Art Credit to: Luiszibordi. Fiverr Page listed in the Acknowledgments section

It wouldn't let him go.

Every drop of water felt alive, as if the river became aware of Trevor. The stream was like a magnet on metal, clinging on to his senses, never releasing its clutch.

He fought to ignore the crawl on his skin and the way it beckoned his fingertips to act on its presence. It wasn't easy to do.

He barely carried on as he and his friends traveled on fertile green banks. The lush grasses stretched out to short rocky cliffs which oversaw the river's pathways.

Trevor's friends had plenty of energy. They held excitement in their voices, staring in awe at their surroundings. Everyone drank their jars of Lon Lon Milk, obeying Malon's instructions from earlier.

Trevor's milk was sweet to the taste. He was tempted to go back to the ranch to ask for more, though his mind dwelled on Malon's genuine smile more than anything. She wasn't easy to forget.

When dusk slowly approached, coloring the sky with warm colors, time dragged on. The children slowed down along with it.

"My legs are jello." said Jerome as he slouched and wiped sweat from his brow.

"I wish we asked for horses," Sheila groaned as she adjusted her satchel and dress, both of which clung to her as if they were glued on. "I liked the horses. Malon could have shown us how to ride them on these trips."

"How would we bring them back?" Trevor pointed out. "Besides, we have a fairy. Maybe she can sprinkle some of that dust she's holding back from us."

Navi and Link were ahead of the group. The fairy led the way and seemed to flinch at Trevor's mention of her. She didn't look back, but her voice grew tense.

"I'm ignoring you," Navi declared.

Trevor let out a small laugh. "You still love me."

"Your idea of love is demented."

"How can a tater tot like you be so angry?"

"Link...use your sword."

Link didn't look back either. "...Upriver, right?" he asked, pointing straight ahead. "To the waterfall? Let's focus on the journey, Navi."

"Yes," Navi sighed, her body relaxing. "That's right. From what I heard, we'll find ourselves at the waterfall entrance sooner than later...but we might have to wait until morning. Zora River is a pretty long stretch."

"The sun's almost down," Link said. "Let's try to find a place to set up camp."

Violet strands slowly cloaked the last of the sky's light. The moon gradually appeared. Woodlarks sang a final song, joined by croaking choruses of frogs.

The children settled down on a part of a riverbank with rising and falling hills of grass. They spread their blankets on the ground and gathered sticks to build a fire with.

"This should be easy to make," said Navi, whose blue-white glow proved helpful in the dark. "We have our boy with fire powers, isn't that right?"

Jerome stood quietly with both hands on his hips. He grimaced in the night's shade.

"I...can't," he sighed. "I need a flame to use. That's how my powers work. Always."

"Oh." Navi scratched her head before shrugging with a smile. "Well, that's okay. I'm sure we'll find a way to get it done."

Navi led Link to a birch the group had passed along the way. She taught him how to shave slivers of bark from some fallen branches to use for tinder.

Link brought the shavings and several more stick bundles back to camp. He rubbed two twigs together until a wisp of smoke rose. As the strand emerged from the wood, he added the tinder, starting a small flame.

Jerome's face lit up as brightly as the fire. With an enthused grin, he reached out to the glow again with one hand. The flame flared up, consuming more of the woodpile.

"Careful!" Trevor said. "We don't want to burn everything down, bro. We have to stay alive, you know?"

"It's crazy that we have powers," Jerome said, marveling at the campfire. It was as if he didn't even hear what his best friend said. "All of us have something special." Jerome pointed at Sheila, who almost shrank at his gesture. "You're able to see the future. Right?"

Sheila's face turned the same color as her eyes-red. "Um. Yes. I can't control it, but i can see the future."

"That's so cool," said Jerome. "You can save all of us whenever. We're going to need you."

"It doesn't work like that, Jerome."

"But I think it can." Jerome looked at Link and Navi next. "Link...you're just awesome. You can use your sword to cut through anything and it's nothing to you! You're a real hero. And Navi's pretty sweet, too. She can help us with all that knowledge."

Link's face brightened up from the suggestion. Navi waved off the compliment as if her abilities were nothing.

"You're doing things people would think are impossible," Navi said. "You can believe that."

Jerome nodded and smiled. Then, his face changed to a different expression. It was the type of expression people showed when something dawned on them. Trevor didn't have to guess what Jerome was talking about; he knew Jerome would turn in his direction, offering a sympathetic look at him.

"Oh," he said. "Sorry, bro. You still do good by us. You helped me stay alive, remember?"

Trevor nodded with a sad smile. Jerome had been injured on Death Mountain by a King Dodongo, a dinosaur that was the largest of its species. Trevor had pushed for the Gorons to help heal Jerome, at the mountain's summit. They found the Great Fairy in the nick of time on that, which was why Jerome was alive now. There, a fairy healed Jerome. She was another part of a magical new world—a place Trevor couldn't recognize.

As the fire crackled and warmed the group, Link looked out at Zora River. A glimmering reflection of the moon rippled on the restful stream's surface.

"The water looks really clean," Link said. "Is anyone thirsty?"

"I'd love some water!" said Sheila.

"Me too," said Jerome.

Trevor kept his gaze on the fire. The water felt like a grating whisper now.

He knew the current's strength. He knew how deep the river went, all the way down to the bed where silt and unknown creatures lived.

Trevor may as well have been in the water; practically drowning in it. After all, the mention of it made it hard for him to breathe.

He just wanted the feeling of it all to go away.

