Alone in the middle of an unknown forest, Dan began to progressively panic, the extremity of the situation dawning on him.

He was actually stuck inside a video game.

How was this even possible?

He and Phil had casually been recording a new gaming video, when they'd suddenly been transported into another dimension.

Totally normal.

Dan tried to focus and forget about the surreal situation ahead of him, taking a deep breath.

He took in his surroundings. Trees, shrubs, flowers, and other nature-related objects of bright, beautiful colors littered the area. He probably would've found it to be quite stunning, even magnificent, if not for the current circumstances.

Overall, one thing was undisputed: it was certainly out of this world.

Forward, he thought to himself, lifting his heavy feet from the rocky ground.

There's a chance this might lead me to Phil.

Dan was glad he didn't have to decide between going left or right, as there was currently only one path.

He'd been walking for a few minutes, and as he skeptically trailed down the green path that was half covered with tall trees, he saw something move out of the corner of his eye.

Dan froze.

He held his breath, in fear that someone, or something, was present.

His pace quickened along with his heartbeat, terrified that the person or thing would catch him. He had no idea what was out there, and he certainly didn't want to find out.

All Dan needed to do was search for an escape so he could get out of this horrid hell-hole.

A loud rustle came from behind, prompting him to immediately stop mid-way in his tracks.

And then he saw it.

An inhuman, lime-colored slimey figure popped up directly in front of the brown-haired boy's fear-stricken eyes.

Dan didn't even jump; he simply stood there, cautiously examining it, heart racing. It slithered closer to him, leaving a wet, green trail with every advancing movement.

Hey, it's not so bad. Kind of cute, even.

Dan swore he could make out a smile on its face, but then again, it was probably just the insanity of being trapped inside a video game talking.

Immediately after that thought had processed through his head, the blob sprung onto his face, attacking him.

"Agh, fuck! What even are you??!" He yelled at the ambiguous creature, hitting it in attempt to destroy the enemy.

The slimey substance emitting from the green creature was sticking all over his face, which was completely engulfed by the blob, suffocating his entire being.

Screaming into oblivion, he begged for help, but as expected, he received no form of response.

Eventually, he managed to remove the blob from his face by swatting at it repeatedly, and as soon as that occurred, he ran for his life.

He took off as fast as his sore, tired feet would take him, ignoring the pain coursing through his face from the blob attack.

After what seemed like endless running, the tall brunette paused, something shiny catching his eye. He fixed his gaze upon the object, surprised with what it was.

A balloon..?

That's rather odd, especially with the circumstances of being stranded in the middle of some mystical forest, with strange blob enemies as his only known company.

It was very out of place; what would a balloon be doing in a video game made for fighting enemies? What would be its purpose? It's presence just didn't make sense.

The object that he presumed was a balloon was a bright red color, and was peacefully floating just below his head - randomly there accompanying him along with the rest of the trees.

How...out of place.

There was something captivating about the balloon; something that mysteriously drew him into the strange and misplaced object, but Dan couldn't quite put his finger on what that exactly was.

Deciding it was best not to venture near the strange balloon, he proceeded his escape plan from the blob he had outrun, continuing onward. Eventually, he reached what seemed to be a clearing, as a couple of large house-like buildings entered his field of view.

Dan's mood elevated almost as quickly as he'd run from the blob.

Finally...civilization!

He hurried to the home located nearest to him, rapping intensely on the door, knuckles aching with pain and anticipation.

Praying someone would respond, he began to yell at the door, banging on it as if his life depended on it - which, to Dan, it actually did.

With a soft creak, the door slowly opened, revealing a short, confused looking Asian man.

The man possessed the same outfit as him, perfectly fitting his body, but in the color green instead of Dan's red.

Upon seeing the 25-year-old, the older man's eyes widened with shock. He wordlessly beckoned for Dan to come inside.

On any other occasion, Dan would've avoided stepping inside the house of some unknown stranger, but desperate times call for desperate measures - and Dan was certainly desperate.

As the British boy entered the small abode, the short man proceeded to shake his head in what appeared to be disbelief. His face bore an astonished expression while he escorted Dan to a small wooden table in the center of his house.

"You must be new here," the older man said as they took their seats at the table, a twinge of sadness to his voice.

Dan was surprised that, despite his age, he sounded like a prepubescent, 14-year-old sexually ambiguous Canadian boy.

"What is this place?" Dan fervently asked, skipping the formal introductions.

