautiful and marvelous end for such a pathetically sad creature." He smiles. "We should all be so lucky."

Edited 2021-08-31 03:46 (UTC)

Of course Link can't accept that. It isn't (just) that Nero is invoking some strange sense of sympathy for the actual embodiment of the apocalypse in him. Nor does Link object to putting Ganon out of his pathetic and sad misery, in some fashion or another.

He just can't accept that he's left Zelda to fight alone. Again.

"I'll find a way," Link says, with the kind of stony-faced determination that suggests he won't be swayed otherwise. If dying didn't stop him, why should this?

The elf pauses at the firm, final way that Link speaks. He thinks that he could talk himself black-and-blue over this topic, but his little cousin won't listen to him. So, Nero doesn't see much point in carrying on the argument.

"Guess that's what you'll do, then."

It, at least, answers the question that he had before: what will Link do in this world? Find a way back to his old one. Nero thinks that after a few months, after a few years, after a few centuries, that Link will grow tired. When that happens, they can have this chat, again.

Hopefully, the world won't be destroyed too much by then.

"I like this food." He says abruptly. The mood of the conversation shifting just as violently as his tone. "I could really eat it all day." It's the end of whatever talk they were having before; Nero doesn't admonish or praise Link on his decision. He merely accepts that is what is going to be done.

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INTRO LOG #2

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