[ Another series of questions followed by a brief silence from Link. The answer feels very obvious, the words to express it are not. And he is endeavoring to answer as honestly and emphatically as he can. ]
Because... if the Zenith wins, I lose everything.
[ Everything he's ever cared for, everything he's fought for... all that Link has done to try to bring his kingdom back from disaster already... it would all be wasted.
It's a deceptively simple answer and one that most Meris would give. But here, as they sit face to face in the dark halls beneath the dead Tree, Link's simple words start to blossom into something more. The power of the Effigy is like a sieve, and as Link begins to bear his soul, the thoughts that pour forth wash over the fine mesh, leaving shadows and echos behind.
A castle enveloped in evil essence, crumbling to ruin as the years go on. Broken furniture the hollow remains of a family home. The sound of a horse's hooves clopping on the ground as Link rides through a decimated village, reduced down to nothing but stone foundations after 100 years of chaos and scavenging. Who were they? How did they live? What did they treasure? What knowledge did they possess that is gone forever? How did they love one another, how did they fight? What songs did they sing? All lost. Forever. And that was the first time. So many thousands gone, because he failed, while a handful of survivors were left to grieve and struggle to survive.
And yet, he is the one who got not only a second chance but a third chance. Somehow, it was only his death that was reversed. Somehow, it was only his soul that Yima plucked from the timestream. He came back the first time for a singular purpose: to try to make it right. And now he is in Kenos, ostensibly with a choice, to save his world or let it fade away. How could he rationalize abandoning it?
A shudder goes through Link's shoulders. He can feel it, the Effigy's unique understanding of the sentiment behind his simple, one-sentence answer. Narrowing his eyes as if in pain, he looks up at the masked man, almost as if pleading with him. ]
no subject
Because... if the Zenith wins, I lose everything.
[ Everything he's ever cared for, everything he's fought for... all that Link has done to try to bring his kingdom back from disaster already... it would all be wasted.
It's a deceptively simple answer and one that most Meris would give. But here, as they sit face to face in the dark halls beneath the dead Tree, Link's simple words start to blossom into something more. The power of the Effigy is like a sieve, and as Link begins to bear his soul, the thoughts that pour forth wash over the fine mesh, leaving shadows and echos behind.
A castle enveloped in evil essence, crumbling to ruin as the years go on. Broken furniture the hollow remains of a family home. The sound of a horse's hooves clopping on the ground as Link rides through a decimated village, reduced down to nothing but stone foundations after 100 years of chaos and scavenging. Who were they? How did they live? What did they treasure? What knowledge did they possess that is gone forever? How did they love one another, how did they fight? What songs did they sing? All lost. Forever. And that was the first time. So many thousands gone, because he failed, while a handful of survivors were left to grieve and struggle to survive.
And yet, he is the one who got not only a second chance but a third chance. Somehow, it was only his death that was reversed. Somehow, it was only his soul that Yima plucked from the timestream. He came back the first time for a singular purpose: to try to make it right. And now he is in Kenos, ostensibly with a choice, to save his world or let it fade away. How could he rationalize abandoning it?
A shudder goes through Link's shoulders. He can feel it, the Effigy's unique understanding of the sentiment behind his simple, one-sentence answer. Narrowing his eyes as if in pain, he looks up at the masked man, almost as if pleading with him. ]
I won't... abandon them. I won't.