"I'm an NPC, and you're trapped inside a videogame called The Legend of Zelda: Triforce Heroes."

Dan rolled his eyes.

Having already come to the conclusion of being trapped in the game he was playing only a few hours ago with his best friend, he wanted to hear a more thorough explanation.

"That's it? I need to know why I'm here and how to save my friend and get out. Now!" Dan shouted at the man.

He needed information that could actually aid him.

The man shook his head, letting out a shaky breath, "You aren't going to like the outcome."

Dan gulped, fear of what he was about to hear from the NPC. A bead of sweat trickled down his forehead as he prepared himself for the worst.

"How do I get out of here?"

The Asian man shifted his gaze from Dan, staring blankly outside a nearby window.

"The answer is quite simple," he began slowly, but Dan still wasn't sure whether to trust him. Despite this, the man continued, "A hero that arrived here on accident many years ago is trapped on the final level of this world, guarded by the most dangerous boss of the game. There are four stages to this world: Woodlands, which you're currently in, Riverside, Volcano, and Sky Realm. To start the Woodlands stage, you're going to have to search for the triforce triangle, which I'm sure you know of. You must locate and rescue this mysterious hero by defeating the final boss, and once you do, this individual is captured inside of its lair. On your adventure, you will encounter many enemies that will attack you. To fight these enemies, you're going to need a weapon and shield, which you will find in any nearby shop. I don't have the time right now to tell you about all the enemies, but you will meet NPC's that will guide and advise you." He took a breath. "There are also many different items you will receive as rewards when you progress through the different stages. Upon exchanging these items, you will be granted various outfits that all function individually, and will aid you in certain places that require it." He took a breath. "The main thing along your journey is to remember that the answer always lies within the balloons; they will lead you and your friends to freedom."

The brunette blinked. He opened his mouth to say something, but he was interrupted by the same prepubescent voice.

"There's also something you should know. While they will aid you on your path to victory, be aware and conscious of these balloons on your journey. If you touch them, they will pop, and it won't be any regular harmless pop. Any balloon can and will-" the Asian man was cut off by a blood-curdling scream outside of the house.

Both Dan and the elder immediately shot up, rushing to the scream.

The younger boy's eyes scanned the scene, taking in various people gathered a few yards from the tiny house. In front of them stood multiple NPC's who all looked and sounded the exact same as the elder man Dan had spoken to. Seemingly in a state of awe, the characters stood in front of a pile of what appeared to be the latex remains of a red balloon.

But that's not what surprised Dan the most as he took in this strange scene; there was a boy slowly fading away right on top of the ruby-colored remains.

Around him, all the people simultaneously murmured to themselves, clearly grieving, as grave expressions were plastered to their faces.

He was in complete disbelief at the sight before him.

The boy had just vanished.

The elder who had given Dan advice tightly shut his eyes, gesturing to the scene. "While the balloons aid in discovering the path you will need to take to escape," he began, breathing heavily, "they are also sometimes the very reason you might never make it out. Any contact with a balloon will instantaneously terminate your life, both in-game and out, meaning you die in real life as well. If you run out of hearts, which signify how much life you have left, you will succumb to the same fate."

Dan shook his head, cutting the man off, "That's not even possible! How can that even happen??"

"Well, if you can get trapped inside a video game, I'm sure anything can happen, young man."

The surrounding NPC's all began to retreat back to their freakishly similar houses, mourning in sorrow.

Dan's new acquaintance seemed to take this as his leave of absence.

"I must go now, but remember what I've told you. Good luck on your journey..." the Asian man spoke, his voice depleting in volume.

"Wait!" Dan shouted, running (for the second time today in under an hour- that's a record), after the Asian man as he began to retreat. "Do you happen to know where my friend-"

But to Dan's dismay, he was already gone.

Dan dropped his arms to his sides in defeat. Follow the balloons, he thought to himself, remembering the elders' advice about how they would lead his way, as long as he didn't touch them.

So that's what he did.

He walked for what seemed like an hour, following the rose-colored balloons, in hopes of finding Phil.

Thrash!

He froze.

A man a bit shorter than him stood a couple yards ahead of him near a cluster of trees. He'd seemingly tripped over a small shrub that was blocking his path.

The man had thick, dark brown hair that went a bit below his ears. His skin was tan and his eyes were a dark chocolate color.

Dan's eyes widened in realization.

"Charlie.. Skies?"