"I had enough to drink from the ranch," he said. "But thanks."

Link gathered Sheila and Jerome's jars. Trevor felt the river crawling on his skin. Link walked to the riverside, uncorked the bottles and began to fill them up. Trevor sensed the water splashing against the bottle's smooth glass. He ignored the sensation.

After filling them up with river water, he gave them back before getting his own drink. The children had their fill of water.

He focused on his friends, who helped each other enjoy the night as time passed. Eventually, everyone fell asleep. Though the atmosphere and the fire were both peaceful, Trevor was fitful while trying to sleep. He felt the river once more, holding onto him, beckoning him with its rush during the night. For a moment, Trevor grew still and thought he could finally sleep...

"Hey...You still awake?"

Trevor sat up, frantic. The harsh voice felt planted in his head. It sounded familiar—far too familiar. Trevor thought it was impossible, what he heard—there was no way that voice could have been...

"You know, I never really liked you, man. You're one of the biggest losers I know. What makes you think you can go around pretending you can play hero? You don't look like a hero to me. You don't look like anybody special at all.

"You're better off dead."

Trevor remained quiet as the voice kept on.

"Well, here's something you need to know. You guys aren't alone. Look pretty, now—they've come out to get you. Bokoblins are a meeeaaaan bunch."

A cold rush whipped past Trevor's face. It darted right above one of his shoulders. A blunt object collided with the fire, snuffing out the flame, reducing it to a smoldering pile. Darkness engulfed everything.

When Trevor whipped himself around, he saw a strange horde of creatures. Though it was hard to see in the dark, Trevor knew the invaders weren't human; they had long, grotesque faces with snarling snouts and immense bodies. A few creatures bared their fangs and growled. The predatory sounds awoke the others.

"What are they?" asked Sheila, her voice quivering.

"I don't know," said Jerome. "But we've got to take care of them."

"Good idea," said Navi. "They're bokoblins, by the way. A dangerous lot. There's quite a few of them."

Link picked up the Kokiri Sword, drawing it from the sheath. He stood up and took a defensive stance against the bokoblins.

"We've got to stop them," he declared. "Before it gets bad."

A bokoblin lunged at the group. Link charged back with equal fury. The rest of the bokoblins followed and the children held their own. Sheila trembled behind Trevor and Jerome, who both fought as well as they could with their Hylian Shields. It was a defensive game, a matter of them staying alive despite the lack of weapons.

The bokoblins had clubs with spikes protruding out their sides and used them with great skill and force, slamming down on the metal. Link held his own and even defeated a couple foes. He'd cut them across their torsos and it was enough to take them down for good. However, more bokoblins came out of the corners of the river bank's surroundings, from around the tall rock walls which oversaw the stream's course.

It got to a point where Link was beaten back by a brutal hit from a club. Some of his sword and all of his shield absorbed the blow. Its force was strong enough to make him fly back and roll onto the river bank. The others gathered around him in concern. Perhaps that was a mistake; the bokoblins came together, becoming like one body, and advanced on the children and Navi.

Trevor and the others were trapped.

The bokoblin horde crept closer to the children on the river bank. Trevor noticed their stares for the first time. Rows of red eyes glared at the children, glowing greedily. As the bokoblins drew nearer, Trevor's heart pounded.

His stomach wrenched at the thought of what the bokoblins could do. Fear silenced him and he was sure his friends felt the same way as their faces expressed as much fear as his did. With each step the bokoblins took, the children backed away. They inched closer to the rushing waters of Zora River.

The river.

Trevor hadn't thought of it. It'd been a long time since he'd used it. The last time he did, Trevor made a mistake. It was so great that he became far too frightened to ever try it again. He vowed to keep what he knew to himself—better yet, he forgot what he knew. He pretended it never existed.

Trevor had no choice this time. If he and the others couldn't make it through this, none of them would make it home. The last Spiritual Stone was the end of Zora River, just as Trevor had been told. Without it, the Triforce would be lost forever and Trevor would never see his parents or Oak Shire ever again. He knew what to do.

Trevor reached back toward Zora River. He felt the current's strength. It swirled and rushed, a sensation he could feel all the way down to the stream's damp floor. When the rush grew louder, it sounded like a cyclone tearing through the area. Water sprayed on the back of Trevor's neck, tempting him to shiver. He stayed still and focused.

I have to save them, he thought. We can't die here. We can't. Home. I just want to go home.

The bokoblins halted. They no longer glared at the children. A few dropped their weapons while others had already chosen to flee. The river's rush rattled Trevor's ears. He wondered what the others would think. He still didn't know what to think of himself to this very day.

The river rose and one could have sworn it was the edge of a great sea. Every ounce of the river's water soared like a high tide. The dominant wave clearly had strength and stature. Trevor focused to keep it that way. He tightened his free hand into a fist. The other ushered the wave closer and closer to the sky above, as if the waters could collide with the stars.

The banks had higher ground than what the children stood on in the midst of all the chaos. Before the river washed over the shallower parts of shore, the group escaped to the high ground. They watched as the bokoblins were carried downshore, roaring and snarling while the waves whisked them away.

The children stared at the river. No one said a word for the longest time. Then, Navi's blue- white glow approached Trevor.

"What happened?" she asked. She looked Trevor straight in the eyes. He couldn't meet her gaze.

Trevor pressed a hand on his forehead as if it hurt. Whatever the voice was—whoever it was—disappeared.

"It's a long story," he said. "I don't know if you'll ever believe it."